REBELLION OF 1837 



REBELLION OF 1837 



Rebates to shippers by transportation com- 

 panies is a common method by which these 

 companies once discriminated between shippers. 

 The practice is unlawful, and common carriers 

 convicted of it are subject to heavy fines. A 

 contract to procure rebates from railroads for 

 the shipper is void because unlawful, but this 

 fact does not invalidate the contract for ship- 

 ping, nor release the common carrier from lia- 

 bility on its bills of lading. See INTERSTATE 

 COMMERCE ACT. 



REBELLION, rcbd'yun, OF 1837, the at- 

 tempt of the Radicals in Upper and Lower 

 Canada to introduce by force of arms the prin- 

 ciple of responsible government. In the quar- 

 ter of a century following the War of 1812 

 many reforms had been secured in the Cana- 

 das, but responsible government was still with- 

 held. The Radicals, or Reformers, had only 

 two courses open to them; either they could 

 continue to exert a steady pressure by consti- 

 tutional means, or they could resort to arms in 

 rebellion. In the Maritime Provinces the ex- 

 tremists among the Reformers were not influ- 

 ential, but in the two Canadas the leaders of 

 the reform cause were extremists who were 

 brilliant and courageous, but lacking in a sense 

 of proportion. William Lyon Mackenzie in 

 Ontario and Louis J. Papineau in Quebec are 

 unique figures in history. Both of them were 

 disappointed in their efforts to gain their ends 

 by peaceful means, and both chose open rebel- 

 lion. They may have been wrong in encourag- 

 ing the more excitable of their followers to this 

 step, and there is even some evidence that 

 Papineau was not in favor of open revolt, but 

 they deserve whatever credit comes to bravo 

 men, men of ideals, who allow their devotion to 

 an end to obscure the doubtful character of the 

 means. 



In Lower Canada. In Quebec, or Lower 

 Canada, as it was then called, there was almost 

 from the beginning of British rule a party of 

 discontent. After the War of 1812 this party 

 increased rapidly in influence, and for two dec- 

 ades there was almost constant friction be- 

 twecn tli. li-cidative assembly on the one hand, 

 and tin- h< uf .milt-governor and tin- Irm-htive 

 council on the other hand. In the assembly the 

 discontented I went had a large r< 



sentation. The In utenant-govornor and his 

 council were Bnti>h. Into this conflict of 

 were interjected other issues, notably the o 



of maintaining the French language and 

 the Roman Cuth. !; :> Union. Later the assem- 

 bly demanded full control of the purse strings, 



and when other methods failed, simply declined 

 to appropriate funds. Lastly there came a de- 

 mand for an elective legislative council. 



In 1835 the British government sent a com- 

 mission to investigate the situation. This com- 

 mission recommended that the assembly be al- 

 lowed full control over the provincial revenue, 

 but advised against an elective council. The 

 British government thereupon declined to grant 

 an elective council or a responsible govern- 

 ment, and, moreover, as the assembly had re- 

 fused to appropriate funds, instructed the Gov- 

 ernor-General to withdraw the necessary funds 

 from the provincial treasury. This interference 

 provoked rebellion. Public meetings of protest 

 were held, the "Sons of Liberty" were organ- 

 ized, and the rebels began to muster at Saint 

 Charles and Saint Denis. Associated with Papi- 

 neau as leader was Dr. Wolfred Nelson (which 

 see). The rebels met a strong hand. The rebel 

 army at Saint Charles was routed in a battle of 

 no consequence, and the news of this defeat 

 was enough to scatter the forces at Saint Denis. 

 Smaller grgups of the rebels made a hopeless 

 stand in several villages north of Montreal, but 

 the rebellion was over practically at the first 

 blow. Almost at the beginning of the disturb- 

 ance Papineau fled to the United S; 



In Upper Canada. In Upper Canada events 

 followed a similar course. Mackenzie, breaking 

 with Baldwin and the moderate Reformers, is- 

 sued a proclamation setting forth the grievances 

 of the people and renouncing allegiance to 

 Great Britain. As "Chairman pro tcm of the 

 Provisional Government of the State of Upper 

 Canada," he called on the people to rise, the 

 plan being to capture the military stores in the 

 Toronto city hall. Four hundred rebels met a 

 .-lightly larger force of militiamen, were routed 

 after a skirmish, and the plan failed. 



Mackenzie with some of his followers fled to 

 an island in the Niagara River just across the 

 United States bonier. There they established 

 a "provisional government." The Tun- 

 as they called themselves, received their sup- 

 plies by the steamer Carolina. One night a 

 band of Canadians, under inst met ions from 

 Colonel Allan MacNab, rowed out to the Caro- 

 sct it on (ire, turned it adrift and sent it 

 : Niagara Falls. Mackenzie soon aft. ru ml 

 abandoned the island and gave up the pre- 

 tense of rebellion. 



Results of the Rebellion. From a military 



point of view the rebellion was a joke. The 



rebels in the two provinces acted in coopera- 



but not closely enough to constitute a 



