CAXADA. 



175 



public life, again entered the political aren# as 

 a member of the Assembly. Although having 

 great cause of complaint against his party for 

 the ill treatment he had experienced at their 

 hands since the first of these events, he 

 nevertheless, after his return to Parliament, 

 lent the Reform government the full force of 

 his support and that of his influential journal, 

 the Toronto " Globe ; " and this, no doubt, con- 

 tributed in a great measure to their success in 

 the Western Province. Mr. Brown, since his 

 advent into public life, had set himself up as 

 the champion of Upper Canada rights. He 

 had demanded for her increased representation 

 in Parliament according to her excess of popu- 

 lation over Lower Canada. The majority in 

 each section is composed of people of different 

 nationalities and of different creeds, and it 

 may well be supposed that such a demand 

 would be viewed by the weaker of the two 

 with great distrust and as a covert design 

 upon its liberties. It is not here asserted that 

 this was the intention or the object of the de- 

 mand, which, on a fair consideration of the 

 case, may be deemed a sufficiently just one, 

 but such was the light in which it was looked 

 upon by the French Canadians of the Lower 

 Province. A feeling of wide-spread and deep- 

 seated antipathy between both people, which 

 manifested itself on every possible occasion, 

 had arisen out of the discussion of this ques- 

 tion, and not a Parliamentary election took 

 place in Canada but the main issue rested upon 

 "Representation by Population." Many a 

 statesman who had adorned the Senate-halls 

 of his country had been driven with ignominy 

 from public life by the people of Upper Canada 

 because his convictions would not allow him to 

 countenance the principle. Such was the re- 

 sult of the influence of the views of Mr. Brown, 

 that at tunes vague fears were apprehended for 

 the peace of the country. To counteract these, 

 and to preserve inviolate the Constitutional 

 Union of the two Provinces, was the object of 

 the Liberal Conservative party of which Mr. 

 John A. Macdonald was the leader. Suffice it 

 to say of Mr. Macdonald, that if to-day Canada 

 holds an important place on the map of the 

 world, it is more or less the result of his labors 

 during his twenty odd years of parliamentary 

 and ministerial generalship.* 



The Government con tinned, with few changes, 

 to hold office until the session of March, 1864; 

 ret, notwithstanding their every effort, failed 

 to strengthen themselves. Indeed, it would 

 seem that their present policy was such as to 

 have the effect of curtailing the support they 

 had possessed during the previous session. 

 One good measure, and only one, emanated 

 from them that has been of considerable bene- 

 fit to Canada : the establishment of schools for 

 the professional education of officers of the 

 Volunteer Force. In the mean time the Op- 

 position or "British Constitutional party," as 



* Many men have wrought for the public weal in Canada, 

 but njne so ably and none eo effectually as him we speak o 



they were now called, was slowly but steadily 

 gathering strength. In two or three casual 

 election contests which ensued, victory was 

 declared on their side, and in many places 

 they were the recipients of demonstrations 

 and ovations in their honor. 



These events would seem to have had their 

 due effect upon the ministry, for shortly after 

 the assembling of Parliament, finding himself 

 and his colleagues unequal longer to hold the 

 reins of power, Mr. S. Macdonald sent in his and 

 their resignations. A crisis arrives. The Op- 

 position, although in a small majority, are 

 deemed too weak to occupy the vacant seats at 

 the Cabinet board. Negotiations are entered 

 into between prominent men on each side, be- 

 tween Sir E. P. Tach6 and Mr. Cartier on the 

 one part, and Mr. McDougall, a rising states- 

 man who has already attained an eminent posi- 

 tion in Canada, and Mr. Ferguson Blair on the 

 other ; but both resulted in a want of agree- 

 ment. The Governor-General at length entrusts 

 the formation of a Cabinet to Sir E. P. Tache 

 and Mr. J. A. Macdonald without the aid of 

 the Liberal party. A Ministry is formed which 

 in the personnel numbers men of rare talents 

 and abilities and great Parliamentary knowl- 

 edge and experience. The policy of the new 

 Government is such as to satisfy the expecta- 

 tions formed by their friends, but not so the 

 ex-ministerial party ; and with all the power 

 and strength of which the latter is capable, the 

 members of the Upper Canada section of the 

 Government are assailed at their reelection. 

 One minister alone, however, is defeated. The 

 expectations of the Government to carry 

 through the remainder of the session of Par- 

 liament and to develop their policy are doomed 

 ' to disappointment ; for, on a sudden, they 

 are attacked by a motion, not affecting their 

 policy, or, indeed, in any way relating to the 

 Administration to which they belong, but to 

 a particular member who had held office in a 

 previous Government, and the result of the 

 motion is shown in a majority of two against 

 them. The Ministry resign, and again for the 

 second time within a few months a ministerial 

 crisis ensues. Things had come to a "dead- 

 lock," and some arrangement between the two 

 parties had to be come to. This was the germ 

 of the Confederation policy of the Canadian 

 Government. In the dilemma in which politi- 

 cal parties were placed Mr. Brown stepped 

 forth to the relief of the Ministry. lie was the 

 man whom, of all others, had brought about the 

 present state of affairs, and it was meet that he 

 should be the instrument of conciliation, and 

 the party who should restore harmony to the 

 system of Government. In the preceding ses- 

 sion Mr. Brown had put upon the "notice 

 paper " a motion for a committee for the osten- 

 sible purpose of taking into consideration the 

 claims of Upper Canada to increased represen- 

 tation, and if possible to devise some scheme 

 that would have the effect of satisfying this 

 claim. The committee had not been appointed 



