BRITISH COLUMBIA, PKOVIXCE OF. 



BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROVINCE OF. 



Politics and Legislation. The politics of the 

 period in this province was exceedingly stormy. 

 The Turner ministry, formed in 1895, had strug- 

 gled along until 1898, when it was dismissed by 

 Lieut. -Gov. Mclnnes and replaced bv one under 

 the nominal leadership of Mr. C. A. Semlin. The 

 chief figure in the political conflicts of this time 

 was the Hon. Joseph Martin. In Manitoba, from 

 which he had migrated, he was the father of the 

 famous measure abolishing separate schools, and 

 he was the indirect cause of the defeat of the 

 Dominion Conservative Government in 1896. As 

 the year 1 !)(!<) opened it found him an active mem- 

 l:-r of the British Columbia Legislature and a 

 hitter opponent of the Senilin Government, which 

 then included Messrs. Alexander Henderson, R. E. 

 McKechnie, F. Carter-Cotton, and J. Fred Hume. 



On Jan. 5 the second session of the Eighth Legis- 

 lature was opened by Lieut.-Gov. T. K. Mclnnes 

 in a speech which dealt with the South African 

 war. and promised in behalf of the Government 

 various educational reforms; the substitution of 

 a cash subsidy to the Central Pacific Railroad for 

 the 2,;>0().()00 acres of land previously granted in 

 connection with the Columbia and Western exten- 

 sion ; the grant of representation to the boundary 

 district; and aid to various small railways. The 

 session that followed was full of personalities and 

 larking in practical legislation on account of the 

 Government's small majority and the fierce attacks 

 of Mr. Martin. Finally the ministry was defeated, 

 on Feb. 24, by 19 to 18 votes, and three days later 

 were dismissed by the Lieutenant Governor. They 

 had refused to resign, on the claim that a majority 

 of the House was really with them, and they 

 proved this during the ensuing period of turmoil 

 by passing a resolution declaring: "That this 

 House, being fully alive to the great loss, incon- 

 venience, and expense to the country of any inter- 

 ruption to the business of the House at the present 

 time, begs to express its regret that his Honor has 

 seen fit to dismiss his advisers, as in the present 

 crisis they have the efficient control of the House." 



The Lieutenant Governor persisted in his policy, 

 however, by calling in his friend, Mr. Joseph Mar- 

 tin, to form a ministry. For a month matters 

 were in the most uncertain state. Martin could 

 not get men of standing to join his ministry, and 

 yet lie held on to office and, at a later date, ob- 

 tained a dissolution of the Legislature from the 

 Governor. The House expressed its contempt of 

 the latter by publicly insulting him when he at- 

 tended its last meeting, on March 2, and by passing 

 a unanimous resolution of want of confidence in 

 Mr. Martin. Yet the new Premier went on with 

 his work, and eventually made up a ministry com- 

 posed of Messrs. Smith* Curtis, J. Stewart 'Yates, 

 and G. W. Beebe all of whom were unknown to 

 I>olitics. In the elections that ensued his policy 

 was announced in a manifesto, issued early in 

 March, with the following platform: 



" The abolition of the $200 deposit for candi- 

 dates for the Legislature. 



1 The bringing into force, as soon as arrange- 

 ments can be completed, of the Torrens registry 



"The redistribution of the constituencies on the 

 basis of population, allowing to sparsely populate 1 

 districts a proportionately larger representation 

 than to populous districts and cities. 



" The enactment of an accurate system of Gov- 

 ernment scaling of logs, and its rigid enforcement. 



" The re-enactment of the disallowed labor regu- 

 lation act of 1898, and also all the statutes of 

 1899 containing anti-Mongolian clauses, if dis- 

 allowed as promised by the Dominion Government. 



" To take a firm stand in every other possible 

 way with a view of discouraging the spread of 

 Oriental cheap labor in this province. 



" To provide for official inspection of all build- 

 ings, machinery, and works, with a view to com- 

 pelling the adoption of proper safeguards to life 

 and health. 



" Tfte Government will continue to enforce the 

 eight-hour law as it stands. An immediate inquiry 

 will be made by the Minister of Mines into all 

 grievances put forward in connection with its 

 operation, with a view of bringing about an amica- 

 ble settlement. If no settlement is reached, the 

 principle of the referendum will be applied and 

 a vote will be taken at the general election as to 

 whether the law shall be repealed. If the law is 

 sustained by the vote, it will be retained upon 

 the statute book with its penalty clause. If modi- 

 fications can be made, removing any of the friction 

 brought about without impairing the principle of 

 the law, they will be adopted. If the vote is 

 against it, the law will be repealed. 



" To re-establish the London agency of British 

 Columbia, and to take every effective means of 

 bringing before the British public the advantages 

 of this province as a place for profitable invest- 

 ment of capital. 



" The retaining of the resources of the province 

 as an asset for the benefit of the people, and taking 

 effective measures to prevent alienation of the 

 public domain except to actual settlers or for 

 liona fide business or industrial purposes, putting 

 an end to the practice of speculating in connection 

 with them. 



" The taking of active meaures for a systematic 

 exploration of the province. 



" To adopt a system of Government construction 

 and operation of railways, and immediately to pro- 

 ceed with the construction of a railway on the 

 south side of Fraser river, connecting the coast 

 with the Kootenay District, with the understand- 

 ing that unless the other railways now constructed 

 in the province give fair connections and make 

 equitable joint freight and passenger arrangements 

 the province will continue this line to the eastern 

 boundary of the province, proper connection with 

 such Kootenay railway to be given to the Island 

 of Vancouver. With respect to other parts of the 

 province, to proceed to give to every portion of it 

 railway connection at as early a date as possible, 

 the railway, when constructed, to be operated by 

 the Government through a commission. 



" A railway bridge to be constructed in connec- 

 tion with the Kootenay railway across Fraser 

 river, at or near New Westminster, and running 

 [lowers given over it to any railway company 

 applying for them under proper conditions. 



" in case it is thought at any time advisable 

 to give a bonus to any railway company, the same 

 to be in cash, and not by way of a land grant; 

 and no such bonus to be granted except upon the 

 condition that a fair amount of the bonds or shares 

 of the company be transferred to the province, 

 and effective means taken to give the province 

 control of the freight and passenger rates, and 

 provision made against such railway having any 

 liabilities against it except actual cost." 



The unconstitutional nature of these proceedings 

 was so glaring that it attracted the attention of 

 the press all over Canada. An appeal was made 

 to the Dominion Government to intervene, but Sir 

 Wilfrid Laurier announced in Parliament that, 

 though the matter was serious, the issue now lay 

 in the hands of the people of the province, and 

 he intimated that the Lieutenant Governor, as 

 well as the Premier, would have to abide by the 

 result. A little later he wrote to Mr. Martin that 





