106 



CANADA, DOMINION OF. 



" That this House, representing a people which 

 has largely succeeded, by the adoption of the 

 principle of conceding equal political rights to 

 every portion of the population, in harmonizing 

 estrangements, and in producing general content 

 with the existing system of government, desires 

 to express its sympathy with the efforts of her 

 Majesty's imperial authorities to obtain for the 

 subjects of her Majesty who have taken up then- 

 abode in the Transvaal such measure of justice 

 and political recognition as may be found neces- 

 sary to secure them in the full possession of equal 

 rights and liberties." 



The Senate passed a similar resolution. As 

 soon as it became apparent that war was in- 

 evitable private offers for military service were 

 made to the Canadian and Imperial governments 

 in large numbers, sometimes whole regiments of- 

 fering. The reply was issued, both in Canada 

 and in Australasia, that no troops were needed. 

 Then, on Oct. 2, at a large meeting of officers 

 that was held in Toronto, the following resolu- 

 tion was passed: 



4> That the members of the Canadian Military 

 Institute, feeling that it is a clear and definite 

 duty for all British possessions to show their 

 willingness to contribute to the common defense 

 in the case of need, express the hope that, in 

 view of impending hostilities in South Africa, 

 the Government of Canada will promptly offer a 

 contingent of Canadian militia to assist in sup- 

 porting the interests of our empire in that 

 country." 



There was some hesitation on the part of the 

 Government at first. No precedent existed, and 

 they did not know how the step would be taken 

 by the French Canadians. The Premier made a 

 tentative announcement that he could not do 

 anything without a meeting of Parliament, and, 

 as 'every one believed, that would make the offer 

 too late. Within a few days the sentiment from 

 one end of the country to the other was so 

 strongly shown, and the Opposition, led by Sir 

 C. Tupper, so clearly expressed its willingness to 

 any action taken, that the Government gave way 

 and at once organized with efficiency and dis- 

 patch the contingent of 1,000 men, which was 

 all the Imperial Government would accept. A 

 political storm was raised, however, by Mr. J. 

 Israil Tarte, Minister of Public Works, insist- 

 ing, in behalf of the French-Canadian element, 

 that the order in council should include words 

 declaring that the action ought not to be con- 

 sidered a precedent. It was decided that the 

 expenses of the contingent should be paid to 

 Cape Town only, although vigorous protests 

 against this decision were made. There was no 

 question of loyalty or disloyalty in the matter. 

 Mr. Tarte, as the Liberal party leader in Quebec, 

 expressed himself in a published correspondence 

 as being really in favor of imperial federation, 

 and as believing that the French Canadians them- 

 selves would support it when it was fully placed 

 before them. But he regarded the sending of 

 the contingent as practically a part of imperial 

 federation, and he did not wish to be rushed 

 into the policy without parliamentary considera- 

 tion and public discussion. This slight and vague 

 opposition helped to raise the popular feeling to 

 an intense degree of enthusiasm, and it is doubt- 

 ful if any event in Canadian history has aroused 

 such manifestations as the raising and departure 

 of the volunteers from the different Canadian 

 centers Vancouver, Winnipeg, Halifax, St. John, 

 Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec. The contingent 

 sailed on Oct. 30, and arrived at Cape Town on 

 Nov. 29. 



The Alaska Boundary. This question pro- 

 duced much international discussion. The gen- 

 eral failure of the Joint High Commission, after 

 its prolonged sessions at Quebec and Washing- 

 ton, was due to difficulties in this connection, 

 and on Feb. 20, 1899, Senator Fairbanks and Sir 

 W. Laurier issued the following statement from 

 the United States capital: 



" The commission adjourned, to meet at Que- 

 bec on Aug. 2, unless the chairmen of the re- 

 spective commissions shall agree upon another 

 date. The commission has made very substantial 

 progress in the settlement and adjustment of 

 many of the questions upon which it has been 

 earnestly engaged. But it has been unable to 

 agree upon the settlement of the Alaskan bound- 

 ary. The problem has been a complicated and 

 difficult one; but the commissioners, acting in the 

 utmost friendliness and cordiality, have been un- 

 able to agree upon a satisfactory adjustment. 

 The difficulties, apart from the, immediate de- 

 limitation of this boundary by the commission 

 itself, arise from the conditions under which it 

 might be referred to arbitration. 



" The British commissioners desired that the 

 whole question should be referred on terms simi- 

 lar to those provided in the reference of the 

 Venezuelan boundary line, which, by providing 

 an umpire, would insure certainty and finality. 

 The United States commissioners, on the other 

 hand, thought the local conditions of Alaska so 

 different that some modification of the Vene- 

 zuelan reference should be introduced. They 

 thought the reference should be made to six emi- 

 nent jurists, three chosen by each of the high 

 contracting parties, without providing for an um- 

 pire, they believing that finality would be secured 

 by a majority vote of the jurists so chosen. They 

 did not see any present prospect of agreeing to 

 a European umpire, to be selected in the manner 

 proposed by the British commissioners, while the 

 British commissioners were unwilling to agree to 

 the selection of an American umpire in the man- 

 ner suggested by the United States commission- 

 ers. The United States commissioners further 

 contended that special stipulations should be 

 made in any reference to arbitration, that the 

 existing settlements on the tide waters of the 

 coast should in any event continue to belong to 

 the United States. To this contention the British 

 commissioners refused to agree. It was there- 

 fore deemed advisable to adjourn to a convenient 

 date, in order to enable the respective govern- 

 ments to consider further the subject with respect 

 to which no conclusion yet has been reached." 



The commission did not meet again, and dur- 

 ing the entire summer negotiations proceeded be- 

 tween the three governments. Charges were very 

 freely made by the American press that Canada 

 was blocking the way; that she wanted Ameri- 

 can territory, and was generally aggressive and 

 unreasonable. On July 23 the Canadian Parlia- 

 ment was the scene of an international sensa- 

 tion. Sir Charles Tupper spoke at length upon 

 the subject of the boundary, and in vigorous lan- 

 guage declared that it must be settled in one 

 way or another; and Sir Wilfrid Laurier replied 

 in carefully chosen words, of which the following 

 paragraph aroused wide discussion: 



" Under such circumstances there are only two 

 methods of settling the difficulty on fair and 

 honorable terms. One is, giving and taking 

 Canada surrendering a little of her pretensions 

 and the United States surrendering a little of her 

 pretensions but I have no hope up to this mo- 

 ment, or very little hope, that we can settle the 

 question by any compromise at all. If we have 



