454 Our North Land. 



west and north-west of it would grow into vast proportions at an 

 early date. Indeed, Canada more than doubled in territorial import- 

 ance by the acquirement of these territories. 



At first the Manitoba Provincial Government were partly content 

 with the limited means at their disposal ; but, as soon as light began 

 to dawn upon them with reference to the necessities of their position, 

 they began to clamour for concessions. The population was mixed> 

 the elements of which were inclined towards each other in feelings 

 of surviving hostility, and, for these and other reasons, but a low 

 degree of Responsible Government was exercised. But there was a 

 gradual improvement. This was not as rapid as it ought to have been, 

 but certain classes of the population rendered greater advancement 

 impossible. The degree of progress has been measured by the 

 annual increase of the English Canadian portion of the population, 

 and now that the latter greately predominates we may expect still 

 further improvements in the Executive Administration of the 

 Province. 



Fourteen years have elapsed since Manitoba became a Province 

 of Canada, and in that time many efforts have been put forth to 

 improve its Federal relations. From time to time the subsidy has 

 been increased and other small concessions have been made ; but the 

 great principles for which the people have all along contended, such 

 as the control of the ungranted public lands, the control of the school 

 lands, etc., have been withheld. Owing to the many importunities 

 of the local authorities in this behalf, all of which were quite fruit- 

 less, the people of the Province began to feel that Manitoba's rights 

 were not properly respected at Ottawa. This feeling was greatly 

 augmented by the Canadian Pacific Railway policy of the Central 

 Government. The clause in the Canadian Pacific Charter, in which 

 Parliament undertook that for twenty years the road should enjoy 

 protection from the construction of south-east lines connecting the 

 Prairie Country with the United States, was regarded as a sacrifice 

 of the North- West to the interests of the eastern Provinces ; and 

 when the Provincial Legislature went beyond the Canadian Pacific 

 terms and granted charters authorizing the construction of roads 

 contrary to the Acts of the Dominion Parliament they were promptly 



