i62' \VltH;^^^^^^ IN THE 



Mr. Chamberlain's Speech 



Mr. Chamberlain, on rising, was received with 

 prolonged cheering and waving of handkerchiefs, the 

 company standing. He said : Mr. President and 

 gentlemen, — I thank you most sincerely for the 

 kindness with which you have received me and for 

 the assurance which this kindness gives of your 

 sympathy and support. (Hear, hear.) I am very 

 glad to be here among you, and to have the honour 

 of meeting so many of the prominent representa- 

 tives of that activity and enterprise which have done 

 so much for the prosperity of the Dominion, and 

 which have made the Queen City of Canada a great 

 centre of commercial life and enterprise. (Hear, 

 hear.) Mr. President, you said very truly that the 

 subject to which you have called me to respond is a 

 far-reaching one. It is the commercial interests of 

 the Empire — not of a part alone. (Hear, hear.) I 

 am glad that the Board of Trade of Toronto think 

 me worthy of responding to so large a subject. 

 (Cheers.) It proves to me, at all events, that you 

 have not been prejudiced by anything you may have 

 heard to my disadvantage. (Cheers.) I read this 

 morning in one of your most influential journals an 

 appeal which was addressed to me personally, and 

 in which it was said that I had declared that the 

 interests of Canada must be subordinated to those 

 of Manchester. In other articles in the same paper 

 I have seen it alleged that I came over here to repre- 

 sent British exporters. That is a most unfor- 

 tunate misapprehension of the facts. (Cheers and 



