J. W. Bengough

“ Sir John Macdonald had so far recovered his self-assurance by this time, that he and his followers were calmly asserting that there really was “nothing in” the Pacific Scandal. The Conservative press had in fact ceased to call it a “Scandal” at all; “Slander” was the word now used. The possibility that Sir John could so far regain the confidence of the Canadian people as to get back to office was amongst the things the Globe regarded as ridiculous. ”

“ Blake had on several occasions spoken in favor of Imperial Federation—a scheme under which the colonies would send representatives to the Home Parliament. Taken in connection with the known fact that public life in Canada was but little to the taste of the able gentleman, Grip ventured to conjecture that a seat in the Imperial House, with its broader arena, might be amongst the visions of his moments of reflection. ”

“ The circumstance under which Sir John Macdonald was deposed from power seemed to warrant the assumption of the Reformers that he was “done for.” But on the contrary it only seemed the signal for additional honours to be heaped upon him by the Conservative Party, who unhesitatingly chose him leader of the opposition, and nominated him as member for Kingston, West Toronto, &c., not to mention banquets, and other species of emphasis. ”

“ This Government, taking the names of the leaders of the two sections as was customary, is known as the MacNab-Morin Administration. The immediate secularization of the Reserves was an essential condition of the coalition, and the passage of a Bill abolishing the Seigniorial Tenure had also been stipulated for. With the advent of the new Cabinet, the old Tory Party may be said to have become extinct, as the leading colleagues of the new Premier were imbued with the prevailing spirit of progress to an extent which would almost entitle them to the name of Liberals. ”

“ The Imperial Government accordingly in 1791 passed the Constitutional Act, by which the country was divided into the two Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, each being granted a representative form of government and a constitution supposed to be suited to its population. The governmental machinery provided for each Province under this Act was a Governor, appointed by the Crown, and responsible to the Imperial authorities alone; a Legislative Council, appointed for life by the Governor, and a Legislative Assembly, elected by the people on a suffrage almost universal. ”

“ On the whole, he cannot do better than trust Grip, as the most honest interpreter of current events we happen to have. Grip, too, not only generally hits the nail on the head, but sometimes hits like a blacksmith—and we belong to a race that loves to see a blow well struck. ”

“ The Reform Government took up the Pacific Railway scheme, but initiated a new policy with regard to it. Sir John Macdonald had pledged the country to complete the entire work within ten years. Mr. Mackenzie characterized this as a physical impossibility, and proposed, as the cartoon has it, “to tak the distance in sensible like jumps, ye ken!” ”

“ Tupper was a warm advocate of Confederation, and did more than any other public man to induce his native Province, Nova Scotia (Acadia) , to enter the Union in 1867. Hon. Joseph Howe, a much greater statesman than Tupper, and a man of vast influence, was amongst the opponents of the measure in question, and was suspected of a preference for annexation to the United States. In the cartoon the Province is represented as halting between the two opinions, and the loyal artist takes pains to point out that the advantages are all in the way that leads “to Ottawa.” ”

“ The new Ministry, in announcing their programme, practically ignored the question of Rep. by Pop., and adopted the principle of Separate Schools. In the following session Mr. George Brown (who had meantime been elected for South Oxford) found himself at the head of a strong party in opposition to the Government on the issues named, and although the “double majority” principle was supposed to have been adopted by the Ministry, they resisted defeat on many divisions by a solid Lower Canada vote. Indeed, in this respect they were in precisely the same position as the Government they had replaced. ”

“ George Brown introduced a resolution in favor of the principle of Representation by Population, which, although defeated, received strong support in the House and throughout the country. The vexed question of the 27permanent seat of Government was avoided by the submission of the matter to Her Majesty, who, in due course, named Ottawa, as a compromise between the conflicting claims of Toronto and Quebec. By the retirement of Col. Taché, which took place this year, Mr. Macdonald became Premier, and Mr. Cartier was formally appointed leader of the Lower Canada section of the Government. ”

“ The Conservative Party, becoming weary of the cold shades of opposition, took advantage of the “hard times” to proclaim a policy of Protection to Home Industries as the only salvation for the country. The Government, it was alleged, was largely responsible for the depression, and could relieve it only by raising the tariff. ”

“ Parliament assembled the next day in a chamber improvised in the Bonsecours market building. Sir Allan MacNab and a few of his political colleagues spoke in justification of the riot, and declared that the blame rested more with the Government than with the mob (see Cartoon 1) . The members of the Ministry and many of their leading supporters were for several days maltreated on the streets, and the residences of Mr. Lafontaine and others in Montreal were wrecked by the mob. ”

“ George Brown was an earnest advocate of the Free Trade principle in political economy, and was always vigorous in his denunciation of the opposite principle in any direction. About this time the Globe had earnestly denounced the action of the Ontario Society of Physicians and Surgeons for having prosecuted an unlicensed practitioner, under a law which the Globe always regarded as narrow and tyrannical. ”

“ The growing sentiment of the country against the liquor traffic had been voiced in Parliament by Mr. G. W. Ross, a member of the Reform Party. The Government expressed a willingness to consider the subject of Legal Prohibition as soon as they had evidence that a majority of the people desired such a measure. Rev. Mr. Afflick, an eloquent English lecturer, was at this time making a tour of Canada in the interest of the temperance cause. ”

“ To me their artistic merit is exceptionally great, but I am not qualified to speak as a critic of technique. I speak only as a public teacher who knows that the educational influence of pen or pencil may be greater than that of the living voice, and who rejoices when that influence is on the right side. ”

“ Every man should take an intelligent interest in the political life of his country. But from what quarter is he to get information? He cannot get Hansard; and even if he could, life is too short to read the terrible volumes. ”

“ At the close of the Session at Ottawa, Sir John Macdonald was received in Toronto by a party demonstration, embracing torch-lights and all the usual accompanyments of such occasions. As the Northern Railway revelations were at the moment occupying public attention, the procession was pictured as it should have been rather than as it was. Mr. John Beverley Robinson, M.P. for West Toronto, had shortly before this distinguished himself in a personal encounter with the proprietor of the Toronto Telegram. ”

“ In the General Election which followed the defeat of the Conservative Government, Mr. E. O. Bickford contested West Toronto in the interest of the New Opposition, and rested his claims to the seat mainly on the prestige of Sir John Macdonald, declaring that, if elected, he would follow that honorable gentleman through weal or woe. As the cartoon suggests, he met with defeat. ”

“ As to Grip himself, he needs no letters of commendation, but, with his well-known regard to the established usages of society, he thinks that there should be a Preface to the work. Considering how freely he takes a hand in our concerns, and that, in order to show us what goes on behind the scenes, he has no hesitation in entering bar-rooms, Government Houses, Palaces, and the Privy-Council Chambers of our pastors and masters, this modesty on his part will be duly appreciated by a modesty-loving public. ”

“ Sir Francis Hincks was the author of the Canadian “Shinplaster” currency, a scheme adopted to drive out the American silver. The cartoon will be understood from the following legend which accompanied it:—
Miss Canada: O, Sir Francis, I am suffering so much from this light American silver skate. It is no mate for the heavy gold one on my other foot. The doctors differ, but I shall never get along without another gold one. ”

“ The Government steadily resisted the appeal on the ground that such an Act would be class-legislation, and that the demand was made, not in good faith, but for the purpose of embarrassing the Reform Party in the interests of their opponents, with whom the Orange leaders were allied. At length, however, the Globe came out in favor of the Act, and urged the Government to grant the demand and end the difficulty. This advice the Ministry disregarded through the influence, it was generally believed, of Hon. C. F. Fraser, the able Roman Catholic Member of the Cabinet. ”

“ Joseph Howe had relinquished his efforts in favor of the Repeal of Confederation after the rejection of the petition sent to England by the Nova Scotians, and had expressed a formal acceptance of the Union, prior to becoming a member of the Dominion Cabinet. This was exceedingly distasteful to his former Repeal allies in Nova Scotia, two of whom, Messrs. Wilkins and Annand, are represented in the cartoon. Mr. Howe’s change of base was attributed to self interest in some quarters; the artist in turn assigns jealousy as the motive of his opponents. ”

“ A great outcry was made by the Globe on the alleged anti-British tendency of the National Policy as announced by the Conservative leaders during the campaign. To the alarming statement that it would inevitably weaken British connection, the leading organ of the Opposition responded—“so much the worse for British connection.” ”

“ Mr. David Mills (to whom reference has been made in cartoon No. 113) , was now taken into the Cabinet as Minister of the Interior, to the evident dissatisfaction of the Globe, which regarded him as dangerously radical in his views on the Senate and other questions. As has already been noted, Mr. Blake was also looked upon as a young man rather inclined to be “fast.” On the appointment of Mr. Mills, the Mail expressed a sympathy for Mr. Mackenzie which was very touching under the circumstances. ”

“ The session was allowed to end, however, without any intimation of the Government’s intentions, and this apparent want of good faith, in connection with various charges of extravagance in connection with railway contracts, and other shortcomings, furnished an abundance of ammunition for the Opposition in the interim. The Ministry decided to take no action on the Clergy Reserves question, the reason assigned being that it would be better to leave such important legislation to the next Parliament, in which there would be a larger representation of the people. ”

“ From what is known of the amenities of politics in those days, it is not unlikely that the charge of wholesale, open bribery, here made against the Conservative candidates, was well founded. The Conservatives were not so fortunate as to have a caricaturist on their side, or no doubt an equally faithful picture might have been levelled at Mr. Brown and his supporters. ”

“ It is needless to say to those who know anything of Mr. Goldwin Smith that he defended himself against his critics with passionate brilliancy. The sentence he is represented as speaking in the cartoon occurred in one of his retorts upon the Globe, and was considered unusually cutting as an exposition of that journal’s strict religious orthodoxy in contrast with its merciless treatment of its opponents. ”

“ After another brief session at Quebec, the seat of Government was removed to Toronto. Meantime (in 1855) Mr. Hincks, while absent in England, received the appointment of Governor of Barbadoes and the Windward Islands and his connection with Canadian affairs thus ended for the time being. The questions of Separate Schools for Roman Catholics, and Representation by Population, were the important topics of political discussion next to be brought forward, but before they had become ripe for legislative action, an important change had taken place in the Ministry. ”