Louis-Joseph Papineau

“ The American society is moulded differently than that of Europe. By all the natural laws, we are detached from Europe and attached to the United States, and our unanimous wishes call this union. We are a great number of Canadians that sudden violences from the government moved away from their native land, and have taken refuge in your hospital homes. Our dispersion, far from discouraging us, makes us understand that we are stronger and how much the English domination is weak and more precarious than we thought. ”

“ Eight hundred well-armed men were employed for this service, for the apprehension, will it say, of a dozen individuals. No, the government wanted to begin the civil war to strike of terror, in the long run, a people that impatiently support the degradation which is inseparably attached to the colonial regime, such as England understands it and exploits it, a people which aspires to share the happy fate that was given to you by English insolence, the courageous virtues, the patriotic sacrifices of the wise men and the heroes of 1776 and a little help from abroad. ”

“ There the judicial power is so mercenary, servile, corrupted or partisan, in all cases of political trial, that the adoption of such an insane opinion places those who had avowed it in the need to have it confirmed by the verdict of juries and the sentence of judges, and they are in the capacity to always have such verdict by juries and such sentences that seem good to them. They do not have any law to regulate the qualifications and summation of juries. ”

“ I am so attached to republicanism such as it was understood and taught by Thomas Jefferson and his school, of which I believe Martin Van Buren is one of worthiest followers, that I think that one cannot use too much art and care in the conduct of this business so that the powerful party which is unfortunately opposed to you remain unaware that in these first moments, some of the close friends of your excellent president share and support these feelings and these actions. ”

“ If we do not obtain this help, you will have Poland and its horrors at your doors. One hundred thousand piastres are to be found within the Union; but they are more difficult to find today than millions when we will have started to organize a provisional government; opened loan offices, as well as offices for the sale of vacant land, rich guarantees of allowance for the lenders.
I am here in a place where I am in relation with patriots of Upper and Lower Canada and from which place I cannot leave for this reason. ”

“ When they learned that their leaders were to be captured for this alleged offence, they went in crowd to their residences to tell them: "We are all together equally at fault or excusable, we do not want that you be captured." ”

“ Brave men and also experienced men are with us and us to them if we have this help. I am not a visionary. Many of your compatriots amongst the most enlightened, the best thinkers, the highest in rank and in influence, see like I do. ”

“ We must carry out the purchase of ten thousand muskets, twenty pieces of artillery, ammunition and enough to pay the food of the volunteers who will make use of these during four months, so that our chances of success be almost infallible. ”

“ Influential men were rejecting in crowds the commissions which they had previously received from the governors and were ready to exert the new voluntary jurisdiction that the election and the confidence of their fellow-citizens were going to confer to them. ”