Instead Of Looking
Upon It With A Dark And Discouraging Frown, She Cheers Us On By Her
Most Cordial Approval, And Bids Us A Hearty 'God Speed' In The New Path
We Have Chosen To Enter.
But I put it on provincial grounds as well.
When Canada proposed to move, in 1859, Newfoundland alone responded;
when Nova Scotia moved, in 1860, New Brunswick alone agreed to go with
her; at all events, Canada did not then concur.
Of late years the
language of the Colonial Office, of Mr. Labouchere, of Sir Bulwer
Lytton, and of the lamented Duke of Newcastle, was substantially:
'Agree among yourselves, gentlemen, and we will not stand in the way.'
Ah! there was the rub - 'Agree among yourselves!' Easier said than done,
with five Colonies so long estranged, and whose former negotiations had
generally ended in bitter controversies. Up to the last year there was
no conjunction of circumstances favourable to bringing about this
union, and probably if we suffer this opportunity to be wasted we shall
never see again such another conjunction as will enable us to agree,
even so far, among ourselves. By a most fortunate concurrence of
circumstances - by what I presume to call, speaking of events of this
magnitude, a providential concurrence of circumstances - the Government
of Canada was so modified last spring as to enable it to deal
fearlessly with this subject, at the very moment when the coast
Colonies, despairing of a Canadian union, were arranging a conference
of their own for a union of their own. Our Government embraced among
its members from the western section the leaders of the former Ministry
and former Opposition from that section. At the time it was formed it
announced to this House that it was its intention, as part of its
policy, to seek a conference with the Lower Colonies, and endeavour to
bring about a general union. This House formally gave the Government
its confidence after the announcement of that policy, and although I
have no desire to strain terms, it does appear to me that this House
did thereby fully commit itself to the principle of a union of the
Colonies, if practicable. Everything we did was done in form and with
propriety, and the result of our proceedings is the document that has
been submitted to the Imperial Government as well as to this House, and
which we speak of here as a treaty. And that there may be no doubt
about our position in regard to that document, we say, Question it you
may, reject it you may, or accept it you may, but alter it you may not.
It is beyond your power, or our power, to alter it. There is not a
sentence - not even a word - you can alter without desiring to throw out
the document. Alter it, and we know at once what you mean - you thereby
declare yourselves against the only possible union. On this point, I
repeat, after all my hon.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 147 of 259
Words from 77165 to 77665
of 136421
