the canadian dominion-第16章

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ominee　of　a　Tory　Cabinet；　in　his　brief　term　of　office；　insured　a　great　advance　along　this　very　path　toward　freedom。　His　easy…going　temper　predisposed　him　to　play　the　part　of　constitutional　monarch　rather　than　of　Prime　Minister；　and　in　any　case　he　faced　a　majority　in　the　Assembly　resolute　in　its　determination。

The　policy　of　swamping　French　influence　had　already　proved　a　failure。　Sydenham　had　given　it　a　full　trial。　He　had　done　his　best；　or　his　worst；　by　unscrupulous　manipulation；　to　keep　the　French　Canadians　from　gaining　their　fair　quota　of　the　members　in　the　Union　Assembly。　Those　who　were　elected　he　ignored。　〃They　have　forgotten　nothing　and　learnt　nothing　by　the　Rebellion；　〃　he　declared；　〃and　are　more　unfit　for　representative　government　than　they　were　in　1791。〃　This　was　far　from　a　true　reading　of　the　situation。　The　French　stood　aloof；　it　is　true；　a　compact　and　sullen　group；　angered　by　the　undisguised　policy　of　Anglicization　that　faced　them　and　by　Sydenham's　unscrupulous　tactics。　But　they　had　learned　restraint　and　had　found　leaders　and　allies　of　the　kind　most　needed。　Papineau's　placefor　the　great　tribune　was　now　in　exile　in　Paris；　consorting　with　the　republicans　and　socialists　who　were　to　bring　about　the　Revolution　of　1848had　been　taken　by　one　of　his　former　lieutenants。　Louis　Hippolyte　La　Fontaine　still　stands　out　as　one　of　the　two　or　three　greatest　Canadians　of　French　descent；　a　man　of　massive　intellect；　of　unquestioned　integrity；　and　of　firm　but　moderate　temper。　With　Baldwin　he　came　to　form　a　close　and　lifelong　friendship。　The　Reformers　of　Canada　West；　as　Upper　Canada　was　now　called；　formed　a　working　alliance　with　La　Fontaine　which　gave　them　a　sweeping　majority　in　the　Assembly。　Bagot　bowed　to　the　inevitable　and　called　La　Fontaine　and　Baldwin　to　his　Council。　Ill　health　made　it　impossible　for　him　to　take　much　part　in　the　government；　and　the　Council　was　far　on　the　way　to　obtaining　the　unity　and　the　independence　of　a　true　Cabinet　when　Bagot's　death　in　1843　brought　a　new　turn　in　affairs。

The　British　Ministers　had　seen　with　growing　uneasiness　Bagot's　concessions。　His　successor；　Sir　Charles　Metcalfe；　a　man　of　honest　and　kindly　ways　but　accustomed　to　governing　oriental　peoples；　determined　to　make　a　stand　against　the　pretensions　of　the　Reformers。　In　this　attitude　he　was　strongly　backed　both　by　Stanley　and　by　his　successor；　that　brilliant　young　Tory；　William　Ewart　Gladstone。　Metcalfe　insisted　once　more　that　the　Governor　must　govern。　While　the　members　of　the　Council；　as　individuals；　might　give　him　advice；　it　was　for　him　to　decide　whether　or　not　to　take　it。　The　inevitable　clash　with　his　Ministers　came　in　the　autumn　of　1843　over　a　question　of　patronage。　They　resigned；　and　after　months　of　effort　Metcalfe　patched　up　a　Ministry　with　W。　H。　Draper　as　the　leading　member。　In　an　election　in　which　Metcalfe　himself　took　the　platform　and　in　which　once　more　British　connection　was　said　to　be　at　stake；　the　Ministry　obtained　a　narrow　majority。　But　opinion　soon　turned；　and　when　Metcalfe；　the　third　Governor　in　four　years　to　whom　Canada　had　proved　fatal；；　went　home　to　die；　he　knew　that　his　stand　had　been　in　vain。　The　Ministry；　after　a　precarious　life　of　three　years；　went　to　the　country　only　to　be　beaten　by　an　overwhelming　majority　in　both　East　and　West。　When；　in　1848；　Baldwin　and　La　Fontaine　were　called　to　office　under　the　new　Governor　General；　Lord　Elgin；　the　fight　was　won。　Many　years　were　to　pass　before　the　full　implications　of　responsible　government　were　worked　out；　but　henceforth　even　the　straitest　Tory　conceded　the　principle。　Responsible　government　had　ceased　to　be　a　party　cry　and　had　become　the　common　heritage　of　all　Canadians。

Lord　Elgin；　who　was　Durham's　son…in…law；　was　a　man　well　able　to　bear　the　mantle　of　his　predecessors。　Yet　he　realized　that　the　day　had　passed　when　Governors　could　govern　and　was　content　rather　to　advise　his　advisers；　to　wield　the　personal　influence　that　his　experience　and　sagacity　warranted。　Hitherto　the　stages　in　Canadian　history　had　been　recorded　by　the　term　of　office　of　the　Governors；　henceforth　it　was　to　be　the　tenure　of　Cabinets　which　counted。　Elgin　ceased　even　to　attend　the　Council；　and　after　his　time　the　Governor　became　more　and　more　the　constitutional　monarch；　busied　in　laying　corner　stones　and　listening　to　tiresome　official　addresses。　In　emergencies；　and　especially　in　the　gap　or　interregnum　between　Ministries；　the　personality　of　the　Governor　might　count；　but　as　a　rule　this　power　remained　latent。　Yet　in　two　turning　points　in　Canadian　history；　both　of　which　had　to　do　with　the　relations　of　Canada　to　the　United　States；　Elgin　was　to　play　an　important　part：　the　Annexation　Movement　of　1849　and　the　Reciprocity　Treaty　of　1854。

In　the　struggle　for　responsible　government；　loyalty　to　the　British　Crown；　loyalty　of　a　superior　and　exclusive　brand；　had　been　the　creed　and　the　war　cry　of　the　Tory　party。　Yet　in　1849　men　saw　the　hotheads　of　this　group　in　Montreal　stoning　a　British　Governor　General　and　setting　fire　to　the　Parliament　Buildings；　while　a　few　months　later　their　elders　issued　a　manifesto　urging　the　annexation　of　Canada　to　the　United　States。　Why　this　sudden　shift？　Simply　because　the　old　colonial　system　they　had　known　and　supported　had　come　to　an　end。　The　Empire　had　been　taken　to　mean　racial　ascendancy　and　trade　profit。　Now　both　the　political　and　the　economic　pillars　were　crumbling；　and　the　Empire　appeared　to　have　no　further　excuse　for　existence。

In　the　past　British　connection　had　meant　to　many　of　the　English　minority　in　Lower　Canada　a　means　of　redressing　the　political　balance；　of　retaining　power　in　face　of　a　body　of　French…speaking　citizens　outnumbering　them　three　or　four　to　one。　Now　that　support　had　been　withdrawn。　Britain　had　consented；　unwillingly；　to　the　setting　up　of　responsible　government　and　the　calling　to　office　of　men　who　a　dozen　years　before　had　been　in　arms　against　the　Queen　or　fleeing　from　the　province。　This　was　gall　and　wormwood　to　the　English。　But　when　the　Ministry　introduced；　and　the　Assembly　passed；　the　Rebellion　Losses　Bill　for　compensating　those　who　had　suffered　destruction　of　property　in　the　outbreak；　and　when　the　terms　were　so　drawn　as　to　make　it　possible；　its　critics　charged；　that　rebels　as　well　as　loyalists　would　be　compensated；　flesh　and　blood　could　bear　no　more。　The　Governor　was　pelted　with　rotten　eggs　when　he　came　down　to　the　House　to　sign　the　bill；　and　the　buildings　where　Parliament　had　met　since　1844；　when　the　capital　had　been　transferred　from　Kingston　to　Montreal；　were　stormed　and　burned　by　a　street　mob。

The　anger　felt　against　the　Ministry　thus　turned　against　the　British　Government。　The　English　minority　felt　like　an　advance　guard　in　a　hostile　country；　deserted　by　the　main　forces；　an　Ulster　abandoned　to　Home　Ruler　and　Sinn　Feiner。　They　turned　to　the　south；　to　the　other　great　English…speaking　Protestant　people。　If　the　older　branch　of　the　race　would　not　give　them　protection　or　a　share　in　dominance；　perhaps　the　younger　branch　could　and　would。　As　Lord　Durham　had　suggested；　they　were　resolved　that　〃Lower　Canada　must　be　ENGLISH；　at　the　expense；　if　necessary；　of　not　being　BRITISH。〃

But　it　was　not　only　the　political　basis　of　the　old　colonial　system　that　was　rudely　shattered。　The　economic　foundations；　too；　were　passing　away；　and　with　them　the　profits　of　the　Montreal　merchants；　who　formed　the　backbone　of　the　annexation　movement。　It　has　been　seen　that　under　this　system　Great　Britain　had　aimed　at　setting　up　a　self…contained　empire；　with　a　monopoly　of　the　markets　of　the　colonies。　Now　for　her　own　sake　she　was　sweeping　away　the　tariff　and　shipping　monopoly　which　had　been　built　up　through　more　than　two　centuries。　The　logic　of　Adam　Smith；　the　experiments　of　Huskisson；　the　demands　of　manufacturers　for　cheap　food　and　raw　materials；　the　passionate　campaigns　of　Cobden　and　Bright；　and　the　rains　that　brought　the　Irish　famine；　at　last　had　their　effect。　In　1846　Peel　himself　undertook　the　repeal　of　the　Corn　Laws。　To　Lower　Canada　this　was　a　crushing　blow。　Until　of　late　the　preference　given　in　the　British　market　on　colonial　goods　in　return　for　the　control　of　colonial　trade　had　been　of　little　value；　but　in　1848　the　duties　on　Canadian　wheat　and　flour　had　been　greatly　lowered；　resulting　in　a　preference　over　foreign　grain