the canadian dominion-第21章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



But　these　leaders　in　turn　soon　gave　way　to　new　men；　and　the　political　parties　gradually　fell　into　a　state　of　flux。　In　Canada　West　there　were　still　a　few　Tories；　survivors　of　the　Family　Compact　and　last…ditch　defenders　of　privilege　in　Church　and　State；　a　growing　number　of　moderate　Conservatives；　a　larger　group　of　moderate　Liberals；　and　a　small　but　aggressive　extreme　left　wing　of　〃Clear　Grits；〃　mainly　Scotch　Presbyterians；　foes　of　any　claim　to　undue　power　on　the　part　of　class　or　clergy。　In　Canada　East　the　English　members　from　the　Townships；　under　A。　T。　Galt；　were　ceasing　to　vote　as　a　unit；　and　the　main　body　of　French…Canadian　members　were　breaking　up　into　a　moderate　Liberal　party；　and　a　smaller　group　of　Rouges；　fiery　young　men　under　the　leadership　of　Papineau；　now　returned　from　exile；　were　crusading　against　clerical　pretensions　and　all　the　established　order。

The　situation　was　one　made　to　the　hand　of　a　master　tactician。　The　time　brought　forth　the　man。　John　A。　Macdonald；　a　young　Kingston　lawyer　of　Tory　upbringing；　or　〃John　A。〃；　as　generation　after　generation　affectionately　called　him；　was　to　prove　the　greatest　leader　of　men　in　Canada's　annals。　Shrewd；　tactful；　and　genial；　never　forgetting　a　face　or　a　favor；　as　popular　for　his　human　frailties　as　for　his　strength；　Macdonald　saw　that　the　old　party　lines　drawn　in　the　days　of　the　struggle　for　responsible　government　were　breaking　down　and　that　the　future　lay　with　a　union　of　the　moderate　elements　in　both　parties　and　both　sections。　He　succeeded　in　1854　in　bringing　together　in　Canada　West　a　strong　Liberal…Conservative　group　and　in　effecting　a　permanent　alliance　with　the　main　body　of　French…Canadian　Liberals；　now　under　the　leadership　of　Cartier；　a　vigorous　fighter　and　an　easy…going　opportunist。　With　the　addition　of　Galt　as　the　financial　expert；　these　allies　held　power　throughout　the　greater　part　of　the　next　dozen　years。　Their　position　was　not　unchallenged。　The　Clear　Grits　had　found　a　leader　after　their　own　heart　in　George　Brown；　a　Scotchman　of　great　ability；　a　hard　hitter　and　a　good　hater　especially　of　slavery；　the　Roman　Catholic　hierarchy；　and　〃John　A。〃　Through　his　newspaper；　the　Toronto　〃Globe〃；　he　wielded　a　power　unique　in　Canadian　journalism。　The　Rouges；　now　led　by　A。　A。　Dorion；　a　man　of　stainless　honor　and　essentially　moderate　temper；　withdrew　from。　their　extreme　anticlerical　position　but　could　not　live　down　their　youth　or　make　head　against　the　forces　of　conservatism　in　their　province。　They　did　not　command　many　votes　in　the　House；　but　every　man　of　them　was　an　orator；　and　they　remained　through　all　vicissitudes　a　power　to　reckon　with。

Step　by　step；　under　Liberal　and　under　Liberal　Conservative　Governments；　the　programme　of　Canadian　Liberalism　was　carried　into　effect。　Self…government；　at　least　in　domestic　affairs；　had　been　attained。　An　effective　system　of　municipal　government　and　a　good　beginning　in　popular　education　followed。　The　last　link　between　Church　and　State　was　severed　in　1854　when　the　Clergy　Reserves　were　turned　over　to　the　municipalities　for　secular　purposes；　with　life　annuities　for　clergymen　who　had　been　receiving　stipends　from　the　Reserves。　In　Lower　Canada　the　remnants　of　the　old　feudal　system；　the　rights　of　the　seigneurs；　were　abolished　in　the　same　year　with　full　compensation　from　the　state。　An　elective　upper　Chamber　took　the　place　of　the　appointed　Legislative　Council　a　year　later。　The　Reformers；　as　the　Clear　Grits　preferred　to　call　themselves　officially；　should　perhaps　have　been　content　with　so　much　progress。　They　insisted；　however；　that　a　new　and　more　intolerable　privilege　had　arisenthe　privilege　which　Canada　East　held　of　equal　representation　in　the　Legislative　Assembly　long　after　its　population　had　fallen　behind　that　of　Canada　West。

The　political　union　of　the　two　Canadas　in　fact　had　never　been　complete。　Throughout　the　Union　period　there　were　two　leaders　in　each　Cabinet；　two　Attorney　Generals；　and　two　distinct　judicial　systems。　Every　session　laws　were　passed　applying　to　one　section　alone。　This　continued　separation　had　its　beginning　in　a　clause　of　the　Union　Act　itself；　which　provided　that　each　section　should　have　equal　representation　in　the　Assembly；　even　though　Lower　Canada　then　had　a　much　larger　population　than　Upper　Canada。　When　the　tide　of　overseas　immigration　put　Canada　West　well　in　the　lead；　it　in　its　turn　was　denied　the　full　representation　its　greater　population　warranted。　First　the　Conservatives；　and　later　the　Clear　Grits；　took　up　the　cry　of　〃Representation　by　Population。〃　It　was　not　difficult　to　convince　the　average　Canada　West　elector　that　it　was　an　outrage　that　three　French…Canadian　voters　should　count　as　much　as　four　English…speaking　voters。　Macdonald；　relying　for　power　on　his　alliance　with　Cartier；　could　not　accept　the　demand；　and　saw　seat　after　seat　in　Canada　West　fall　to　Brown　and　his　〃Rep。　by　Pop。〃　crusaders。　Brown's　success　only　solidified　Canada　East　against　him；　until；　in　the　early　sixties；　party　lines　coincided　almost　with　sectional　lines。　Parties　were　so　closely　matched　that　the　life　of　a　Ministry　was　short。　In　the　three　years　ending　in　1864　there　were　two　general　elections　and　four　Ministries。　Political　controversy　became　bitterly　personal；　and　corruption　was　spreading　fast。

Constant　efforts　were　made　to　avert　the　threatened　deadlock。　Macdonald；　who　always　trusted　more　to　personal　management　than　to　constitutional　expedients；　won　over　one　after　another　of　the　opponents　who　troubled　him；　and　thus　postponed　the　day　of　reckoning。　Rival　plans　of　constitutional　reform　were　brought　forward。　The　simplest　remedy　was　the　repeal　of　the　union；　leaving　each　province　to　go　its　own　way。　But　this　solution　was　felt　to　be　a　backward　step　and　one　which　would　create　more　problems　than　it　would　solve。　More　support　was　given　the　double　majority　principle；　a　provision　that　no　measure　affecting　one　section　should　be　passed　unless　a　majority　from　that　section　favored　it；　but　this　method　broke　down　when　put　to　a　practical　test。　The　Rouges；　and　later　Brown；　put　forward　a　plan　for　the　abolition　of　legislative　union　in　favor　of　a　federal　union　of　the　two　Canadas。　This　lacked　the　wide　vision　of　the　fourth　suggestion；　which　was　destined　to　be　adopted　as　the　solution；　namely；　the　federation　of　all　British　North　America。

Federal　union；　it　was　urged；　would　solve　party　and　sectional　deadlock　by　removing　to　local　legislatures　the　questions　which　created　the　greatest　divergence　of　opinion。　The　federal　union　of　the　Canadas　alone　or　the　federal　union　of　all　British　North　America　would　either　achieve　this　end。　But　there　were　other　ends　in　view　which　only　the　wider　plan　could　serve。　The　needs　of　defense　demanded　a　single　control　for　all　the　colonies。　The　probable　loss　of　the　open　market　of　the　United　States　made　it　imperative　to　unite　all　the　provinces　in　a　single　free　trade　area。　The　first　faint　stirrings　of　national　ambition；　prompting　the　younger　men　to　throw　off　the　leading　strings　of　colonial　dependence；　were　stimulated　by　the　vision　of　a　country　which　would　stretch　from　sea　to　sea。　The　westward　growth　of　the　United　States　and　the　reports　of　travelers　were　opening　men's　eyes　to　the　possibilities　of　the　vast　lands　under　the　control　of　the　Hudson's　Bay　Company　and　the　need　of　asserting　authority　over　these　northern　regions　if　they　were　to　be　held　for　the　Crown。　Eastward；　also；　men　were　awaking　to　their　isolation。　There　was　not；　in　the　Maritime　Provinces；　any　popular　desire　for　union　with　the　Canadas　or　any　political　crisis　compelling　drastic　remedy；　but　the　need　of　union　for　defense　was　felt　in　some　quarters；　and　ambitious　politicians　who　had　mastered　their　local　fields　were　beginning　to　sigh　for　larger　worlds　to　conquer。

It　took　the　patient　and　courageous　striving　of　many　men　to　make　this　vision　of　a　united　country　a　reality。　The　roll　of　the　Fathers　of　Confederation　is　a　long　and　honored　one。　Yet　on　that　roll　there　are　some　outstanding　names；　the　names　of　men　whose　services　were　not　merely　devoted　but　indispensable。　The　first　to　bring　the　question　within　the　field　of　practical　politics　was　A。　T。　Galt；　but　when　attempt　after　attempt　in　1864　to　organize　a　Ministry　with　a　safe　working　majority　had　failed；　it　was　George　Brown　who　proposed　that　the　party　leaders　should　join　hands　in