The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-09-11

! but took s0rely to heart slight received fro n
one of the governors Of the csloay, aud vas in
bis latter dsysex'remely dissatisfied with the To-
Cal m Dagement OF colonial affairs. H son en-
tered The House (hIs age being unqueationed)
at twenty, and started ust a little in advance
of his fathers principles One OF his fret pub
lie speeches was a glowing eulogy on George
the Third and the English connection; and he
bore arms with credit il 1912 against the Unit
ed States, bat was not long in breaking away
from m, derate TO violent Opposition, aud speedi-
" became leader of the Assembly-was finally
Speaker after the death OF his father; and Is
the remonstrance Il the French Canadians fail
ed in moving Downing street to g. ant their de-
maDGs in full, his tone gradually changed from
one of attack on offlc,al c'iqurs to the bold as
sertiOn of independent aud anti-Britfsh princi-
pies In fact, he justly came to denOunce the
home government as the head, the colonial OH
cials only as The hands, Of the system which he
opposed.
The state of the country was one of incess ant
strife between the Legislative and executive
functions Of the government; ard Louis Joseph
Papneau was the embodiment of the former
and absolute master of the Assembly, and in
point Of fact sole representative Of the people,
for when his contemporaries ceased to be his
minions they ceased to be at all. His
VIII UeCamc INV AWOnRst MS ieti0W
members-his voice q spell which bound
the masses of his fellow ooantry men in
rapt atteation to its every incubation. Pa
plLeau was indeed as perfect tribune Of tue
people as Rome herself ever produ sed. The
position which be attained was an extraordinary
one-tbe despot Of the Legislature and the pro-
scrihed Of the Executive. With the air OF q
monarch, in the name of the Assembly. he
despatched his diplomatic agents to London.
G0a nf al unek sui in In Rriti
lament and received 81, 900 year as adg0-
cate for the Canadian Legislature. Lord
Br0ugham was one OF his most active cores
pondents, snd- il, like o Prince he was repre-
sented abroad by accredited agents, and in
formed liy secret correspondents in his Speak
er's chair he exercised the moet absolute sway
From the printer of tory journal or an ObnOx-
ious newspaper reporter, to the first persons in
the country, 10 one was free from summary
arrest and imprisonment under the Speakers
warrant, during the sitting Of the House. No
document even to the private memorandum
book OF the Governor, was safe from his search
| ing inquiry. and in more than one instance he
achieve, the arbitrary rejection of members
elected by the popular will; and numerous we're
the leading officials of the colony who fell be-
fore the indefatigable energy with which he
pushed on impeachment upon Impeachment,
till his victim was at his feet. His action
against the government consisted of a sys-
tenn of perpetual complaint and remonstralce,
presenting one grievance after another in re-
gular succession, worrying and teasing the
heavy eleepers of Downing street, after the
fashion Of .'the widow who prevailed by i'm
portunity" till ZONE minor abuse was re-
dressed, or some victim thrown like Jonah to
| the whale y of the Assembly; then rally ing his
party with the cry Of "victory" ana pushing
on a1resh.
At last the extreme verge of concession is
reached Papineau stops the supplies. For
four years he bl0ckades the Executive in vain;
he rusbes. into rebellion; the rebellion is
crushed--but ii costs John Bull ten millions of
dollars. He buttons up his breeches pocket,
says he will pay DO more "for rows in those
colonies-better sink 'em In the sea than
that" and grants responsible government.
The new system had It's struggles, like
all new systems but eventually it worked
"Papineau- wards" and now the old commander
retires from the strife, and leaves the spoil to
the camp followers
/ The grounds on which Papineau's character
! is chiefly asperted are three. His enemies
mostly impugn HE personal courage; secondly
he is charged with utter recklessness Of asser-
ton, in attacking opponents and thirdly, with
an impcri0us and egotistical self-will For the
! FIRST, Papineau commenced his career when the
whole patronage Of the country was in the
/ hands Of a bureaucracy formed either of the de-
/ sceidants OF refugee royalists from the United
States, or British cred tapists" sent ont from
| London, under aristocratic protection or Down
| ipg street influence. aud when the fashion was
20 regard the French Canadians as q race of
| Helots. Under these circumstances, the man
who aspired to he the liborator Of the Canadian
race could only be profeseed man Of peace, or
perfect revival Of "fightipg Fitzgerald -
| for he would have been tempted q to hos
tile meeting" by every living soul who held
an office OF wanted one, and his surviving three
months on honorable ~ principles would have
added another to the wonders OF tho world.'
to his position; and, amidst the howls Of
public officials and excavations of public
offenders, deliberately refused to be sent
to the next world to oblige the
holders Of pelf and power. The next charge
ia his conduct in the rebellion, certain
ly suspicious enongh. He was charged
with running away at the advance of the
troops and rctreating to place Of safety; but
he was the civil hend Of the movement-Wol
fred Nelson and others its military leaders Nc
one accused Koseuth during his temporary po-
pularity in America because he did not smell
powder during tho Hungarian revolt, aud
Papinoau aifirms that his conduct was dictated
by the gallant surgeon who defeated Col. Gore
and the British regular troops ut st. Denis
with loss of nearly one-6fth Of their men and
field piece. For the second charge, from all
the speeches of Papipeau's which have either
heard or read, should infer that far more Il
drawn from fact than fancy and "a for charge
three, why, man who feels that he is the sou
Of popular movement and that ths poputace
confide In him, and in him alone, will naturally
assume the attitude Of o dictator towards thos,
who have to follow In his wake or remain il
obscuIity.
At the same time, it would be an error *
suppose that Pappineau, unassisted, would have
been the troublesome and expensive subject tn.
British monarchy has found lam to be. Henevel
wrote a line for publication or framed an &C,
Of parliament in his life, but merely dictated
such matters 10 his ryrmidons. Ills wea
, pom was his tongue, and as he was never
the col OF the audience, his orations have been
sermons on political affairs, and to thus hour he
rntnue the manner and str la of nm nif rhoforic