Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1869-04-28
Important Speech from Mr.. can
DEMAND FOR PREPARATION FOR THE
FENIAN INVASION.

AS Mr.. Galt's speech in the Canadian
House of Commons the other day, on
introducing his motion respecting the
Fenian raid as giving ground for claim
by Canada against the United States, is
likely to excite much attention in the
United States rs well as in Canada. we
give our readers an abstract of it. We
think it safe to say that Uncle Samuel
will fully consider the matter before
sending his check to Canada to pay for
the damages caused by the Fenian in
VasiOn
He said, the motion of hich he had
given notice, and which he desired to
propose was that His Excellency should
send down to the House copies of tn,
correspondence with the Imperial Gov
eminent, relating to the outlay incurred
by Canada in the defence of the frontier
of the United States in 1868 and 1864,
growing out of the Fenian invasion.
with the intention of instituting claim
against the United States. With the
permission of the House, he proposed to
add request for further papers, and he
would therefore desire to add to his mo-
ton a request for all correspondence
and unpublished orders in Council re-
lating to the representations made to
the Government Of Canada by the
United States during the rebellion in
the Southern States. He desired to
make this addition to his motion, feel
ing that otherwise he would not be at
liberty to advert to certain matters to
which he desired to call attention. He
hoped there would be no objection on
the part of the Government to the pro-
duction of the correspondence, as he be-
lieved it to be in every way desirable
that the whole history of the course
pursued by Canada towards the United
States during the rebellion should be
made public. He did not propose to
refer at any length to the motion made
by Senator Chandler, but would advert
to it as affording an opportunity of "
state of the relations of Canada with the
United States. He believed he would
be doing injustice to the American Sen
ate and the people of the country did he
believe for moment that the eXtraor.
binary propositions to which he alluded
received the cOuntcnance and support
of the country; but even if the case
were possible-if England could for an
instant entertain such mCnstrOus pro-
position as to transfer the Dominion to
the United States, he thought he would
be perfectly justified in saying on be-
half of that House and the people OF
Canada that they would be no parties
to such transfer. cloud cheers.) A
temperate statement such as he proposed
to make, might do good. (Cheers.) The
motion in his hands referred to the
claims which had been, or might be,
made for indemnity of the expenditure
arising out of the late Fenian Outrages
and he would now show the grounds OH
which such claim might be fully
urged. He thought it not becoming in
Canadian living, as they had done,
alongside of the United States, to point
to acts which showed their conduct
during time in VIII oh the people OF
the Northern States were in great dis
tress, when they were engaged in a life
and death struggle with the Southern
States.
The people of Canada could fearlessly
appeal to their conduct during tn t Pc
Rod to show that they had faithfully,
and to the best of their ability, done
their duty as good neighbors. The peO-
pie of Canada had no desire to shrink
their responsibility as a portion
Of the empire of Great Britain. They
know that they had to share it, what.
ever the wrongs inflicted on the United
States, whether connected with
the Alabama claims or the larger
and more extended ones enumerated
by Mr.. Sumner. 1t was clear tnat the
Canadians must share a part of it.
(Hear, Hear.) Still, it was their duty
to point out that, during the period al
luded to, the course of Canada had been
one of friendship and Of frank fulfill
Of oil fl,a;r A,,ti 70 thoir rnuh
bors across the line. The papers thai
he has asked for would disclose history
of the representations made OH the parl
of the United States, and Ofsuch prompt
action on the part of the Government
of this country as would satisfy every
unbiased mind that no charge whatev-
er of Sinking their responsibility lay
on the people Of Canada. 1t is true that
during the rebellion much sympathy
had been expressed on porto of the
press and the public; and if in free
country such had not been the case, ii
would have been extraordinary. AS a
people, beyond all doubt the material
aid and comfort was to the North and
not to the South. If the official records
of the United States were searched 1t
would be found that 10000 men from
Canada had served in the Northern ar
my, and at the same time that power
drew largely on these provinces for sup.
plies during the war.
The more important question was that
numerous representations had been
made, with most frivolous foundation,
complaining that outsages weie about
to be committed on the United States
by persons crossing from Canada. Many
of these were unknown, and he would
not advert to them. His purpose would
be accomplished by abiding to two cir
cumstances which were generally
known. In 1862, during a change OF
administration, information was laid
before the government that there was
to be a serious raid on what was called