Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1869-05-04
lmnnrtant speech from Mr.. Gait.
DEMAND FOR PREPARATION FOR THE rESlAS IN

| DEMAND FOR PREPARATION foh The fENiAN i''
vAsIoN.
As Mr.. .Galt's speech in the Canadian
House of Commons the other day, on IN
Producing his motion respecting the FEM
am raid as giving ground for a claim by
Canada against the United States, is like
ly to. excite much attention in the United
States as we'll as in Canada, we give our
readers an abstract of it. We think 1t
safe to say that Uucle Samuel will fully
consider the matter before sending his
check to Canada to pay for the damages
caused by the Fenian invasion:
"He said, the motion of which he had
given notice, and which he desired to pro-
pose was that His Excellency should send
down to the House copies of the cores
pondence with the Imperial Government,
relating to the outlay incurred by Canada
in the defence of the frontier of the Uni
ted States in 1868 and 1864, growing out
of the Fenian invasion, with the intention
of nstituting a claim against the United
States. With the permission of the House,
he proposed to add a request for further
papers, and he would therefore desire to
add to his motion request for all cores
pondence and unpublished orders in Coun
Gil relating to the representations made to
the Government of Canada by the United
States during the rebellion in the South
ern States. He desired to made this adj
dition to his motion, feeling that other
wise he would not be at iberty.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 production of the Correspondence,
as he believed it to be in every way desr-
able that tie 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 afford
ing an opportunity of expressing an opin-
ion on the existing state Of the relations
of Canada with the United States He
believed he would be doing injustice to
the American Senate and the people of
the country did he believe for a moment
that the extraordinary propositions to which
he alluded received the countenance and
support of the country but even if the
case were possible-if England could for
an instant entertain such a monstrous pro-
position as to transfer the Dominion to the
United States, he thought he would be
perfectly justified in saying on behalf of
that House and the people Of Canada that
they would be no parties to such trans
fer. loud cheers.) a temperate state
mcnt such as he proposed to make, might
do good. (Chcers.) 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
Fcnian outrages; and he would now show
the grounds on which such claim might
be fully urged. He thought it not becom-
ing in Canadians living alongside of the
the United States, to point to acts which
showed their conduct during a time in
which the people of the Northern States
we're IN great distress, when they were
engaged in life and death struggle with
the Southern States.
The people of Canada could fearlessly
appeal to their conduct during that Pc
riod to show that they had faithfully, and
to the best of their ability, done their
duty as good neighbors. The people Of
Canada had no desire to shrink their re-
sponsibility as portion of the empire of
Great Britain. They know that they had
to share it, whatever 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 that the
Canadians must share part of it. QIear,
Hear.) Still, it was their duty to point
out that, during the period alluded to, the
course of Canada had been one of friend
ship and of frank ful6llment of all their
duties to their neighbors across the line.
The papers that he has asked for would
disclose history of the representations
made on the part of the United States,
and of such prompt action on the part Of
the Government of this country as would
satisfy every unbiased mind that no charge
whatever of Sinking their responsibility
lay on the people of Canada. 1t is true
that during the rebellion much sympathy
had been expressed on portion of the
press and the public; and if in free
country such had not been the case, it
would have been extraordinary. As
people, beyond all doubt the material aid
and comfort was to the North and not to
the South. If the official records of the