The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-11-07
The Canadian Crisis.


began to debate a motion of want of con-
fidence in the Government. The debate and
the scandal out of which it arose has been on4
ofintense interest to the Dominion of Canada
and has not been without interested specta-
tors in the United States. The most able
gentlemen on both sides of the House partici-
pated in the debate, which, while frequently
violent, was generally of marked ability.
With increasing intensity the contest lasted
until an early hour "Wednesday morning
Wednesday evening, on the meeting of the
House, Sir John A. Macdonald, the Premier,
announced the resignation OF the government
as follows:
9TH advisers of the Crown had until last
night believed they had the support of this
House; that it would not only meet any motion
of want of confidence. not only support one of
confidence but enable them to carry on IN
satisfactory and creditable manner the affairs
of the country. They have. from certain
speeches made in this house, and others more
or less informal outside of the house, reason to
believe. and they know, that they have not at
this moment good working majority. and the
consequence is that conceived it my duty to-
day to go to his Excellepcy, the Governor-Gen :
eral, and tender to him the resignation of the
present government, and L have his authority,
and may repeat now what said a few days
ago, that no action of theirs can take place
without the actual assent and consent of the
House. have the authority of his excellency
to state his acceptance of the resignation, and
also 10 state that he has Sc Mt for Mr.. Macken-
zie, to form government"
Thus Sir John A. Macdonald, who has
evaded an investigation of the serious charges
against him since early last spring by ope
Dretext or another, escapes the known ex-
tent and weight of his condemnation, by re-
signing on the eve of vote. If resignation
is hardly better than pleading guilty to the
charge, he escapes the vote of his judges and
saves himself in history from whatever dam
age that may come from an adverse record OF
his peers.
Last January on the meeting of the new
House, Sir John A. had reliable majority
of about twenty in two hundred members
as appeared from the fact that he carried two
or three contested election cases with that
preponderance.
Last February, Mr.. Huntington, a member
of the opposition, asserted that he could
prove most corrupt practices against the lead
ing members of the Ministry in connection
with the Pacific Railroad charter. Sir. John
A. with his usual GOODNESS moved an investi-
cation and a Committee of the House was
formed for that purpose consisting of three
members of the majority and two of the mi
nority, headed by the Premier himself, to sit
during the recess. Sir John A. postponed
the meeting of the Committee from time to
time until it was determined that the Com
mission aorld foI,a fro,
sons under oath. The matter was then post
posed unti the meeting Of Parliament in
August. In July, however, the opposition,
enraged at the delay, caused the McMulen
correspondence to be published, which SET
forth the charges at length and disclosed
wholesale bribery and corruption so plainly
and completely that the best efforts of the
parties implicated to explain only rendered
their situation more hopeless and fixed public
condemnation more completely upon them.
When the House met in August, Sir. John A.
and his associates advised the Governor-Gen-
eral to dissolve that body before any action
could be taken, and announced the appoint
ment of a royal commission to inquire into
the charges. The opposition was indignant
at this action and took no part in the nvest-
CATION. Nevertheless, the testimony of even
one side, implicated the ministry. When the
commission had completed its report it was
submitted, without any recommendation, to
the House, which was called for the purpose.
The debate began, and day by day as the full
facts relative to the Transactions between Sir
John A. and Sir Hugh Allan in the matter of
the Canadian Pacific charter transpired, the
ministry lost ground until the crafty Premier
saw that defeat was inevitable, when he re-
signed to parry the force of the blow that d
division of the House would surely infict.
The administration of Sir John A. Mac
donald has been remarkable one, and not
without many evidences of great energy and
skill on the part of the late Premier The
mission to which he was appointed was to
form out of the British provinces, scattered
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, powerful
empire. Commercially considered, the prov
inces had no common bond of union. The
people of the seaboard provinces were not
SO nearly related to the Canadas as either of
them were to the United States. Each had
its peculiar institutions, to which it had
been attached for generations. Different as
they were in their institutions, strangers as
they were commercially, there was not even
common bond Of national origin to kindle
sentiment of patriotism. The only question
considered by the provinces in forming this
union was, 'What can we get out of t?r In
answer 10 thi. Sir john A. conceived the
policy Of giving subsidies to railroads, under
taking extensive internal Improvements ard
afording aid to the local governments. This
policy he has pursued with great energy. New
lines Of road are building, canals opening and
the Dominion would seem on the high road
OF material success, were it not for the fact
that large public debt is accommodating and
taxes are increasing.
As the elections of 1872 approached. Sec
tlonal lealousies arose, and these the I'M
scrupuous minority made the most off,
Sir John, with all his fertility of resource
found himself pressed to the wall. Then Sir
Hugh Allan appears, and aids his and the
governments friends to the extent of $780,
600 to carry the elections. Subsequently, Sir
John and his associates award Sir Hugh the
grants.
In this there may have been no collision,
but the people of the Dominion think differ
emily, and for this act the the first Premier of
new Empire is disgraced fer life. There is
every reason to believe that the opposition
who have so fiercely assailed Sir Hugh, used
as extensive bribery as the late Government.
1t is the custom of the country, borrowed
from England, where elections are us ually
mere matters of bargain and SALE
THE proceedings of the French Assembly.
which began it, sessions Wednesday, will be
watched with deep interest. The Mohach-
ISIS sun have majority of fourteen, and un-
mindiul OF the demands of the people as ex
pressed in every recent elections. seemed de-
termined to prolong the term of MacMabon
ten years, while the Republicans insist that
the people shall be consulted in the establish
ment of the form Of Government. President
Mach ahon has yet 10 learn that the majority
of the present self constituted Assembly 10