St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-15
REL W1TH HIS MAsK DEE.


nection with the REL rebellion in Canada is
that the outbreak is really the outgrowth of
race struggle between the French and Eng
fish inhabitants of the Dominion The Que
bee French, who number million souls,
aspire to rule Canada by keeping their repre-
sentatives in compact body in parliament
and holding the balance of power so that
the government will be made to depend for
its existence on their support After the
confederation of the Canadian provinces in
1867 had been accomplished the people of
Ontario started an agitation for the acquisi-
ton of the Hudson Bay company's territor-
les in the Northwest In addition to secur-
ing an outlet for their surplus farming popu-
lation they desired also to establish strong
English-speaking province as a counterbal-
ance to the influence of the French in Que
bee. The territory thus acquired by Canada
in 1869 is very fertile, and the plain which is
pierced transversely by the two branches of the
Saskatchewan stretches for nearly thou
sand miles westward from Lake Winnipeg
to the foot of the Rocky mountains and con-
tains not less than 5000, 900 acres suitable
for the production of wheat When the
Canadian government went to take posses
sion of this splendid domain RIEL, the leader
of the present rebellion, appeared upon the
scene. Being we'll educated half-breed he
had sufficient influence with the French half
breeds of the territory to persuade them that
the Canadians intended to take their farms
from them, and thus induced them to take up
arms. When WoLsELEY, with 1900 regu-
lars and militia after incredible labor sue
eeeded in reaching Lake Winnepeg, REL fed
and his government dissolved. Sir JOHN
capture RIEL and punish him for the murder
of SCOTT in accordance with the vigorous de-
mand made by the people of Ontario that he
should do so. resorted to the humiliating
policy of bribing the rebel chieftain to leave
the country. Since then REL has been liv-
ing in retirement Matching new plots against
Canadian rule. There is no doubt that in
his recent rebellion he has had the
sympathy, if not the active Co
operation, of the Quebec French
who have been panied to see the French
half-breed element outnum bered and in fact
overwhelmed by the tide of nglish-speaking
settlers which has been pouring into the
new country. The French leaders in Quebec
have made great efforts to induce French
immigration into Manitoba, so as to counter
balance the English element, but met with
little success. for the Frenchman has little
inclination for pioneer life.
In the meantime many of the French half
breeds who had received grants of land in
Manitoba sold their farms for large sums and
went north to the new settlements on the
banks of the Saskatchewan. These people
claimed new grants for themselves there, and
although their request was not refused, it did
not receive that attention from the Cana
dian government to which they regarded it i
as entitled. Many half-breeds who had been
previously settled in the Saskatchewan COM
planned that their patents had not issued, and
making these grievances an excuse for bad
feeling toward the government, they
wise them as to what they should
do Their real grievance was that they were
being hemmed in by English settlers and
that large tracts of land were being given to
English colonization companies. On his ar
rival in the Saskatchewan REL drew up
bill of rights which was adopted by the half
breeds and which in effect asked the Cana
dian governmental tie up the Northwest
and close 1t against settlement for
the benefit of the few French half
breeds who were to be maintained at
the expense of the hard working people of
the rest of Canada. People who have al
lowed their sympathies to take a sentimental
turn in favor of REL and his followers be-
cause it was supposed that they had been
maltreated by the Canadian government
will see there is no foun dalton for such mis-
taken sympathy, and REL stands before the
country unmarked as a rebel, marauder and
murderer.