The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-08
SIR JOHN mACDoSALp.s SUCCESSOR

Now that Sir John A. Macdonald, the
Canadian premier, is dead, it devolves upon
the Conservative party to choose his sue
cessor in the leadership. just at present
Sir Charles Upper seems to be the one OF
the dead leaders, lieutenants who has the
best chance of being chosen to fill the va
cancy. While Sir Charles has not the
dignity nor the ability of some of his COM
petitors, there are several things which
point to him as the most available man for
the position. The party which Sir John
has led for so many years is one made up
of the most discordant elements, which
have been kept together only by the ex-
ercise OF the greatest finesse on the part of
leader who was a born diplomatist.
Whoever is Sir Johns successor, it is felt
that he can only hope to approach the
dead premier's success; and as matters
stand in Canadian politics, Sir Charles is
the best able to do this.
Sir Charles Upper is Nova Scotian
who forced himself to the front in
provincial politics by the exercise of
an indomitable will and abilities of no
mean order, and on going into Dominion
politics the same qualities soon won him
prominent place in the Conservative
party. He held more than one cabinet
position and then was made Canadian
Commissioner in London" a position the
duties of which are not very well defined;
but Canada seems to want sort of minis
ter plenipotentiary at London to transact
her business with the government and to
represent her at the swell dinners. and
this Sir Charles does. His forte is cam
paigning; and he has left the representa-
ton of Canada to shift for herself twice to
come home to help his party through cleo
tons. He is an ideal politician, daring in
his methods of political warfare, and not
oyerscrupulous as TO his statements or
the means which he avails himself of to
bring his following into line. As speaker
he is forcible, though his strength is with
the mass of the people rather than with
those who are convinced by sound reason
ing.
His hobnobbing with the English aris-
tocracy, due 10 his official position, gave
lAA1 oOCAdl dA0 Ac Was Adfl1S
fair amount of success in pushing his
way upward until, in an nl-advised mo
ment during the late election, in which he
had returned to Canada, he attacked the
Grand Trunk railway for its alleged an
nexation procli vities. As the result of
the late election showed, this W as dema-
gogic line of political tactics which proved
most successful, but he had not reckoned
on one thing. The stock of the Grand
Trunk is very largely owned in England,
where, OF all places, man is held strictly
to account for his public and political
statements. The president of the COM
pany exposed the falsity of several of the
Canadian knights errors, and told most
interesting story of how Sir Charles had
gone in person to a Grand Trunk official
in Canada and made some not very credit
able overtures 10 him to have him use the
influence of the Grand Trunk for the Tory
or Conservative party. Sir Charles has
written reply, but Sir Charles one sam
pie of Canadian political methods has
barred the way for social preferment in
the mother country, and this fact may
have its part in inducing him to accept
the leadership and remain on this side of
the Atlantic.