The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-11

| A1A91 AlNe years OF their history
under Conservative administration was
a period of unparalleled prosperity The
political parties united to put the con-
sdtution into operation 1t provided for
adding to the four provinces above men
toned all the other portions of the Brit
fsh possessions on the North Amer
lean continent The statesmen sue
ceeded in quieting the title of the Hudson
Bay company TO what was known as the
Northwest Territory By this stroke of
| policy Which cost only a million and a
half dollars, an addition equal to about
one-haH the size of.the United States was
added to the new Dominion British Co
lumpla and Prince Edwards Island Were
also added in this period, and Manitoba,
carved out of the great Northwest, was
added as province of the confed-
Grafton. Newfoundland is now the only
! portlen outside of the confederation,
and negotiations more or less active are
now i'll progress for its admission.
IN addition to this enormous expansion
during the first five years, the government
dealt with the construction of the Inter
colonial railway. The improvement of
the canals, harbors and lighthouses
received attention, and negotiations for
the construction of the Canadian Pacific
railway had also made some progress
on commercial lines the record of the
new Dominion was prospertty-the times
were propitious. Our own country's com
lnerce had not yet recovered from the
| backset o. the Civil war. The farmers
Of Canada found here ready market
! Tor ell they had to sell, and their fac
| tories had orders in advance for their
! full output 10 meet a general election
under such circumstances was like go
! ing to picnic.
But opposition to the government had
! developed. 1t was contended that they
were going ahead at too rapid a pace.
! Fault was found with the plan proposed
/ for building the Canadian Pacific railway
The amount of $50,COO0OO in cash as
a bonus to q company and %, OOO, 900 acres
of land was considered altogether be-
yond the ability of the country The
plan proposed by the opposition was to
| construct the road as a government work
and to proceed only as fast as the re-
sources Of the country would warrant
| without going into debt. The amount
mentioned was $2,eeo,OOO year. This, at
the estimated. cost would require about
seventy-f1ve years. to complete the job
whereas the government plan contemplate
| ed its completions IN ten years. Thus
the issue of the@seeond general election
was Joined, and the contest was carried
on with considerable acerbity. The
government was triumphanuy returned.
and Immediately commenced to put their
| policy into operation. Sir Hugh Allen, of
the celebrated steamship line, got the con-
tract, his scheme being substantially the
same as has since been adopted
by the Canadfan Pacific Railway
company. viz TO. have line
of steamers on the Pacific ocean to con-.
| meet the West and East Bat now fell
a thunderbolt into# the government 1t
was asserted by tbesapposition that a cor
rupt bargain had been made. between
Sir John 4, Maedonaf3ed. the the ,rrenier. aud
Sir Hugh Atten. ~ Rhfctsthe latter, for
and in cda5kldera ton @of money furnish
ed for the election fund, was to get
the contract for building the road This
was what became known as the Pacific
| Scandal" 1t was not denied that Sir
Hugh had contributed literally to the
| election fund. The matter came to a
head when one. of the leaders of the OPP
position, rising to a question of: priv
ilege IN parliament stated that if he
were granted a royal commission he could
prove that the Fumor was, correct The
! premier accepted the challenge, appoint
ed three judges as a commission, and,
with his parity resigned the reins of gov
eminent. -;
Hon. Alex. Mckenzie, as leader of the
opposition, was called upon to form
government. Fhfs was at the close of the
year 1873. In The beginning of 1874 a gen
eraI election was CALLED and the old gov
eminent party was defeated, large con-
tingent of Sir Johns political friends Civ
ing credence to the scandal voting for
the Liberal party.
And now camesa change in the condi-
ton of the country. The revival of the
industries of the United States had clos
ed our markets on the Canadians A pro
gressive government had been supple
mented by another that was noted for its
inertness. The opposition, now led by Sir
john A Macdonald, urged the govern
ment to adopt a protective policy which
they contended would remove the pre-
vaiIing distress. The leading members of
the government were, however, professed
free traders and would hear to nothing
of the kind, The governments sloWness
in building the railway and their unen-
terprising policy generally disguised many
of their followers, and was notifying
to those Conservatives who had turned
their back on their party leaders on the
cry of the Pacific Scandal" and, when
the parliamentary term expired the
fourth general. election in 1878 proved a
general landslide for the Conservatives.
Immediately the country experienced a
business revival The adoption of the
National Policy so-calIed-a protective
tariff-seemed to infuse new life into
every department of trade and commerce.
The railway construction was also taken