The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-19
OFFERED MILLION
TO FREE CANADA
Carnegie Named as Chief Factor
: : in Scheme Toward Inde7.
pendence. @*

Ottawa, Ont, Sept. 19.-That Andrew
Carnegie and others stood ready to sup
ply the millions necessary to bring
about Canadian Independence, as a step
toward a continental union, is the
statement made by F. ~ w: G Gant ct MeT
reciprocity league. The statement is
contained in the following letter, writ,
ten by Glen and giving the history OF
the Continental Union league project:
In 1898, with the support of Charles A.
Dana, Andrew Carnegie, John Jacob AS
tor, Ethan Allen, Warner Miller, Edward
Lauterbach, William G. Whitney Orlando
3. Potter, Horace Porter, John Hay,
Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Root, Oswald
Ottendorfer, Cornelius N. Bliss, John D.
Long, John B. Foraker, Knute Nelson,
Jacob Gallinger, Roswell P. Flower, JOS
eph John O'Donohue, Chauncey M. De-
pew, John P. Jones, William Walter
Phelps, General Butterfleld, General
Henry W. slocum, General Ames H. Will
son, General Grenville NJ Dodge, Charles
| Francis Adams, Oliver Ames, Seth Low,
Bourke Cochran, John G. Mcclure, Dennis
O'Brien, Charles L. Tiffany, John Claflin
| Nathan Strauss and Samuel Spencer,
| organized the National Continental Union
| League for the purpose of. promoting the
union by peaceful, lawful honorable and
| generous means.
Upon the fourth day Of November, 1893,
| Wilfr1d Laurier held a meeting Of his
friends in Montreal, and that meeting
sent a delegation to New York to ask the
friends of the National Continental Union
League for aid for elections, which it was
| supposed would take place in the spring
Of 1894 Israel J. Tarte, Honore Mercier,
j. E. Robidoux, Louis Joseph Papineau
and Mr.. Langelier were on the delegation,
and Sir Oliver Mowat was represented by
John Morrison Of Toronto.
| These gentlemen met Dana, Carnegie
and myself in the office Of the Sun on
I Nov. 6. Tarte asked, as a beginning, for
: $4,000 with which to purchase La Monde
a newspaper, and Morrison desired $50, 00(
i to purchase labor paper in Toronto.
Carnegie asked Tarte if he was pre-.
pared to pledge the liberal party to advo-
cate the independence Of Canada as 6
prelude to the continental union.
He replied that if we furnished then
with the money for the elections they
would do so, If they were successful II
the elections. Morrison agreed will
Tarte.
Il Carnegie then asked MERCER if he
would contest the province Of Quebec il
favor Of the independence Of Canada, as
a prelude to the continental union. HI
replied In the affirmative. 49,
n Carnegie asked Tarte how much l
would require TO secure the COnt1nenta
union. Tarte replied Isl, 100000 Car
negie said that if he was sure tina
amount would do it, he would give it him
| self. .@saF --z. -..
On the following day I was instructe
by Carnegie to draft a letter to Honor
MERCER, informing him that he could hav
. any amount necessary to carry the prov
ince of Quebec. drafted as strong a let
ter as the English language would permit
q addressed to Honore MERCER, and Carne
. gle signed it without the slightest hesi
f tation, and then told me to have Dam
8 sign it, and then sign it myself
4 Before Dana signed it, he said:
c "Glen, this Is a blank check, perhap
for millions but If Carnegie can afford t
| sign 1t can," and he did so. Then
: signed it and mailed it to Mercier
2 All of the parties except Dana and Mer
s cter are still alive