The Holbrook news., 1911-12-22
NE5T NZYG

litical life, just previous to the war
 of 1872, the country was governed
 under the constitutional act by two
 distinct councils and leg
 islative. They were independent of
 each other and through abuse of
 privilege began to think themselves
 independent of the people. The pi-
 oneer settlers, whose only thought
 was for the clearing and tanning of
 the wilderness, cared little for pol tiles. Theirs was a fight against the
 primal and the wild and they thought
 of the government only as help to them in their mighty efforts.
 The men in whose hands rested the responsibility of yielding civic power abused their trust. They gave valuable lands to political friends and spent money corruptly that was in-
 tended for the settlers who needed aid. These abuses brought about dis satisfaction and distrust and the pi- oneers began fight for better and more competent form of government, fight which ended years later in bloodshed and rebellion but which finally obtained for the Canadian peo- pie the almost perfect constitution of which they boast today.
 For years the prejudice existing be- tween the French and English was an obstacle to the great struggle against privilege and injustice.
 Canada in those days was divided into two provinces, known as Upper and Lower Canada, and while Mac kenzie was fighting for justice in struggling with the corrupt powers of Lower Canada. The latter was de- feated in his peaceful fight and, fired by all the passions that liberty in- spires, he resorted to- rebellion. Thus by means of bloodshed he succeeded in obtaining the suspension of the constitution of Lower Canada The rebellion spread to Upper Canada, where Mackenzie took up the fight, and although he was defeated and ex- fled the principles for which he fought won out in the end and the act of Union of 1s4O gave Canada its first united and responsible gov ernment. The provisions of the act of union were by no means com plete and factions and dissatisfactions were the result until 1867 when the North American act gave to the land of the maple leaf a government un- der which it has grown and pros pered
 Provisional Legislatures.
 The provisional legislatures of the Dominion of Canada correspond in a great many ways with the state governments of the United States In every way they resemble the Do minion parliament. having, with the exception of Ontario, a house of commons and a senate. The lieu tenant governor of the province stands in the same relation to the provisional legislature as the govern or general of the Dominion to the Do minion parliament. The premier of the province is supreme in the pro vincial parliament. just as the pre- mier of the Dominion is all over.
 Independent and supreme in it's own Dominion the Canadian parliar ment always loyal to the British crown stands a separate and distinct body, in no way subservient to the imperial parliament of England. It has the power of making its own treaties with foreign countries and since the establishment of the Su- preme Court of Appeal. in 1875, the Canadian parliament has been prac- tically independent of the British Privy council. Legislative acts re- garding Canada are never passed by the imperial parliament unless they are stamped with the approval of the house of commons at Ottawa.
 From the days of the northwest rebellion to the recent clash over the reciprocity treaty the Canadian ship of state has weathered some rough seas. Among the many events that stirred parliament to it's depths the Manitoba school question stands out The credit of it's settle ment rests with Canada's foremost citizen, Sir Wilfrid Laurier Limi- tations of space prevent the men tion of all the storms that rough ened the waters of Canada's political sea, but most important among the many were the Boring sea fishery dis pute, the Alaskan boundary ques- lion, the Atlantic fisheries question and. most prominent among recent storms, the Canadian naval bill
 For the last 15 years the Canadi- ans parliament has been remarkable because of it's wonderful chief, Sir Vilfrid Laurier. He has grown old n the battle of Canadian betterment md the great deeds of true life have ouched his locks with whiteness