the canadian dominion-第13部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


ower。　The　opposition　to　the　Family　Compact　was　of　a　more　motley　hue；　as　is　the　way　with　oppositions。　Opposition　became　potential　when　new　settlers　poured　into　the　province　from　the　United　States　or　overseas；　marked　out　from　their　Loyalist　forerunners　not　merely　by　differences　of　political　background　and　experience　but　by　differences　in　religion。　The　Church　of　England　had　been　dominant　among　the　Loyalists；　but　the　newcomers　were　chiefly　Methodist　and　Presbyterian。　Opposition　became　actual　with　the　rise　of　concrete　and　acute　grievances　and　with　the　appearance　of　leaders　who　voiced　the　growing　discontent。

The　political　exclusiveness　of　the　Family　Compact　did　not　rouse　resentment　half　as　deep　as　did。　their　religious；　or　at　least　denominational；　pretensions。　The　refusal　of　the　Compact　to　permit　Methodist　ministers　to　perform　the　marriage　ceremony　was　not　soon　forgotten。　There　were　scores　of　settlements　where　no　clergyman　of　the　Established　Church　of　England　or　of　Scotland　resided；　and　marriages　here　had　been　of　necessity　performed　by　other　ministers。　A　bill　passed　the　Assembly　in　1824　legalizing　such　marriages　in　the　past　and　giving　the　required　authority　for　the　future；　and　when　it　was　rejected　by　the　Legislative　Council；　resentment　flamed　high。　An　attempt　of　Strachan　to　indict　the　loyalty　of　practically　all　but　the　Anglican　clergy　intensified　this　feeling；　and　the　critics　went　on　to　call　in　question　the　claims　of　his　Church　to　establishment　and　landed　endowment。

The　land　question　was　the　most　serious　that　faced　the　province。　The　administration　of　those　in　power　was　condemned　on　three　distinct　counts。　The　granting　of　land　to　individuals　had　been　lavish；　it　had　been　lax；　and　it　had　been　marked　by　gross　favoritism。　By　1824；　when　the　population　was　only　150；000；　some　11；000；000　acres　had　been　granted；　ninety　years　later；　when　the　population　was　2；700；000；　the　total　amount　of　improved　land　was　only　13；000；000　acres。　Moreover　the　attempt　to　use　vast　areas　of　the　Crown　Lands　to　endow　solely　the　Anglican　Church　roused　bitter　jealousies。　Yet　even　these　grievances　paled　in　actual　hardship　beside　the　results　of　holding　the　vast　waste　areas　unimproved。　What　with　Crown　Reserves；　Clergy　Reserves；　grants　to　those　who　had　served　the　state；　and　holdings　picked　up　by　speculators　from　soldiers　or　poorer　Loyalists　for　a　few　pounds　or　a　few　gallons　of　whisky；　millions　of　acres　were　held　untenanted　and　unimproved；　waiting　for　a　rise　in　value　as　a　consequence　of　the　toil　of　settlers　on　neighboring　farms。　Not　one…tenth　of　the　lands　granted　were　occupied　by　the　persons　to　whom　they　had　been　assigned。　The　province　had　given　away　almost　all　its　vast　heritage；　and　more　than　nine…tenths　of　it　was　still　in　wilderness。　These　speculative　holdings　made　immensely　more　difficult　every　common　neighborhood　task。　At　best　the　machinery　and　the　money　for　building　roads；　bridges；　and　schools　were　scanty；　but　with　these　unimproved　reserves　thrust　in　between　the　scattered　shacks；　the　task　was　disheartening。　〃The　reserve　of　two…sevenths　of　the　land　for　the　Crown　and　clergy；〃　declared　the　township　of　Sandwich　in　1817；　〃must　for　a　long　time　keep　the　country　a　wilderness；　a　harbour　for　wolves；　a　hindrance　to　a　compact　and　good　neighborhood。〃

A　further　source　of　discontent　developed　in　the　disabilities　affecting　recent　American　settlers。　A　court　decision　in　1824　held　that　no　one　who　had　resided　in　the　United　States　after　1783　could　possess　or　transmit　British　citizenship；　with　which　went　the　right　to　inherit　real　estate。　This　decision　bore　heavily　upon　thousands　of　〃late　Loyalists〃　and　more　recent　incomers。　Under　the　instructions　of　the　Colonial　Office；　a　remedial　bill　was　introduced　in　the　Legislative　Council　in　1827；　but　it　was　a　grudging；　halfway　measure　which　the　Assembly　refused　to　accept。　After　several　sessions　of　quarreling；　the　Assembly　had　its　way；　but　in　the　meantime　the　men　affected　had　been　driven　into　permanent　and　active　opposition。

The　leaders　of　the　movement　of　resistance　which　now　began　to　gather　force　included　all　sorts　and　conditions　of　men。　The　fiercest　and　most　aggressive　were　two　Scotchmen；　Robert　Gourlay　and　William　Lyon　Mackenzie。　Gourlay；　one　of　those　restless　and　indispensable　cranks　who　make　the　world　turn　round；　active；　obstinate；　imprudent；　uncompromisingly　devoted　to　the　common　good　as　he　saw　it；　came　to　Canada　in　1817　on　settlement　and　colonization　bent。　Innocent　inquiries　which　he　sent　broadcast　as　to　the　condition　of　the　province　gave　the　settlers　an　opportunity　for　voicing　their　pent…up　discontent；　and　soon　Gourlay　was　launched　upon　the　sea　of　politics。　Mackenzie；　who　came　to　Canada　three　years　later；　was　a　born　agitator；　fearless；　untiring；　a　good　hater；　master　of　avitriolic　vocabulary；　and　absolutely　unpurchasable。　He　found　his　vein　in　weekly　journalism；　and　for　nearly　forty　years　was　the　stormy　petrel　of　Canadian　politics。　From　England　there　came；　among　others；　Dr。　John　Rolph；　shrewd　and　politic；　and　Captain　John　Matthews；　a　half…pay　artillery　officer。　Peter　Perry；　downright　and　rugged　and　of　a　homely　eloquence；　represented　the　Loyalists　of　the　Bay　of　Quinte；　which　was　the　center　of　Canadian　Methodism。　Among　the　newer　comers　from　the　United　States；　the　foremost　were　Barnabas　Bidwell；　who　had　been　Attorney　General　of　Massachusetts　but　had　fled　to　Canada　in　1810　when　accused　of　misappropriating　public　money；　and　his　son；　Marshall　Spring　Bidwell；　one　of　the　ablest　and　most　single…minded　men　who　ever　entered　Canadian　public　life。　From　Ireland　came　Dr。　William　Warren　Baldwin；　whose　son　Robert；　born　in　Canada；　was　less　surpassingly　able　than　the　younger　Bidwell　but　equally　moderate　and　equally　beyond　suspicion　of　faction　or　self…seeking。

How　were　these　men　to　bring　about　the　reform　which　they　desired？　Their　first　aim　was　obviously　to　secure　a　majority　in　the　Assembly；　and　by　the　election　of　1828　they　attained　this　first　object。　But　the　limits　of　the　power　of　the　Assembly　they　soon　discovered。　Without　definite　leadership；　with　no　control　over　the　Administration；　and　with　even　legislative　power　divided；　it　could　effect　little。　It　was　in　part　disappointment　at　the　failure　of　the　Assembly　that　accounted　for　the　defeat　of　the　Reformers　in　1830；　though　four　years　later　this　verdict　was　again　reversed。　Clearly　the　form　of　government　itself　should　be　changed。　But　in　what　way？　Here　a　divergence　in　the　ranks　of　the　Reformers　became　marked。　One　party；　looking　upon　the　United　States　as　the　utmost　achievement　in　democracy；　proposed　to　follow　its　example　in　making　the　upper　house　elective　and　thus　to　give　the　people　control　of　both　branches　of　the　Legislature。　Another　group；　of　whom　Robert　Baldwin　was　the　chief；　saw　that　this　change　would　not　suffice。　In　the　States　the　Executive　was　also　elected　by　the　people。　Here；　where　the　Governor　would　doubtless　continue　to　be　appointed。　by　the　Crown；　some　other　means　must　be　found　to　give　the　people　full　control。　Baldwin　found　it　in　the　British　Cabinet　system；　which　gave　real　power　to　ministers　having　the　confidence　of　a　majority　in　Parliament。　The　Governor　would　remain；　but　he　would　be　only　a　figurehead；　a　constitutional　monarch　acting；　like　the　King；　only　on　the　advice　of　his　constitutional　advisers。　Respons