the canadian dominion-第14部分

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titutional　monarch　acting；　like　the　King；　only　on　the　advice　of　his　constitutional　advisers。　Responsible　government　was　Baldwin's　one　and　absorbing　idea；　and　his　persistence　led　to　its　ultimate　adoption；　along　with　a　proposal　for　an　elective　Council；　in　the　Reform　party's　programme　in　1834。　Delay　in　affecting　this　reform；　Baldwin　told　the　Governor　a　year　later；　was　〃the　great　and　all　absorbing　grievance　before　which　all　others　sank　into　insignificance。〃　The　remedy　could　be　applied　〃without　in　the　least　entrenching　upon　the　just　and　necessary　prerogatives　of　the　Crown；　which　I　consider；　when　administered　by　the　Lieutenant。　Governor　through　the　medium　of　a　provincial　ministry　responsible　to　the　provincial　parliament；　to　be　an　essential　part　of　the　constitution　of　the　province。〃　In　brief；　Baldwin　insisted　that　Simcoe's　rhetorical　outburst　in　1791；　when　he　declared　that　Upper　Canada　was　〃a　perfect　Image　and　Transcript　of　the　British　Government　and　Constitution；〃　should　be　made　effective　in　practice。

The　course　of　the　conflict　between　the　Compact　and　the　Reformers　cannot　be　followed　in　detail。　It　had　elements　of　tragedy；　as　when　Gourlay　was　hounded　into　prison；　where　he　was　broken　in　health　and　shattered　in　mind；　and　then　exiled　from　the　province　for　criticism　of　the　Government　which　was　certainly　no　more　severe　than　now　appears　every　day　in　Opposition　newspapers。　The　conflict　had　elements　of　the　ludicrous；　too；　as　when　Captain　Matthews　was　ordered　by　his　military　superiors　to　return　to　England　because　in　the　unrestrained　festivities　of　New　Year's　Eve　he　had　called　on　a　strolling　troupe　to　play　Yankee　Doodle　and　had　shouted　to　the　company；　〃Hats　off〃；　or　when　Governor　Maitland　overturned　fourteen　feet　of　the　Brock　Monument　to　remove　a　copy　of　Mackenzie's　journal；　the　〃Colonial　Advocate〃；　which　had　inadvertently　been　included　in　the　corner　stone。

The　weapons　of　the　Reformers　were　the　platform；　the　press；　and　investigations　and　reports　by　parliamentary　committees。　The　Compact　hit　back　in　its　own　way。　Every　critic　was　denounced　as　a　traitor。　Offending　editors　were　put　in　the　pillory。　Mackenzie　was　five　times　expelled　from　the　House；　only　to　be　returned　five　times　by　his　stubborn　supporters。　Matters　were　at　a　deadlock；　and　it　became　clear　either　that　the　British　Parliament；　which　alone　could　amend　the　Constitution；　must　intervene　or　else　that　the　Reformers　would　be　driven　to　desperate　paths。　But　before　matters　came　to　this　pass；　an　acute　crisis　had　arisen　in　Lower　Canada　which　had　its　effect　on　all　the　provinces。


In　Lower　Canada；　the　conflict　which　had　been　smoldering　before　the　war　had　since　then　burst　into　flame。　The　issues　of　this　conflict　were　more　clearcut　than　in　any　of　the　other　provinces。　A　coherent　opposition　had　formed　earlier；　and　from　beginning　to　end　it　dominated　the　Assembly。　The　governing　forces　were　outwardly　much　the　same　as　in　Upper　Canadaa　Lieutenant　Governor　responsible　to　the　Colonial　Office；　an　Executive　Council　appointed　by　the　Crown　but　coming　to　have　the　independent　power　of　a　well…entrenched　bureaucracy；　and　a　Legislative　Council　nominated　by　the　Crown　and；　until　nearly　the　end　of　the　period；　composed　chiefly　of　the　same　men　who　served　in　the　Executive。　The　little　clique　in　control　had　much　less　popular　backing　than　the　Family　Compact　of　Upper　Canada　and　were　of　lower　caliber。　Robert　Christie；　an　English…speaking　member　of　the　Assembly；　who　may　be　counted　an　unprejudiced　witness　since　he　was　four　times　expelled　by　the　majority　in　that　house；　refers　to　the　real　rulers　of　the　province　as　〃a　few　rapacious；　overbearing；　and　irresponsible　officials；　without　stake　or　other　connexion　in　the　country　than　their　interests。〃　At　their　head　stood　Jonathan　Sewell；　a　Massachusetts　Loyalist　who　had　come　to　Lower　Canada　by　way　of　New　Brunswick　in　1789；　and　who　for　over　forty　years　as　Attorney　General；　Chief　Justice；　or　member　of　Executive　and　Legislative　Councils；　was　the　power　behind　the　throne。

The　opposition　to　the　bureaucrats　at　first　included　both　English　and　French　elements；　but　the　English　minority　were　pulled　in　contrary　ways。　Their　antecedents　were　not　such　as　to　lead　them　to　accept　meekly　either　the　political　or　the　social　pretensions　of　the　〃Chateau　Clique〃；　the　American　settlers　in　the　Eastern　Townships；　and　the　Scotch　and　American　merchants　who　were　building　up　Quebec　and　Montreal；　had　called　for　self…government；　not　government　from　above。　Yet　their　racial　and　religious　prejudices　were　strong　and　made　them　unwilling　to　accept　in　place　of　the　bureaucrats　the　dominance　of　an　unprogressive　habitant　majority。　The　first　leader　of　the　opposition　which　developed　in　the　Assembly　after　the　War　of　1812　was　James　Stuart；　the　son　of　the　leading　Anglican　clergyman　of　his　day；　but　he　soon　fell　away　and　became　a　mainstay　of　the　bureaucracy。　His　brother　Andrew；　however；　kept　up　for　many　years　longer　a　more　disinterested　fight。　Another　Scot；　John　Neilson；　editor　of　the　Quebec　〃Gazette〃；　was　until　1833　foremost　among　the　assailants　of　the　bureaucracy。　But　steadily；　as　the　extreme　nationalist　claims　of　the　French…speaking　majority　provoked　reprisals　and　as　the　conviction　grew　upon　the　minority　that　they　would　never　be　anything　but　a　minority；*　most　of　them　accepted　clique　rule　as　a　lesser　evil　than　〃rule　by　priest　and　demagogue。〃

*　The　natural　increase　of　the　French…Canadian　race　under　British　rule　is　one　of　the　most　extraordinary　phenomena　in　social　history。　The　following　figures　illustrate　the　rate　of　that　increase：　the　number　was　16；417　in　1706；　69；810　in　1765；　479；288　in　1825；　697；084　in　1844。　The　population　of　Canada　East　or　Lower　Canada　in　1844　was　made　up　as　follows：　French　Canadians；　524；244；　English　Canadians。　85；660；　English；　11；895；　Irish；　43；982；　Scotch；　13；393；　Americans；　11；946；　born　in　other　countries；　1329；　place　of　birth　not　specified；　4635。


In　the　reform　movement　in　Upper　Canada　there　were　a　multiplicity　of　leaders　and　a　constant　shifting　of　groups。　In　Lower　Canada；　after　the　defection　of　James　Stuart　in　1817；　there　was　only　one　leader；　Louis　Joseph　Papineau。　For　twenty　years　Papineau　was　the　uncrowned　king　of　the　province。　His　commanding　figure；　his　powers　of　oratory；　outstanding　in　a　race　of　orators；　his　fascinating　manners；　gave　him　an　easy　mastery　over　his　people。　Prudence　did　not　hamper　his　flights；　compromise　was　a　word　not　found　in　his　vocabulary。　Few　men　have　been　better　equipped　for　the　agitator's　task。

His　father；　Joseph　Papineau；　though　of　humble　birth；　had　risen　high　in　the　life　of　the　province。　He　had　won　distinction　in　his　profession　as　a　notary；　as　a　speaker　in　the　Assembly；　and　as　a　soldier　in　the　defense　of　Quebec　against　the　American　invaders　of　1775。　In　1804　he　had　purchased　the　seigneury　of　La　Petite　Nation；　far　up　the　Ottawa。　Louis　Joseph　Papineau　followed　in　his　father's　footsteps。　Born　in　1786；　he　served　loyally　and　bravely　in　the　War　of　1812。　In　the　same　year　he　entered　the　Assembly　and　made　his　place　at　a　single　stroke。　Barely　three　years　after　his　election；　he　was　chosen　Speaker；　and　with　a　brief　break　he　held　that　post　for　over　twenty　years。

Papineau　did　not　soon　or　lightly　begin　his　crusade　against　the　Government。　For　the　first　five　years　of　his　Speakership；　he　co