the canadian dominion-第30部分

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Hill　and　Norman　W。　Kittson；　owners　of　a　small　line　of　boats　on　the　Red　River；　had　joined　forces　to　revive　a　bankrupt　Minnesota　railway。*　They　had　succeeded　beyond　all　parallel；　and　the　reconstructed　road；　which　later　developed　into　the　Great　Northern；　made　them　all　rich　overnight。　This　success　whetted　their　appetite　for　further　western　railway　building　and　further　millions　of　rich　western　acres　in　subsidies。　They　met　Macdonald　and　Tupper　half　way。　By　the　bargain　completed　in　1881　the　Canadian　Pacific　Railway　Company　undertook　to　build　and　operate　the　road　from　the　Ottawa　Valley　to　the　Pacific　coast；　in　return　for　the　gift　of　the　completed　portions　of　the　road　（on　which　the　Government　spent　over　37；000；000）；　a　subsidy　of　25；000；000　in　cash；　25；000；000　selected　acres　of　prairie　land；　exemption　from　taxes；　exemption　from　regulation　of　rates　until　ten　per　cent　was　earned；　and　a　promise　on　the　part　of　the　Dominion　to　charter　no　western　lines　connecting　with　the　United　States　for　twenty　years。　The　terms　were　lavish　and　were　fiercely　denounced　by　the　Opposition；　now　under　the　leadership　of　Edward　Blake。　But　the　people　were　too　eager　for　railway　expansion　to　criticize　the　terms。　The　Government　was　returned　to　power　in　1882　and　the　contract　held。

*　See　〃The　Railroad　Builders〃；　by　John　Moody　（in　〃The　Chronicles　of　America〃）。


The　new　company　was　rich　in　potential　resources　but　weak　in　available　cash。　Neither　in　New　York　nor　in　London　could　purse　strings　be　loosened　for　the　purpose　of　building　a　road　through　what　the　world　considered　a　barren　and　Arctic　wilderness。　But　in　the　faith　and　vision　of　the　president；　George　Stephen；　and　the　ruthless　energy　of　the　general　manager；　William　Van　Horne；　American　born　and　trained；　the　Canadian　Pacific　had　priceless　assets。　Aided　in　critical　times　by　further　government　loans；　they　carried　the　project　through；　and　by　1886；　five　years　before　the　time　fixed　by　their　contract；　trains　were　running　from　Montreal　to　Port　Moody；　opposite　Vancouver。

A　sudden　burst　of　prosperity　followed　the　building　of　the　road。　Settlers　poured　into　the　West　by　tens　of　thousands；　eastern　investors　promoted　colonization　companies；　land　values　soared；　and　speculation　gave　a　fillip　to　every　line　of　trade。　The　middle　eighties　were　years　of　achievement；　of　prosperity；　and　of　confident　hope。　Then　prosperity　fled　as　quickly　as　it　had　come。　The　West　failed　to　hold　its　settlers。　Farm　and　factory　found　neither　markets　nor　profits。　The　country　was　bled　white　by　emigration。　Parliamentary　contest　and　racial　feud　threatened　the　hard…won　unity。　Canada　was　passing　through　its　darkest　hours。

During　this　period；　political　friction　was　incessant。　Canada　was　striving　to　solve　in　the　eighties　the　difficult　question　which　besets　all　federationsthe　limits　between　federal　and　provincial　power。　Ontario　was　the　chief　champion　of　provincial　rights。　The　struggle　was　intensified　by　the　fact　that　a　Liberal　Government　reigned　at　Toronto　and　a　Conservative　Government　at　Ottawa；　as　well　as　by　the　keen　personal　rivalry　between　Mowat　and　Macdonald。　In　nearly　every　constitutional　duel　Mowat　triumphed。　The　accepted　range　of　the　legislative　power　of　the　provinces　was　widened　by　the　decisions　of　the　courts；　particularly　of　the　highest　court　of　appeal；　the　Judicial　Committee　of　the　Privy　Council　in　England。　The　successful　resistance　of　Ontario　and　Manitoba　to　Macdonald's　attempt　to　disallow　provincial　laws　proved　this　power；　though　conferred　by　the　Constitution；　to　be　an　unwieldy　weapon。　By　the　middle　nineties　the　veto　had　been　virtually　abandoned。

More　serious　than　these　political　differences　was　the　racial　feud　that　followed　the　second　Riel　Rebellion。　For　a　second　time　the　Canadian　Government　failed　to　show　the　foresight　and　the　sympathy　required　in　dealing　with　an　isolated　and　backward　people。　The　valley　of　the　Saskatchewan；　far　northwest　of　the　Red　River；　was　the　scene　of　the　new　difficulty。　Here　thousands　of　metis；　or　French　half…breeds；　had　settled。　The　passing　of　the　buffalo；　which　had　been　their　chief　subsistence；　and　the　arrival　of　settlers　from　the　East　caused　them　intense　alarm。　They　pressed　the　Government　for　certain　grants　of　land　and　for　the　retention　of　the　old　French　custom　of　surveying　the　land　along　the　river　front　in　deep　narrow　strips；　rather　than　according　to　the　chessboard　pattern　taken　over　by　Canada　from　the　United　States。　Red　tape；　indifference；　procrastination；　rather　than　any　illwill；　delayed　the　redress　of　the　grievances　of　the　half…breeds。　In　despair　they　called　Louis　Riel　back　from　his　exile　in　Montana。　With　his　arrival　the　agitation　acquired　a　new　and　dangerous　force。　Claiming　to　be　the　prophet　of　a　new　religion；　he　put　himself　at　the　head　of　his　people　and；　in　the　spring　of　1885；　raised　the　flag　of　revolt。　His　military　adviser；　Gabriel　Dumont；　an　old　buffalo　hunter；　was　a　natural…born　general；　and　the　half…breeds　were　good　shots　and　brave　fighters。　An　expedition　of　Canadian　volunteers　was　rushed　west；　and　the　rebellion　was　put　down　quickly；　but　not　without　some　hard　fighting　and　gallant　strokes　and　counterstrokes。

The　racial　passions　roused　by　this　conflict；　however；　did　not　pass　so　quickly。　The　fate　to　be　meted　out　to　Riel　was　the　burning　question。　Ontario　saw　in　him　the　murderer　of　Scott　and　an　ambitious　plotter　who　had　twice　stirred　up　armed　rebellion。　Quebec　saw　in　him　a　man　of　French　blood；　persecuted　because　he　had　stood　up　manfully　for　the　undoubted　rights　of　his　kinsmen。　Today　experts　agree　that　Riel　was　insane　and　should　have　been　spared　the　gallows　on　this　if　on　no　other　account。　But　at　the　moment　the　plea　of　insanity　was　rejected。　The　Government　made　up　for　its　laxity　before　the　rebellion　by　severity　after　it；　and　in　November；　1885；　Riel　was　sent　to　the　scaffold。　Bitterness　rankled　in　many　a　French…Canadian　heart　for　long　years　after；　and　in　Ontario；　where　the　Orange　order　was　strongly　entrenched；　a　faction　threatened　〃to　smash　Confederation　into　its　original　fragments〃　rather　than　submit　to　〃French　domination。〃

Racial　and　religious　passions；　once　aroused；　soon　found　new　fuel　to　feed　upon。　Honore　Mercier；　a　brilliant　but　unscrupulous　leader　who　had　ridden　to　power　in　the　province　of　Quebec　on　the　Riel　issue；　roused　Protestant　ire　by　restoring　estates　which　had　been　confiscated　at　the　conquest　in　1763　to　the　Jesuits　and　other　Roman　Catholic　authorities；　in　proportions　which　the　act　provided　were　to　be　determined　by　〃Our　Holy　Father　the　Pope。〃　In　Ontario　restrictions　began　to　be　imposed　on　the　freedom　of　French…Canadian　communities　on　the　border　to　make　French　the　sole　or　dominant　tongue　in　the　schoolroom。　A　little　later　the　controversy　was　echoed　in　Manitoba　in　the　repeal　by　a　determined　Protestant　majority　of　the　denominational　school　privileges　hitherto　enjoyed　by　the　Roman　Catholic　minority。

Economic　discontent　was　widespread。　It　was　a　time　of　low　and　falling　prices。　Farmers　found　the　American　market　barred；　the　British　market　flooded；　the　home　market　stagnant。　The　factories　stimulated　by　the　〃N。　P。〃　lacked　the　growing　market　they　had　hoped　for。　In　the　West　climatic　conditions　not　yet　understood；　the　monopoly　of　the　Canadian　Pacific；　and　the　competition　of　the　States　to　the　south；　which　still　had　mi