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The only other measure to
be noted is the Pacific Railway scheme. The subject ought never to have
become material for party dissension. Circumstances, however, have
determined it otherwise. From the first Liberals and Conservatives have
made this enterprise, to which the faith of the Dominion was pledged, a
bone of contention. It is too late now to deplore the fact; indeed until
the last spike is driven, and the iron horse can traverse its entire
length – a time not now far distant, - partisans will unquestionably
contend over it in Parliament, in the press, and on public platforms. As
we have seen, Mr. Mackenzie, who set about the work with exemplary
vigour, proposed to proceed with it by sections, under contracts let by
the Government, which was to own it and superintend its management.
Meanwhile the magnificent system of water communication was to be
developed for summer use. At one time the ex-Premier endeavoured to
secure a Company willing to shoulder the entire burden; but, at that
moment, owing no doubt to the financial depression prevailing, no
capitalists came forward. The late Government was also hampered by the
unsatisfactory attitude of British Columbia. That Province insisted upon
a literal fulfilment of the bond, and clamoured for the construction of
the least profitable section of the line at a time when the country was
least able to afford the necessary expenditure.
Meanwhile the surveys
were completed and active operations carried on in the section between
Lake Superior and Red River. It is unnecessary to dwell upon the party
complaints about extravagant works, favouritism in the matter of
contracts, or the inevitable charges of corruption against Ministers,
made then as now. It seems to be the destiny of this country never to
embark on any enterprise without at once affording an opening for
scandal-mongers. Of all the native products of Canada,
corruiption-fab1es are the ones which flourish with the rankest
luxuriance. The records of more than three decades, could they be
tabulated in a blue book, would prove that this country can boast rnore
scandals or slanders, population being taken into account then any
civilized, community of modern times, not excepting the American Union.
In fact a regular crop of them has become a necessary of party life
amongst us.
Sir John A. Macdonald
temporarily adopted his predecessor’s policy and continued the work of
railway construction upon the old lines. But he nevertheless determined
as early as practicable to carry out his original scheme of
incorporating a company. It was not, however, until December, 1880, that
the Government was able to announce that a contract had been entered
into, subject to the approva1 of Parliament, "for the speedy
construction and permanent working" of the Canadian Pacific
Railway. According to the terms of this agreement a syndicate had
undertaken the enterprise, the consideration being $25,000,000 payable pari
passu with the work of construction, and 25,000,000 of acres of land
to be allotted in alternate sections on either side of the line. The
railway was to be begun at both ends and prosecuted "at such rate
of annual progress on each section as shall enable the company to
complete and equip the same in running order, on or before the 1st of
May, 1891." The capital stock of the Syndicate, in which of course
the land and money bonuses were not included, were to be free of
taxation; its occupied property was also declared to be exempt as well
as the lands, until sold, for a period of twenty years. Finally any
material necessary for construction or equipment might be imported
without fiscal impost. Provision was also made against injurious
competition in the matter of branches.
Such, in brief, were the
conditions of the agreement entered into between Sir Charles
Tupper on the part of this Dominion, and the members of the Syndicate.
It is not proposed here to discuss the wisdom of the scheme, because any
argument to be full and adequate would necessarily spread over more
space than could reasonably be demanded. [A redundantly complete
statement of the case on both sides will be found in the House of
Commons Debates for the Session, 1880-81.] The first Company
established had a Scotsman at its head; the second, and more successful
venture, was set on foot, mainly by Scots. Sir Hugh Allan took no part
in the Syndicate, but George Stephen, Duncan McIntyre, Richard B. Angus,
Donald A. Smith and Sir John Rose were all of them sons of "Auld
Scotia," and, by their energy in prosecuting the great national
work have approved themselves worthy inheritors of the national grit and
energy. Of Sir John Rose notice has already been taken in connection
with public affairs. To the others attention must be directed shortly.
Whatever can be said
about the propriety of the agreement - and upon that subject there may
be room for honest differences in opinion—there is no doubt at all
concerning the vigour and capacity of the active workers of the Company.
The impetus given to settlement even thus early, the more dubious
phenomenon of land speculation, the increased promise of immigration and
settlement upon an unprecedented scale have directly resulted from the
Syndicate’s energy and enterprise. So far from delaying the work for
another ten years the announcement has been made that the entire line
will be in working order within half the stipulated period. That the
outlay should appear extravagant, and the privileges granted exceptional
may be true; but when the magnitude of the undertaking, the expense
devolving upon the Company in working some portions admittedly at a
loss, and the absolute necessity of getting the matter out of hand, once
and for all, are taken into consideration, there is every reason
to be satisfied with the bargain. The subject is removed practically out
of the party arena, and that alone is something to be thankful for. Had
the enterprise still been under Government construction, there are no
data for guessing when it would have been completed. Only one thing is
certain that for half a generation at least, the Dominion would have
been overstocked with scandalous stories of corruption in a market where
the supply is always much in excess of the demand.
The two subjects alluded
to have so entirely occupied public attention during the past three
years and a half that any allusion to minor matters can hardly be called
for. In connection with Ontario, however, two other topics have assumed
importance. When the Hudson Bay Territory was ceded to Canada, the
boundaries of that Province to the north and west was left undefined.
The question had been discussed fully both before and after the cession;
yet until 1874 no steps whatever were taken to secure a definite
settlement. [The Hon. William McDougall and Mr. Charles Lindsey,
Registrar for the City of Toronto, have both given valuable literary
assistance in the matter.] It would appear from recent correspondences
between the Dominion and Provincial Governments that, in 1872, the
former proposed a reference of the subject to the Judicial Committee of
the Privy Council. There certainly appear to have been plausible reasons
for such an appeal. The boundary could hardly be settled by testimony as
to fact, since its precise location turns upon the interpretation of
treaties and other state papers. When the Reformers succeeded to power,
however, it appeared to them a better plan to have recourse to
arbitration. Chief Justice Harrison—a gentleman of unquestionable
ability and honour who unfortunately passed prematurely away after the
award—was chosen to represent Ontario; Sir Francis Hincks, the veteran
statesman, appeared for the Dominion, whilst Sir Edward Thornton, the
British Minister at Washington, was nominated as the third member of the
Commission. It would seem that after examining the documents pertinent
to the matter, all the arbitrators came to the same conclusion
independently of one another. They agreed in deciding on the Albany
River, St. Joseph’s, and Lonely Lakes, and English River to the
north-west angle of the Lake of the Woods and thence due south to the
American boundary, as the western limit of Ontario. The award, however,
having for its basis an Order in Council, required confirmation both
from Parliament and the Provincial Legislature. The latter anticipated
the result by accepting the award in advance; but the Dominion has not
yet seen fit to accept it.
The controversy is still
pending, and, therefore, it is only necessary to state the positions of
the parties. The Ontario Government insists that the award requires only
a pro forma sanction, since a decision by arbitrators ought
morally to bind both parties. It is also urged that gross injury is done
to the disputed territory from the absence of any settled title to lands
and timber, and farther from the lack of a fixed system of
administrative justice. Moreover Ontario, having readily accepted less
than she believes to be her due, considers that the Dominion should
promptly concede to the Province the lands awarded. On the other hand
the Dominion Government, which came into power just before the result of
the arbitration was made known, in 1878, declines to accept a boundary
it declares to be not "legal," but "conventional." A
committee of the House of Commons reported adversely to the award, and
the Ottawa Administration, adhering to the policy pursued when the
Conservative party was previously in office, insists upon judicial
arbitrament in some form or other either here or in England. A perusal
of the papers lately issued impresses the reader with a conviction that
the whole question in dispute is one of great delicacy, and the partizan
aspect it has assumed is much to be regretted.
The other matter which
will probably occupy public attention during the approaching electoral
struggle is disallowance of Provincial Bills or Acts by the
Governor-General in Council. The immediate cause of this discussion as
between the parties, was a measure passed in the Ontario Legislature
last year, dealing with streams used for floating timber. That the Bill
was on general grounds objectionable is clear. As the law stood
according to judicial interpretation, up to that moment, Mr. McLaren,
the particular owner aimed at, was possessed of exclusive rights in the
improvements which he had purchased and maintained, at a considerable
outlay, relying upon the decision of the Courts. It was not proposed to
purchase his rights, but only to compensate for them by appointing him
toll-keeper on his own property. The equity of any such enactment was
antecedently doubtful; but a crucial question arose upon the
disallowance of the Streams and Rivers Bill on the recommendation of
Hon. Jas. Macdonald, Minister of Justice. His objections were that the
Act was retrospective in character, that it interfered with matters in
course of litigation, and that it confiscated private property without
adequate compensation.
The Ontario Government
admitted that the first two exceptions were well founded but held them
to be defensible on the score of necessity. The last it denied on the
ground that the tolls provided for were an adequate recompense to the
owner. At all events the position taken by the Provincial Ministry was
that the Governor-General in Council had no right to veto any local
measure provided it came within provincial jurisdiction under section
ninety-two of the British North America Act. It was pointed out that Sir
John Macdonald had laid down the principle of noninterference with such
legislation in 1868, and had always declined to meddle with it.
The only precedents
adducible occurred whilst the Liberal party was in power, but were
directly to the point. Much stress was laid upon the fact that the
Streams and Rivers Bill had not been reserved by the
Lieutenant-Governor, as others subsequently vetoed had been. But the
distinction attempted to be drawn is evidently a fanciful one. All
Provincial measures must be, in the end, either tacitly or formally
assented to by the Governor-General. The reservation of any Bill is only
a method of calling attention to it that may be adopted at pleasure by a
Lieutenant-Governor, since he is not a Local but a Dominion officer.
That. There should be well defined 1imits to the exercise of the
prerogative may be true; but so long as the constitutional Act leaves
the power to governmental discretion at Ottawa, there is no plausible
reason for complaining when that power is exerted. The Dominion
Government is responsible to Parliament and the country for any misuse
of the authority entrusted to it and consequently the attempt to make a
sectional issue of any particular disallowance seems simply a partizan
movement. Holding that view and having before us the precedents
established under the administration of Mr. Mackenzie, it is impossible
not to recognise the right simply of the Government to veto the Act in
question, but also its duty to do so, if the provisions of it
were clearly inequitable and not in accordance with sound public policy.
On that point, the "central authority" being supreme, subject
to its parliamentary responsibility, must be the sole judge. No one can
fear that the prerogative will be often used, or that it will ever act
tyrannically in violation of Provincial autonomy. It simply serves, as
the Reform 1eaders pointed out in 1865 as a protection to individuals
and classes against any such injustice as may possibly be wrought by a
partizan majority. Matters of jurisdiction may be readily decided by
judicial authority; inequitable laws coming within Provincial cognizance
can be annulled by the veto alone. [The entire subject is discussed at
length in Mr. Todd’s admirable work on Parliamentary Governments in
the Colonies, pp. 325-388.] That, as it appears to the writer, is
the only tenable doctrine on constitutional grounds. [Since the above
passed into the printer’s hands, a precisely identical view of the
case has been presented by the Hon. James Cockburn, ex-Speaker of the
House of Commons, in the Canadian Monthly, March and April,
1882.]
Having thus concluded a
necessarily imperfect sketch of political history during this period, it
seems proper to conclude the chapter with some biographical notices of
public men of the later years. So far as regards the Eastern Provinces,
the list of Scots has been brought down to date; and now, as the affairs
of Ontario were last before us, it seems proper to begin with the
Legislature of that Province. Most of the men occupying the
foremost rank have already been reviewed; but there are others who must
not be passed over. Precedence may he given to a legislator who was
removed by death all too prematurely, at the very time when, in the
prime of life, his ability and usefulness were universally recognised.
William Hepburn Scott, B. A., Q. C., the son of an Aberdonian, was born,
at Brampton in November 1837. He entered the University of Toronto in
the year 1856, and his stalwart form is still remembered by his
contemporaries, one of whom was the writer. He was a true son of the
soil, with real Scottish grit as hereditary capital at command. His
nature was one of the kindliest, his talents were promising, because
they were solid rather than brilliant. He graduated in 1860, and
immediately employing himself to the study of the law, was called to the
Bar in 1863. After practising for some years in partnership with his
brother, A. F. Scott, now Judge of the County Court of Peel, he removed
to Peterborough. Mr. Scott’s first experiences in election matters
were varied rather than satistactory. At the general election of 1874,
he appealed to the electors of West Peterborough as a Conservative
candidate for the House of Commons, but was defeated, the majority
against him being ninety-one. In June, of the same year, however, a
vacancy occurring in the Local Legislature for the same constituency, he
secured a seat only to lose it at the genera1 election of 1875, by a
majority of forty-five. His opponent, however, was subsequently
unseated, and Mr. Scott was elected to succeed him in October. In 1879,
when a new House had to be chosen, he triumphed by the substantial
majority of two hundred and fifty. By this time his talents were fully
acknowledged; he was a recognised leader of the Opposition. Unhappily
this bright promise of the time was not destined to reach fruition.
After serving during one Session and a portion of the second, he was
seized with an illness of a lingering character from which he never
recovered. His death was a distinct loss, not only to his party but to
the Assembly and the Province.
Lieut.-Colonel John
Morison Gibson, who represents the City of Hamilton in the Legislature,
is also a Scoto-Canadian. His father, who came from Forfarshire, some
fifty-five years ago, was a farmer in the Township of Toronto. Being a
cousin of David Gibson, of Yonge street, whose name, in
connection with that of Mackenzie, is familiar to those who know the
history of 1837, Mr. Gibson is, from family predilection, a staunch
Reformer. He was born at the family homestead on New Year’s Day, 1842,
so that he is now in the prime of life. After receiving a preliminary
training at Hamilton, if we mistake not, under Mr. McCallum, of the
Central School—himself a Scot well-known in former years in Toronto—
he entered University College in 1859. His course there was an eminently
successful one, and he gave promise of future eminence as a public
speaker in the discussions of the Literary Society. Mr. Gibson graduated
in 1863 with honours, having received medals in Classics and Modern
Languages, the Prince of Wales’ Prize, and another in Oriental
Literature. Presumably his intention at that time was to enter the
ministry of the Presbyterian Church; if so he abandoned it, for in the
following year we find him studying law in his adopted city. The
attractions of Alma Mater were strong for the young graduate. He
entered in the law faculty and took the degree of Bachelor of Laws with
the gold medal. He was called to the bar in 1867, and has since
practised successfully as a partner of Messrs. MacKelcan and Bell—the
former of whom is a lawyer of singular ability. Mr. Gibson’s
attachment to the cause of education first attracted public
attention. He has filled the chair of the School Board, and since 1873
has been regularly elected by his brother graduates to the Senate of the
University.
Cicero says, Inter
arma silent leges; but Col. Gibson appears to have achieved
success both with the rifle and the brief. In 1860, he joined the
University Rifle Company, connected with the Queen’s Own, and
originally commanded by Captain and Professor Croft. When Mr. Gibson
removed to Hamilton, he became a member of the 13th battalion of
Volunteer Militia, and advanced through every grade from "full
private" to Lieutenant-Colonel, He was present with his
regiment at Ridgeway during the Fenian raid of 1866, and has thus seen
frontier as well as camp service. The use of the rifle is a pastime with
Col. Gibson, and he is one of the best shots in the Dominion, to which
it may be added that he holds a first class Military School certificate.
He was a member of the Canadian Wimbledon teams of 1874, 1875, and 1879,
and the team which contended at Creedmoor in 1876. In 1879 he won the
Prince of Wales’ prize at Wimbledon. In 1881, if not in the previous
year, he acted as Captain and director of the team. Mr. Gibson was
elected as member for Hamilton in the Local Legislature in 1879, in a
close contest, by a majority of sixty-two over Mr. Murray. As we have
already said, the hon. member is a Liberal in politics. His namesake,
Mr. Thomas Gibson, M.P.P. for East Huron, is a Scot by birth, hailing
from Greenlaw, in Berwickshire, where he was born in June, 1825.
David D. Hay, M.P.P. for
North Perth, was born at Dundee, Forfarshire, in January, 1828. At the
age of sixteen he crossed the ocean to seek his fortune in Canada. After
a short season of employment at Montreal, Mr. Hay came west to
Bowmanville and spent a few years as clerk there. After this period of
probation he engaged in business for himself at Lefroy, in the county of
Simcoe, until 1855, when be settled finally in the township of Elma,
Perth. Where the village of Listowel now stands, there was then but one
house, presumably a store and post-office, since it bore the name of
Mapleton. In partnership with his brothers, he may be said to have
called a new settlement into existence, building saw and grist mills,
and at the same time cultivating as a farmer. Mr. Hay has served in a
number of municipal offices and is the chief business man in Listowel.
When the Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway was projected in 1867, he
took an active part both in aid of the line, and securing its passage
through his village. During a period of more than five years, he was an
ardent promoter of the Stratford and Huron line which also touched at
Listowel. During two years, Mr. Hay was emigration agent for the
Province in Scotland, where he spent some months; but was recalled to
work in the department here. He resigned his position at the opening of
1875, in order to contest North Perth. This he did with success, and has
represented the riding ever since. Mr. Hay is a Liberal, and also a
Provincial patriot in a practical way, for he is the father of nine
additions to the population of Ontario.
Thomas McIntyre Nairn,
member for East Elgin, is also a Liberal. He was born at Balloch,
Dumbartonshire, in June, 1836. When only fourteen he left his native
land and arrived at St. John, N.B., where he was engaged for some time
in a book and publishing house. Thence to Boston where he found
employment in an insurance office. Being resolved to better his
prospects, young Nairn started for the Western States, but having
stopped on the way to visit some friends in the County of Elgin, he made
Aylmer his future home and has resided there ever since. Serving for
some time as a book-keeper, he became a partner in business on his own
account, as a general merchant and grain dealer. He is now a notary
public and general business agent. During a period, of eighteen years
Mr. Nairn served in the County Council, and was Warden for six
consecutive years. Like Mr. Hay, he has been an active worker in railway
enterprise, especially in the promotion of the Canada Southern—a line
from which the County of Elgin has profited so much; and also in the
Canada Air Line which passes through Aylmer. The latter is now merged in
the Great Western. He was an unsuccessful candidate for East Elgin in
1867, but the majority against him was very small. He did not again
contest the seat until the last general election when he was returned by
a majority of one hundred and thirty-two.
Lieut.-Col. Alexander
McLagan Ross, M.P.P., for West Huron, was one of the pioneer settlers,
although he came thither at an early age. He was born at Dundee,
Forfarshire, in April, 1829, and was brought to Goderich in 1834. His
parents were convinced that every lad should learn a trade whether he
followed it or not. Accordingly, Alexander was apprenticed to a
carpenter and joiner and worked at the business for six years. When
twenty years of age he became a clerk in the Upper Canada Bank Agency;
in 1856 he was made paymaster in the Buffalo and Lake Huron Railway
Company, and in 1858 Treasurer of the County—an office he has ever
since held. In 1866 Mr. Ross became manager of the newly-opened branch
at Goderich of the Royal Canadian Bank. On the suspension of that bank,
or rather in the following year (1870), he undertook a similar position
in the Bank of Commerce, which he yet fills. At the time of the Trent
affair of 1861, when patriotic fervour ran high, Mr. Ross raised an
artillery company, of which he was made Captain. During the Fenian raid
of 1866 he saw service on the frontier, and in the same year the
volunteers of the district having been formed into a battalion, of which
Mr. Ross was made Lieutenant-Colonel, a rank he still enjoys. Mr. Ross
first appealed to the electors of West Huron at the general election of
1875 and succeeded, beating his opponent, Mr. Davison, a
fellow-townsman, by a majority of ninety-four. In 1879 he defeated
another opponent by the much-increased majority of four hundred and
twenty-four. In politics Col. Ross is a Reformer; in religion a member
of the Church of England.
Donald Sinclair, M. P.
P., has represented North Bruce ever since confederation was
established. No account of his life is at hand, except the barest
skeleton of a biography. He was born in the Island of Islay, educated in
Scotland, and arrived in Canada about 1851. Mr. Sinclair, is a merchant
at Paisley, and as we have said, entered the Assembly when that body was
constituted. At the elections of 1867 and 1871, he was returned by
acclamation; in 1875 was opposed by a namesake, but succeeded by a
majority of over two hundred and sixty; finally in 1879, he once more
triumphed by four hundred majority. William Lees, member for South
Lanark, was born in that county in 1821. His father had come out from
Scotland, four years before, and settled in the Bathurst District, one
of its pioneers. The son was brought up as a farmer, and continued to
till the soil until 1857, when he built a saw, and afterwards a
flour-mill. Mr. Lees owns five hundred acres of land, which he continues
to farm in addition to an extensive lumbering business. It may be added
that he has been a magistrate for nearly forty years. In politics Mr.
Lees is a Conservative; he was first elected to represent his
constituency in 1879, by a majority of over fifty. William Mack, who
represents Cornwall, is also a new member. He is a native Scot, having
been born in Lanarkshire, in 1828 As his education was conducted in
Canada, he must have "come out" at an early age. Mr. Mack, has
served in the town council of Cornwall, and also as Warden of Stormont,
Dundas and Glengarry. He was returned for Cornwall in 1879.
David Robertson, M.D.,
M.P.P. for Halton, is a native of the county, having been born in
Esquesing, on July 9th, 1841. His father Alexander hai1ed from
Perthshire, where he first saw the light in 1785; he was the grandson of
Colonel Donald Robertson, who led his clan at the battle of
Culloden. Alexander entered the army and saw active service in the
Peninsular war, but a wound received there so seriously disabled him
that he was compelled, to retire. After a short trial of the West Indies
he settled in the county of Halton, of which he was one of the earliest
residents. There he engaged in surveying, school-teaching, and finally
farming. The general agent for the people around, he went by the name of
"Squire Robertson." His son David has preferred the profession
which heals wounds to that which inflicts them. In 1864, after a course
at McGill’s College, he received the degree of M.D. At the same time
the inherited martial instinct asserted itself, for in 1866 Dr.
Robertson raised a company of volunteers, of which he was Captain. Since
1867 he has practised his profession at Milton, with eminent success.
When in Nassagaweya, he was Local Superintendent of Schools; and has
served as Mayor of Milton during four successive years; as Treasurer of
the School Board and Mechanics’ Institute nine years. In 1879 he was
elected to the Assembly from Halton as a Liberal, by the narrow margin
of thirty-two. He is a large property-owner both in the town and county.
Kenneth Chisholm, who
represents Peel in the Ontario Assembly, is sprung of an old Highland
clan. His family came from Inverness-shire, and settled in Glengarry. In
1818, Mr. Chisholm’s father removed to Toronto township, then in the
Home District, in the County of Peel. His mother, nee Mary
McDonell, was of’ the U. E. Loya1ist stock, and received a grant of
land, which was sold, but has been re-purchased by Mr. Chisholm after an
interval of half a century. Born in the county, the present member
commenced life as a clerk in a store at Brampton, and now, after
twenty-five years’ enterprising work, is the principal merchant in the
county. He also owns a flour mill and a farm of five hundred acres,
deals largely in grain, flour and provisions, and maintains a branch
establishment at Orangeville. For twenty-four years Mr. Chisholm has
been a member of the municipal council, and thrice Warden of the county.
He was first returned for Peel in 1873, to fill a vacancy caused by the
death of Mr. Coyne, the sitting member. In 1875 he was again elected, by
a majority of over a hundred, unseated on petition, and re-seated on
appeal. At the last general election his majority was over one hundred
and fifty.
Thomas Ballantyne, member
for South Perth, was born at Peebles, in 1829, and came to this country
in 1852. He is engaged in the manufacture of cheese on a large scale,
and has been president of the Dairymen’s Association. In 1871 he
contested North Perth, but was defeated, and next year he received the
Reform nomination for the Commons, but dec1ined it. At the Provincial
elections of 1875 he was successful as a candidate for the South Riding,
his majority being over one hundred and eighty. In 1879 it rose to
considerably more than three hundred. Mr. Ballantyne’s place of
residence is Stratford. Archibald Bishop has represented South Huron
since 1873, when the sitting member, Mr. Gibbons, resigned. He is a
native of Edinburgh, and received his education in Scotland. Mr. Bishop
has been Warden of the County, and has occupied his seat in the present
Assembly for nine years. James Hill Hunter, of South Grey, hails from
Renfrewshire, where he was born in 1839. He is an Upper Canada College
boy, having completed his education at that institution. Mr. Hunter, who
is a merchant, at Durham, was elected for the Riding in 1875 by a
plurality of votes, for he had two opponents; but in 1879, with Mr.
James Fahey alone in the field, he obtained a majority of over six
hundred.
There are other members
of the Assembly who would appear to be Scots, or of Scottish parentage,
but, unfortunately, there is no accessible information about them at
command. Such are Messrs. Robert McKim, of South Wellington; Alexander
Robertson, of West Hastings; and James Livingston, of South Waterloo. On
the whole, it will be admitted that Caledonia is well represented in the
legislative arena, and the records of these gentlemen show that they
have won their positions by sheer industry, energy, and force of
character.
Before concluding this
chapter, there are still some few names to note which must not be
omitted, although they appear out of their proper place. The first is
that of one of the Senators appointed a few months ago.
Alexander Walker Ogilvie,
Senator, "is descended from a younger brother of Gilchrist, Earl of
Angus, who, in the 13th century, was rewarded with the lands of Ogilvie,
in Banffshire, and assumed the name of the estate. The family is
celebrated for having long preserved the crown and sceptre from the
hands of Cromwell." [Montreal Railway Journal, Jan.13th,
1882.] Mr. Ogilvie was the eldest son of a Stirlingshire farmer, who
came to Canada as far back as 1800, and settled on the island of
Montreal, and tilled his own land which was at Point St. Charles, where
the Grand Trunk works now are. He married in this country a
Stirlingshire wife, by whom he had five daughters and three sons, all
living. Mr. Ogilvie, senior, was an officer in the Lachine cavalry, and
served both in the war of 1812, and in the rebellion of 1837. He died in
1838; his wife in 1862. The subject of this sketch was born at St.
Michel, near Montreal, in May, 1829, and received his education in that
city. The three brothers Ogilvie in due time entered into partnership as
flour merchants. The firm was constituted in 1854. At the present of
time, it owns two flouring mills at Montreal, one at Goderich and one at
Seaforth, which together turn out about 1,700 barrels of flour, besides
meal, daily. The Ontario establishments have also salt-works attached,
which together produce about forty tons a day. Messrs. Ogilvie & Co.
are perhaps the most extensive wheat buyers in the Province, and were
the first in the field in Manitoba. They also purchase largely at
Chicago, Milwaukee and Duluth. They are about to engage largely in
farming, having secured 25,000 acres of prairie land in the North-West.
For years past, the senior partner has been out of the firm, but its old
name is still retained. In 1867, Mr. A. W. Ogilvie was returned for
Montreal West at the general elections to the Local Assembly, and sat in
it for some years. He has also served for a long period as Alderman of
the City of Montreal, as Lieutenant-Colonel of Cavalry, President of the
Hochelaga Agricultural Society, of the Turnpike Trust Company, and of
the St. Andrew’s Society; besides being a Life Governor of the General
Hospital. On January 7th, 1882, Mr. Ogilvie was called to the Senate to
fill the vacancy caused by the death of the Hon. E. G. Penny, and took
his seat in that body at the opening of the present session.
Donald Macmaster, Q.C.,
M.P.P. for the County of Glengarry, comes of Highland stock on both
sides of the house. He was born in the county he now represents in the
Ontario Assembly early in September, 1846. His preliminary education was
conducted at the Williamstown Grammar School, and he subsequently
entered McGill University, Montreal, and graduated there with
distinction as Bachelor of Civil Law, in 1871, with honours. On this
occasion he carried off the Torrance gold medal, the highest distinction
in the gift of the University. Mr. Macmaster was also elected President
of the McGill Literary Society. Simultaneously with his college course,
he applied himself to the practical study of law under the Hon. J. J.
Abbott, and Edward Carter, both Queen’s Counsel of eminence. In 1882,
Mr. Macmaster was created Queen’s Counsel, and shortly afterwards
called to the Ontario bar.
Although only thirty-five
years of age, Mr. Macmaster has secured an enviable position in the
practice of his profession. There are few Canadian young men who have so
early been engaged in cases of supreme importance. In one suit against
St. Andrew’s Church in 1877, he carried his point with the Supreme
Court, and secured the reversal of previous decisions rendered in the
Quebec Courts. More recently, Mr. Macmaster has achieved still higher
distinction by his successful argument, as counsel for the Rev. Mr.
Dobie in the matter of the Temporalities Fund of the Presbyterian Church
in connection with the Church of Scotland. Throughout the suit the
learned gentleman persistently struggled for the interests of his
client, and had the satisfaction of obtaining a satisfactory decision
from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in England. The result
was, that the Quebec Act which apparently settled the financial basis of
the Presbyterian Union of 1875 was declared to be ultra vives. During
the present Session of Parliament a bill was introduced to remedy the
flaw. It was ably and vigorously opposed by Mr. Macmaster before the
Private Bills Committee, but eventually succeeded both there and in the
Commons. Its fate in the Senate is still undetermined. In all
possibility, the measure, in the shape of a compromise between the
parties, will soon become law.
In 1879, Mr. Macmaster,
although a resident of Montreal, was elected to the Ontario assembly
from his native county in the Conservative interest, but not by a
decisive majority. In the legislature he has already distinguished
himself by his clear views and lucid expression of them; Mr. Macmaster,
as has been already said, is still young, yet has gained a reputation of
which he may be justly proud. He possesses conspicuous abilities,
pleasing manners and address, as well as great energy of character. In
all human probability a bright future lies before him.
John Lorn Macdougall
M.A., at present Auditor-Genera1 of Canada, was born in Renfrew in the
year 1838. His father sat for the county for a short time in the
Canadian Assembly, but resigned before the expiration of his term. The
son was educated at the High School, Montreal, and entered the
University of Toronto in 1855, where he was distinguished alike by his
close application to study, and the quiet regularity of his life. He
graduated in 1859, carrying off the gold medal in mathematics, and a
silver medal in modern languages. Mr. Macdougall has taken an active
part in municipal affairs, and served as Warden of his county. He has
also been President of the South Renfrew Agricultural Society. In 1867,
he was elected for South Renfrew to the first Ontario Assembly by a
majority of over one hundred and forty. During the last two years of his
term, he was also a member of the House of Commons, and retained his
seat until the general election of 1872, when he suffered defeat. In
1874, however, he defeated Mr. Bannerman by a majority of seventy. He
was unseated on petition, but had the good fortune to be re-elected.
Once more secured deprived of his seat which was lost on petition, but
secured re-election in February, 1875. Mr. Macdougall continued to
represent South Renfrew until August, 1878, when he was appointed to be
Auditor-General of Canada in place of Mr. Langton, who was
Vice-Chancellor of the University when his successor graduated.
John Macdonald, formerly
M.P. for Centre Toronto, was born in Perthshire, Scotland, in the month
of December, 1824. Coming to this country when young, he was educated at
Dalhousie College, Halifax, and at Bay St. Academy, Toronto. At the
latter institution, conducted by Mr. Boyd, father of the Chancellor of
Ontario, Mr. Macdonald had the honour of winning the classical medal.
Having chosen the mercantile profession, he served for two years at
Gananoque with Messrs. C. and J. Macdonald, the latter of
whom, the Hon. John Macdonald, was a member of the old Legislative
Assembly of the Province. Mr. Macdonald then entered the business house
of the late Mr. Walter Macfarlane of King St. East. This establishment
was perhaps the largest of its kind in the Province of Upper Canada.
After remaining there for six years, he found himself compelled, because
of failing health, to seek a change of climate. He repaired to Jamaica
in 1847, and entered the house of Messrs. Nethersoll & Co.—one
of the most considerable on the Island. Mr. Macdonald had intended to
devote himself to the work of the Christian ministry in the Methodist
Church, but was reluctantly compelled to abandon this purpose by his
medical adviser.
On his return the subject
of our sketch commenced business on his own account in October, 1849, on
Yonge Street near Richmond St., and was the first to attempt an
exclusively dry goods establishment on that street. In 1853 he removed
to Wellington Street nearly opposite his present capacious warehouses.
Thus was laid the foundation, in an unpretending way, of the extensive
wholesale and importing house of John Macdonald & Co. After a lapse
of nine years Mr. Macdonald built the handsome premises on the other
side of Wellington Street. These were subsequently enlarged by the
addition of the large pile of buildings which had in former years been
termed in succession the North American Hotel and the Newbigging House,
on Front Street. Frequent extensions of the warehouses, &c. have
been made at a large outlay. The frontage is 100 feet, depth 140 feet;
the buildings are six stories in height and cover about two acres. About
eighty men are employed, besides the office staff and buyers in the
English and American markets. The establishment is certainly the largest
in Canada and, will compare favourably with wholesale houses in the
larger American cities.
Mr. Macdonald entered
public life as member for West Toronto in the Legislative Assembly,
defeating the present Lieut. Governor of Ontario by the large majority
of four hundred and sixty-two. Re-elected in 1865, the hon. gentleman
sat until the Union, when he was defeated for the Commons by Mr.
(afterwards Chief Justice) Harrison. In 1875 a vacancy occurred in the
representation of Centre Toronto—a constituency set apart in 1872. Mr.
Macdonald was invited to become a candidate and gained the seat by
acclamation. In 1878, however, when the reaction occurred, he was
defeated by Mr. B. Hay, the sitting member at present, by a majority of
four hundred and ninety. In politics, Mr. Macdonald has always been an
independent Libera1, sitting loose to the ties of party where they
appeared to trammel his settled convictions. He opposed the coalition of
1864, and voted against confederation. This attitude towards party,
where its claims appeared to conflict with duty is clearly defined in
his reply to a requisition, inviting him to be a candidate in 1875.
Promising to give the then Government a cheerful support, Mr. Macdonald
declined to promise more, and it was to the credit of the
requisitionists that they conceded to him in advance "perfect
freedom of judgment in deciding upon all questions." [For Mr.
Macdonald’s reply, see The Canadian Parliamentary Companion for
1876, p. 678.]
Mr. Macdonald is a
Director in a number of business companies, and also Chairman of the
Hospital Board. Active too in the cause of education, he has for some
years been a Senator of the Provincial University, Visitor of Victoria
University, and member of the High School Board. In religious matters
especially, Mr. Macdonald has taken a deep and fervent interest. As
already hinted, Mr. Macdonald is a member of the Methodist Church to
which he has devoted liberally his time and talents. He has long been a
member of the Executive Committee of the General Conference and
Treasurer of the Missionary Society. Outside his own denomination, his
energy and zeal have been conspicuous as an office-bearer in the
Evangelical Alliance, the Bible Society, and the Young Men’s Christian
Association. Of the last named body, he has been twice President at the
United Convention of Ontario and Quebec. Mr. Macdonald is deeply
concerned for the moral and intellectual progress of young men. He
employs many of them, and has given them the benefit of his prolonged
experience in two brochures, "Business Success"
originally a lecture, and a practical address, "To the Young Men of
the Warehouse." He is a striking instance himself of what energy
and perseverance, when directed by the strictest integrity may
accomplish for those who are just entering upon the battle of life.
A notice of Mr. Robert
Hay, M.P. for Centre Toronto was, inadvertently omitted in its proper
place; but it may be appropriately introduced here. Mr. Hay was born in
the parish of Tippermuir, Perthshire, in May, 1808. His father was a
farmer of moderate means, with a family of nine children. Circumstances,
therefore, obliged Robert to leave school at the age of fourteen. He was
apprenticed to a cabinet-maker at Perth, where he learned his trade
thoroughly, afterwards working as a journeyman. In 1881, he resolved to
try his fortunes in Canada and arrived at Toronto in the September of
that year. After pursuing his way tentatively for a few years, he
entered into partnership with Mr. John Jacques, an Englishman from
Cumberland, and the firm, notwithstanding its humble beginnings,
progressed rapidly and lasted for thirty-five years. Mr. Hay devoted
himself assiduously to business, and has, for years been in independent
circumstances. Nevertheless the establishment has not been without
serious reverses. Twice, its vast factory and furniture store-houses,
were swept away by fire at a loss in the aggregate of $200,000—the
savings of twenty years. Notwithstanding these misfortunes, the firm
never lost heart or hope, and their progress was only arrested
temporarily by them. In 1870 Mr. Jacques retired from the business,
which has been conducted by Mr. Hay, with two partners, during the past
twelve years. The furniture supplied by this celebrated firm is known
and in use all over Canada and in a large portion of the United States.
Of late years its reputation has crossed the Atlantic, and many English
families have been supplied from the Front St. factory; among them those
of Lord Abinger and Mr. Bass, M.P., son of the well-known brewer at
Burton-on-Trent.
Mr.Hay has not confined
himself to the furniture business solely. In connection with it he owns
a large saw-mill, at New Lowell, in the County of Simcoe, which turns
out over four millions of feet annually. In addition to it, he is with
his nephew, Mr. Patton, the proprietor of a large well-cleared farm of
seven hundred acres, about one hundred of which are devoted to potatoes
and other root crops, for which the soil is admirably suited. Of late
Mr. Hay has turned his attention to the breeding of short-horn cattle,
high-class sheep and swine. He also owns two thousand acres of woodland
near New Lowell, the timber being used for manufacturing purposes. Mr.
Hay is a director of the Credit Valley Railway Company, and of the
Electric Manufacturing Co. In politics, he was originally attached to
the Baldwin Reformers, but his views on the fiscal policy of Canada led
him to join the Liberal Conservative party. He contested Centre Toronto
with Mr. John Macdonald, in September, 1878, and as already stated,
defeated him by a large majority. In religion, he belongs to the
Presbyterian Church of Canada. In three years, should he be spared, Mr.
Hay will have been engaged in the manufacture of cabinet furniture for
exactly half a century. The indomitable energy which has characterized
his long business life, and the success with which it has been crowned,
are deserving of special note. Mr. Hay does not, we believe, care for
Parliamentary life, because it does not suit his staid and long settled
habits. He, therefore, it is stated, intends to withdraw at the next
general election.
Another member of the
present House of Commons, to whom reference should have been made, is
Lieut.-Colonel James Acheson Skinner who sits for South Oxford. He was
born in the roya1 burgh of Tain, Ross-shire, in 1826, and educated at
the Royal Academy there. At the age of seventeen, Mr. Skinner
came to Canada and devoted himself to agriculture. To use his own words
he is "a farmer, and proud of being a farmer." He is chiefly
known to the public as a zealous and active officer in the Volunteer
Militia. Entering the service in 1855, he soon after organized the first
Highland Company in Canada. It having been disbanded, he organized a
second which he uniformed at his own expense. This company was on duty
at Hamilton during the visit of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales. When the
13th Battalion was formed in 1862, Captain Skinner became Major, and
Lieut.-Colonel in 1866. He served with the battalion at Ridgeway during
the Fenian invasion, and was Brigadier at the Niagara camp in 1873-4. In
1871 Col. Skinner organized and presided over the first Canadian
"team" formed to contest at Wimbledon in the rifle matches. He
is Vice-president of the Ontario Rifle Association, a member of Council
in the Dominion Rifle Association, and President of the Highland
Society. In 1874 Mr. Bodwell, M.P., resigned his seat, having accepted
the office of Superintendent of the Welland Canal. Col. Skinner was a
candidate for South Oxford to fill the vacancy and defeated Mr. J. D.
Edgar by over three hundred and fifty majority. In 1878 he was
re-elected by a slightly increased majority over Mr. Joseph Gibson. Col.
Skinner has always been a Reformer, and consequently is, at present, in
the "cold shade" of Opposition.
With this sketch may be
terminated the Scottish record in public life. It is confessedly
imperfect; but it would have been more complete had the necessary
information been procurable. In the concluding volume, it is proposed to
devote a chapter to addenda, in which, should the material come
to hand, omissions will, so far as possible be supplied. In the
meantime, the facts already placed before the reader, will enable him to
gauge, with some approach to fulness and accuracy, the vast influence
exercised in public life, by the Scot in British North America. [The
writer had hoped to give in this chapter a sketch of Senator Donald
McInnes, of Hamilton, but has been reluctantly compelled to defer its
publication for lack of the necessary information.]
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