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He might have started earlier in his quuence of events it seems to me; he might have said, if there had been no North-West, there would in 9. been no gNOFth-erit trouble (laughte and cheers), and I think that part would be just as reasonable and as sensible as the rest. I will give you another piece of Mr. Blake’s eloquence, for to me it is such an amazing specimen of English that I think our boys should at once discard Macaulay and adopt It as nmo&el upon which to form their IstyleJ (Laughter). “ I think it is impossible to conceiveâ€"I am certain it is impossible to point ton. “ndicion of things elsewhere involving on 'hevpart of then entrusted to the Governâ€" ment; a. responsibility so heavy, a duty 90 imperative, a. necessity no absolute, for the exhibition of the great virtrues of statéamanahip, foresightbreadth of View, tact, justice, generosity, faithful- ness, wisdom, prudence, energy, liberality, prompmuae and activity ag existed at; this eboch in respect to‘ the administration of North-\Vest aflaira.” (Hear, hear and laughter.) I really think that all the virtue! rte summed up in thut sentrnce ; I really don’t think that; the moss fcrbile im- agination could conceive of any other qualities that could he added to those, which, according to Mr. Blake, the men gt Ottawa were bound to pnsseas in order to be capable of dealing with this quchtion. It must have nakan at the very least three or four long sittings and tho resort to I don’t: know how many dictionaries and en- (:yclopediu to enable Mr. Blake to fitting out and careiully commit to paper that long and (Hear, INDY.) Them he goes on to hell no the history of the halfbreeds. He speaks about the troubles 11110113 (5th at the time whom Mr. Macdongmfi was sent up there as Gm’tmor by bhe Mmfiniubntion of Sir John Mnudnna‘d ; md by the way the mention of Mr. Mlcdougnfl’s name re- mind» _me. that “the abandoned man" hal again bgon received back an the bouom of the vir‘t-Mu‘a Bhke. (ll-mt, hear nnd laughber.) He was We man whom, as you remember, Mr. Blake denounced as an abandaud reprobwa, but; I‘m-day we find. Mr. Blake ophuing hkaxpargsivaurms m walkwg to his aflecaidm‘m locum the DRIVEN OUT OF SOUTH BRUCE on & former occasion he sought refuge in West Durhamâ€"a constituency that as far as I can remember never returned a Can- servative to Parliament, and he has so conducted himself as a. public man that he now fears to trust his chances even in that strong Reform constituency, and so casts an anchor to the windward in the Grit hive of West Bruce. I think it is pretty safe to say that if the electors of ‘West Durham are not willin to accept him, it is hardly likely 17 at ‘he will be able to force upon the peo- ple of Ontario the nominees for Whom he is speaking in this campaign in different parts of this Province. (Hear, hear and cheers). To return from this brief digression, I would say that I only know what Mr. Blake said from this platform on the North-W'eet Question, on the assumption that he repeated here, in substance at lam, the speech which he has made elsewhere, and which has been freely reported, after having been care- fully written out and conned over and committed‘to memory by that gentleman. He has spoken on this subject at Lindsay, and I shall hue my answer to the charges he has made on the printed report of [that speech. His indictment against the Gov- ernment is a iormidshle one, and it Winds up with tllis specimen of his terse and vig- orous English, which stares us in the face every day from the columns of that news- paper, The Globe, which I so muchflove to read. (Laughter). “I‘et. me recall to you a sequence of events. Had there been no neglect, there would have been no rebellion ; If no rebel- lion. no arrest; if no arrest, no trial; if no trial, no condemnation; if no condem- nation, no 'execution.” practice to meet his opponents on the pub- ic platform. (Hear, hear.) Great as are his powers of sarcasm ; mighty as he is as s debater, and great as he appears to be esteemed by some people in this country In an orator, he apparently is not ossessed of that kind of courage which efies his foesâ€"that kind of courage which prompts a desire to meet his opponents face to face. (Hear, hear and cheers.) Far rath- er would he tell his story behind their backs ; far rather would he, with his mar- velous string of words, endeavor to paint them in the darkest colors, and represent his own case in the brightest hues, when no oneil present to oppose him. If an opportunity had been afforded me I should have been glad to attend his meeting. but at that time I was engaged in Mr. Blake’s ow: constituency of West Durham in en- deavor-int: to induce a friend of mine to oppose him in that riding, and had I not succeeded in that endeavor 1 would have had to take the field against him myself. (Loud cheers) I had‘ promised our friends in West Durham whoâ€"kindly, perhaps, in one sense, though on'contest at a time is enough for any marlâ€"waited on me and offered me the nomination for that riding. I had told themin response tothatinvitstion that if I did not succeed in finding them a candidate after their own hearts, I would take the field against &Mr. Blake (cheers) ; and I was then putting forward my friend Mr. Blackstock, who asyou are aware was cordially accepted as our candidate in that riding, and who I haVe little doubt will be the re resentative of West Durham in the next arliament. (Loud cheers ) In confirmation of that opinion I will merely point you to the fact that Mr. Blake, mowing that his record is not ouch as commends him to the majority of the people of that riding, has been nomi- nated in that Grit hits, that solid Reform constituency, West Bruce. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Bfake’s career as a public man has been rather unfortunate in that respect. Mr. McCarthy, who was received by the large audience with the greatest en- thusiasm, referred briefly to the debt, the sunusl expenditure of the country, end other topics. He then proceeded to deal he follows with - THE NORTH-WEST QUESTION. I shall now proceed to deal at some considerable length with what is known I: the North-West question, and I shall do so from the standpoint which Mr. Blake has adopted in discussing that quesfion. Perhaps you may ask me how 1 know what Mr. Blake has said on that subject, as Iwus unable to be present when he made his speech in this hall a short time ago. Let me say here that I regret very much that; I had got the op- portunity of appearing on this platform with my opponent in this contest, Mr. An lin, and still more do I regret my ins ilityto be present. when the great leader of the Opposition thought proper to come into this constituency. For some reasoh or another, it is not Mr. Blake’s An Able Exposition of me NounsWest/ Troubles-Blake's Suppression of lm-l Durant Factsâ€"Who was Bespomiblef for the Outbreak fâ€"me nlnsmg‘ (ll-n piers of Mr. Blake's story Supnuld From the 01mm Beaumont, Special to THE Surwnn. BARRIE, Feb. 4,â€"At the meeting held in the Town Hall here to-night, FULL REPORT or MR. n’cmmy’s SPEECH AI‘ BARBIE. mm. m Tfifiwmom. FORMIDABLE ARRAY OF WORDS. SUPPRESSION or PART 0.1? A STORY gives quite a different color to the portion that is told, and may lead to entirely dif- ferent conclusions from those which would he arrival at ii the whole facts were disclos- ed. Iwillpr0ve to you tonightfrom thepub- lie records that when Mr. Blake stated at Lindsayâ€"and I suppose he made the same statement hereâ€"that the‘Government of Sir John Macdonald was the only Govern- ment which was responsible in this matter he did not tell you the whole truth as he ought to have done. I say that when he commences his indictment after the change of Government which took place in October 1878 ; when he says that the Government which assumed the reins of power at that date are the parties who are wholly and solely responsible in connec- tion with is question, he suppresses a material portion of the true story of the halfâ€"breed claims, (hear, hear and cheers); and I shall be able to prove to you beyond fear of contradiction that durin 1874., and more particularly in the ear y part of 1878, this same question of the half-breed claims was presented to the late Admin- iatration, was dealt with ‘by the late Ad- ministration, and was decided by the lute Administration, who formed a clear and distinctive; policy. with regard to that question. And the very policy which Mr. Blake is now denouncing as having been cruel and unjust to those unfortunate half- breeds was the identical policy which 'Mr. Mills, the Minister of the Interior in Mr. Maukenzie’a Govern- ment and speaking for that Government, deliberately laid down at the very time that Mr. Blake was supporting that Gov- ernment in the House of Commons. (Loud cheers). Now if I prove that to this audience I think I shall have established that Mr. lake has not dealt fairly by the people of this country, when he has made these staseiuuuts without making any reference whatever to the earlier his- tory of these transactions. If you or the people of Canada generally are to be asked . to my by your vorce or by your ballots that Sir John’s Administration is guilty of neglect in this matter, it is only fair play that you should know in what condi- tion they found this question when they came into office. The Government of this country doe: not and should not 11 set and overturn all that the preceding overm ment has done. Under our system an administration by one party may succeed an administration by the other-party, but no matter what psrty may be in power they Are bound so far as acts of adminis- tration are concerned, to continue the Acts which they find in exatenca until they no quite satisfied that a change is de- manded . in the public interest. Now. coming to the year l874, in which year, as I serial, this question first .pre- sented itself, I shall have to trouble you A law nx'rnw'rs, became It in imporboat. not meton in «he on the part of the Government of the country thus to deal with the halfbreeds. While we were all willing to give them land upon which they would settle, or give them anything which would be of service to them, we all feltâ€"and I think when I have explained the matter you will agree with me were rightâ€"~thot it was en unwise thing to do, and an experiment that ought not to be repeated. But naturally enough, the halfbreeds of the Northâ€"West, those who were not in Manitoba, and w n were not thus settled with, felt that if the halfbreeds of Manitoba were to get this scri , or get any other acknowledgment of t eir titles, then under the common principles of justice, they should be treated with like consideration. Thztt, at all events, .as the way they presented their case. I hope Mr. Blake does not ‘ mean all he says, but I see that be en- dorses their case in the fullest possible manner. Now, these demands, Mr. Blake says, commenced ome time in 1878, because up to that time the halfbreeds had not been interfered with to any great extent ; he says that as settlement began to force its way up beyond Mani- toba they began to demand that they began to demand that they should be dealt with on terms equally favoreblewith those which their brethren in Manitoba. had re- ceived from the Government. Now my first quarrel with Mr. Blake’s statement is at this point. And I think a public man of Mr. Blake’s standingâ€"one who prides himself upon his honor. his great candor, his truthfulnessâ€"such a. man, I say, speaking behind the backs of his political opponents. crsrging them, as he has charged the Government with treason in this matter, boasting that he told them on the floor of Parliament that they ought to stand ascriminals at the bar, and that in former times public men for much less serious offences than they were guilty of would be brought to the bar of the House of Lords a criminals, and prevented from ever afterwards serving the Crown. I say that making such charges as these he should be honest with the audiences he addresses (hear, hear) ; he should not tell them half the story ; he should have told them the whole story, leaving his hearers to draw their own conclusions from the facts fully presented before them. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) Mind you, I do not my that he has misstated anything that he has said, but there is another way than that of conveying a false impression. The And‘wvywun! pnodi alâ€"haughter)‘ re’ chixdw sh ow, ' ness.‘ "' pv'vgd .the\ . tiea . ,> x at‘ perm , culv 11‘ the long"! to ' n olpabernahgo 'ter. '0' ll: - - 1 Eo‘h‘xat } moreâ€"and we pay you that price by de- livering up this scrip. The halfbreeds of Manitoba. got this scrip, but it. did them but very little good. - The-Sir Richard Certwrighta, the M. C. Camerons, and the other land speculatore of the North- West bought the scrip from the half- breeds for a mere song, and turned it into me Government in payment of lands which they had selected. The people of Canada had to acknowledge . the amount of the scrip, but the halfbreed, half savage as he was, for Whose benefit it was intended, sacrificed it for a mere trifleâ€"- sometimes it went into the hands of the trader in payment for a. dress or necklace for the halfbrced’s wife, or rings for his own fingersâ€"0r bells for his toesâ€"fur anything I know. But by the common agreement of all who know anythin about this question of scrip, lt is a - mitted that is w as wizhlhh'. Rebuilt" fiat‘ peridflf 'lzulv‘ minating in the first Riel rebellion, I compromise was mede with the hall- breeds. They claimed that they were in n'cermin sense aborigines, and though the North-West had been bflug tfrom the Hudson‘s Bay Company, and :1» though the Imperial Government had transferred it to Canada. on payment of £300,000 sterling, they claimed that their arti- cular rights ought to be respects and specially dcqlt with by the people of 0:311)- ada notwlthstauding that purchase. We 1 we conceded that right for' the Bike 0 peace. We had said to the halfbreeds of the North-VVest, whatever lands you have that you have settled upon; whatever lauds Gabriel Dumont or any other half- breed has settled upon and made his home upon, ahall be their own private and par- ticular property ; and as to that question there never we: any claim or any dispute. Their claim -waa made with regard to what they called their ter- ritorial rightsâ€"rights not as to this lot or that. but right! which they claimed: as the earlier inhabitantl. of the Northwest; and We dealt with them in that s irit, and set apart 1,400,000 cores of lan for the halfâ€"breeds in the Province of Manitoba. Shortly afterwards this land was thus dia- posed of to them. They got what is called scrip, which entitled the holder or transferee of it to go to the Government land office and say, we have selected this particular lot of landâ€"the rice of which is so much, be it one dolar an acre or A GREAT MISTAKE Pretty yilainv language, but Mr. ~!ake did not tel you about that petition; he nince tire time during which hunting is permitted in too short and the bufi'alo now too vwco to enable $2th to lay in a suffi- cient supply and roviée for their own needs and these 0 their families during the rest: of thy year.” “ That the {widen transitionfrom prairie to a rioulturel life, necessitated by the rapic disappearance of the buffalo, and the ordinance respecting hunting. of the North»West Council, have brought your petitioners to their last resourcen, and force them to apply to the Federal Gov- ernment for-assistance in agricultural im- Plements and Seed grain, like assistance loving been granted to certain foreign immigrants in the Province of Manitoba. Those instruments, besides being excessively scarce, are only sold hero at prices so exorbitant that it is impossible for your petitioners to procure them ; if, therefore. the Govern»- mom were unable to grant this help, many of your petitioners, however willing they might be to devote themselves to farming, would be compelled to betske themselves to the prairies, at the risk of infringing the ordinance providing for the protection of the buffalo. howes'er josi; i? may be, ,_‘Imask you to follow me step by step through \he varion angel of this quution, yhm I ondeavor to show you who WM responsi- his, and to what extent each party wag respomible in connection with it. Now, or_1_ll_th §eptembor, 1874, the halfbreedl - “That there be granted to each half- breed head 'of a. family, and to their children who have not articipated in the distribution of scrip 9mg lands in the Pro- vincoof Manitobn, alike amount of scrip and like land gran“: as in Manitoba ; The petition was forwarded with that recammondution, but no reply was vouch- safed to it. I come now to the earlier part of thé following year, and strangely enough the next patition presented was one in which Gabriel Dumont, who was Riel’a first lieutenant in the rebellion which sub- sequently took place, was the leading petitioner It sfxya :â€" . um. . A. “ This petition sets forth the destitute condition of these halfbreede, and prays that they may receive some assistance from the Government in procuring agii- cultural implements and seed to enable them to commence farming. Their case is deserving of favorable consideration, inasmuch as though they have a large ad- mixture of Indian blood, and have been livin in a. great measure like Indians, vet t ey have not been admitted into the lindian treaties. I at least deem it my duty to bring their petition under the no- tice of the honorable the Privy Council,as it appears to me that if any help is afford- ed them, it can only come through the Dominion Parliament.” DID NOT THINK IT WAS WORTH “'HILE to reply to that: petition, although Gov. Laird had recommended it to the con‘ aideration of the Government In very strong terms. ’Mr. Laird’s representation on that; petition is in the following words} No answer was vouchsafed to that humble petition, couched. as you per. ceive it was, in the most respectful and feeling terms. The Government of Mr. Mackenzie, Mr. Mills being Minister of the Interior, me‘mmfi‘ afrd‘fianmg in its wake was famine. This combina- tion of evils ruined us, driving us from our homes, and compelling us to lead an entirely nomadic life, as the Indians on the plains. Since that time we have had nothing to depend upon, but our guns. The ghme we kill feeds ouI‘Selves, and our families, and the fur we gather are our only money wherewith to buy .cloth- ing, and God knows, we do not see how we are to rise above our present condition. It is on this account, hon. air, that we now appeal to the charity you bear towards all your subjects. We hail your arrival as the opening of a. new and better era. for us all. We humbly approach you to-day, and beg you to help us. The help we implore is farming implements, and seed to begin with. We walnt to settle, and till the land, but we have no capital â€"nothing at all to start with.” " HONORABLE SIR.â€"It is with semi: ments of intermingled hope and [ear that we, the undersigned, your petitioners, ap- proach you to-day. It is to claim your kind sympathy and help in our present deplorable circumstances that we under- take to present you this paper, and to that cnd‘we will briefly state our reasons, to which we humbly pray your Excellency would give the kindest consideration. Before the year of the smallpox. 1870, memorable for its disastrous effects on the native population of this country we, your petitioners, although not rich, were, however, in comfortable circumstances. We had small homes of our own near Ed- monton, and cultivated the soil more or less. Hunting was plentiful, and we were encouraged by the Hudson Bay Comhny to follow it as much as possible, ecause their only interest in the country was the fur trade. They were the only merchants amongst us, and this unique intere, t prevented them from giving any encouragement to the husband- men, and consequently from bringing farmin implements for sale, except very few, w ich were sold at such an enormous price that the poor man could not think of buying them. Thus, honorable sir, the only encouragement t3 farming was given by the ministers of the different denomi- nations in our country, and their means also were limited. It was by their advice and assistance that we took to farming as much as our poverty would allow us. Our little gardens, our few cattle, and the pro- duce of our hunt supplied us with plemtv, and we were happy. But the year 1870 cameâ€"that year so terrible to remember, in which the dire malady! decimated 80 We find the matter dealVWith by Governor Morris. I do not find whether Mr. Morris could I0 approve or 1101;. and in fact, this Question, although arising in 1874 was not; settled until Sir John Macdonaid came into power again. (Cheera.) I pass on. meanwhile, to another peticiun pre- sented on the 192;}: Septumbflr, 1877, and I will show you what request was then made, asking you at- the same time to bear in mind that that was just about a. year before the Mackenzie Government met its downfdll at the polls, On iith date at Blackfoot Crossing Gover- nor Laird received the following petition from a. number of halfbreeds, headed by John Mun me. After speaking of their con- dition he says :â€" “ The request: of the Matis with regard to the lands occupied by them, and as to the Catholic mission, who have a. church and residence there, seemed. reasonable, and I felt at liberty to reply in a manner to relieve their minds of anxiety as to their holdings, having been authorised by a despatch from the Minister of the In‘ terior, to communicate similar information to Bishop Grandin with regard to the Metis in the Saskatchewan district. I trust that the tenor of my reply With reghrd to this and other questions, treated of in the ad- dress in question. will receive approval."’ “ 2nd. That the Roman Catholic mis- sion may have the free and tranquil en- joyment of its possessions. and participate )1: all the privilege: and righu of the half- breeds.” Mr. Morris, who was then Lieutenant Governor of the North-'West Territories v forwarded the petition to Ottawa, with the following recommenda- tion : “ 13%. Thus the Governmant allow to the halfbraeds she right of keeping the land: which they have taken, or‘whiqh they may tnko along the River Qu’Ap- __n_ n “We; emment, asked : of Lake Qu‘AA pellépptitiqu the Gov- erpmgnt, an among other things they interests or my contest in this Multitu- encv, but important in the interests of Ruth and justice-important So the in- tents of this Dominiod that the” changes rshould be fairly and fully dealt with ; and E" u“ m ‘l‘VE’m "â€"N 'fi'o He discusses there three propositions. He rejects the first to treat them practi- cally as aborigines because the halfbreeda were not willing to be treated an Indians â€"â€"as a savage and barbarous people. They had aspirations beyond that, as I could show yfix if I had time to read {t0 you from the report of the Archbishop of St. Boni- face. He regards the second as imprac- ticableâ€"what i, to give them scrip and leave them to starve and die after having spent the money they would get for their Icrip ; and he said thotthe third proposi- tion should be adopted, or at all events he no reported to his chiof, the head of the Department of the Interior, Sir John Mao- donald. Now, what did Sir John do with that recommendation. He directed that a. copy of the report should be sent to Arch- bishop Taohe, the great director, and guide of the halfbreeds in the North-West: another copy to the Governor of the North- west Territories. Mr. Laird; another to the North~We5t Council, who have certain legislative powers and functions in that country, and a copy to etch of the two Church of England bishops who were thereâ€"one to the Bishoo of Saskatehewon and the other to the fiishop of Rupert’s Landâ€"and that the opinion of each of these individuals or bodieu should be ob- tained with respect to the any vestions contained in the termt. Tin carp s were sent oocordinaly. Nod. what were Mu: “ The course first suggested would, in the opinion of the undersigned, be in the interent neither of the Government nor the half-breed; indeed, it is very doubt- ful if the latter wouid consent to it if it were proposed, The second alternative, if followed. would re- sult in the last stage of the recipients of the scrip being worse than the first, for the reason that the halfbreeds having no idea whatever of thrift, or of the neces- sity of making provision for the future, by locating his surip and securing land for the benefit of his family, would, as our experience in Manitoba proves beyond all doubt, Sell the s :rip for whatever he could get for it, which in moat cases would be a more trifle. The result, therefore, would be that on the extinction of the buffalo, an occurrence, unfortunately but a. few years in tho futureâ€"We would find our- selves face to face with a formidable, nomadic semi-savage element in the popu- lation, which, from the {act of being de- prived of its natural means of subsistence, would prove a stanfiing menace to the peace and prosperity of the territorion." “ 1. To treat them as wards of the Gov- ernment in effect, make a. treaty with them, as with the Indians. and look for- ward to their remaining for many years in their present semibarbaroul state. “ 2. To give an absolute issue of scrip”, to a neasonablo extent, to each individual, and then let them take thuir chances of living or starving in tho future, or “ 3: To offer them certain ifiducemenh to nettle on land. and learn to farmâ€"- espegially to raisg cattle. “ It is thefefore evident that one or other of three courses must be pursued with_re§pect to them : «POWM‘Y and knowing the impol‘tamoiihe North-West, he assumed the management of that great country himsel f, by becoming Minister of the Interior. He knew of this correspondence ; he knew how Mr. Mills had dealt with it ; he recognised the policy of his predecessors so far, but he said I am not quite satisfied that that is the proper way of dealing with these people, but before disturbing that policy as I rather feel inclined to do, I will make further en. quiry. He did so by SENDING UP COLONEL DENNIS, the deputy head of his department, who had not merely a. theoretical but had a practical knowledge of the subject, and I will read a portion of the report which Colonel Dennis made on the 20th of De- cember,1878, a month or two after the new Government came into power. Among ‘tha proposals which Colonel Dennis made, were these: Meaning thereby that “ we won’t assist you with agricultural implements; we won’t assist you with grain for seed ; we won’t give an scrip for land such as the alfbreeds in Manitoba received; but we recommend you to do just as the white settlers are doing, who are coming into the coun- tryâ€"go and settle on the lands of the North-“’est; you will meet with the some consideration at the hands of the Government with respect to these lands that the people receive who come from the older provinces of Canada, or the immi- grants who come from other lands to settle in that country.” Now, that may have been good policy or it may have lteen bad, but be it good or bad, you ought to know when you are asked to vote condemnation of the Government of Sir John Macdonald for his treatment of the halfbreeds, when you are called upon to say that that Government was guilty of treason for its treatment of the half- breeds, that they did exactly the same as the Government of Mr. Mackenzie, asI will show you before I have done. That was the last executive act of'the Mac- kenzie Government so far as this matter is concerned. They were turned out of office by the people of Canada in Septem- ber, 1878. Sir John Macdonald came into “ 7. The half-breeds, who have in some respects the advantage over new settlers in the territories, should be impressed with the necessity of settling down in fixed localities, and directing their energies towards pastoral or agricultural pursuits, in which case lands would no doubt be assigned to them in the same way as to white settlers. But beyond this they must not look to the Govern- ment for any especial assistance in their farming operation.” "6. The application of the petitioners to be aided by the Government with seeds and agricultural implements in their farm- ing operations I cpnfens I am not disposed to view favorably. I do not see upon what grounds the halfbreerls can claim to be treated in this particular differently from the white settlers in the territories. ox mp WRONG, but I am endeavoring to show you that Mr. Blake camdon this p1atform~assum- ing as I am, that he made the same speech here on this question as he did elsm‘where â€"and made no reference to the fact that the Government, of which he was some- times a member, and always a friend, had dealt with this matter, exactly as Sir John Macdonald dealt with it in subse- quent years. Let me prove my statement. On the mm of March, Mr. Mills thul disposed of the petition. from which I have just quoted. His despatch is directed to the Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories, and in it he says :â€" ' mam SEED GRAIN AND AGRICULTURAL IMPLE- MEXTS, we know very well that the white men who went up there, some of them ymrlmpa quite as poor As the lmlf-breedn, gnomnt of the cesuntry and unaccustomed to its climate: would have felt very “range indeed to'flhd that Incl: donttiou of seed, [(10111 and ~rio-xlsuml implements were mule to the mlf‘oreods. but wove refused to them. The hallbruetla finklly scuttled down on lunds; thay flocked to the best spots in the whole country--along.the banks of the Sukutchawan, the most heaut-ifulriver in the Narlh~Wuc, as I am told ; full 0! filh, and its fertile banks clothed ‘ wizh vardu'eâ€"here for many miles dowuwud from Prince Albert and in other: of we firms: pardons of tho country the halfbroada gruhally startled. My friend says, give them their dues, and he i right, and I will point out to him that they got their dues ; that they got all they could reasonably claim and all they ought to have had. I don’t by any means say that they would not have been gratified if they had received the scrip. I suppose that if an order went forth that every man in this room would have so much scrip by applying for it, every man here would hold up his hands for it, and the halibreeds, like every person else, wanted all they could get. But it is not always the case that who: a man wants is what is good for him; just as we have to restrain the de-ires of our children for the sake of their digestion when they want too much jam or too much sweets, and when they grow up they are thankful to the parents who so raise a wise discretion saving thenflrom indulgences from which they are not old enough to restrain them‘ selves. My friend says we should give them their dues. Well, their dues wore to get the land,snd-the proposal to give them scrip was only that it should he used as a means by which the land would bergiven to them. It was not intended that the scrip should be turned into money to be ap- plied to other purposes and thatthey should be without the loud. The bulfulemhich had been the main support of these people, disappeared from the prairies almost in the twinkling of an eye ; with a. rapidity which is something marvelous to con- template they had been swept almost off the face of the earth in the space of a year or two. Buffalo skins today are rarer articles than the skins of the polar bear, and most of us remember the time when they were both plentiful and cheap. What were the people to do? There was but one thing they could do, and that was to settle on the lsnd. Either that or they were to be treated as Indiana and placed on the reserves, and they were sufficient- 1y civilized to scorn the idea. of being treated in that way. Then, if they Were to settle on land, the question was, how much land were they to get ? ‘Vas a free gift of 160 acres suflicient for them or not? Do you think they could use more than that if they had it? I don’t think any person will say that 160 acres for each man of them was not all that they would possibly require, and those 160 acres were there for every man of them attain- ing the age of 18 years. (Cheers) That was simply endorsing the policy of the Mackenzie Administration who said that the halfbreeds were there with superior advantages to the new immigrants coming into the country. as they knew better the sweet spots of the NorthWVest, and as a. matter of fact we know that they have taken possession of the choicest localities in the great country. And although if it could have been properly done I for one would have been willing to see them pro- vided with wan mn ms anonsrsuor an! He said: I suggest that the halfbreed should have reserves; that twelve re- serves of the host lands in the North-West should be set apart for them ; Lthat upon these reserves the helibreeds should'he per. misted to take up lands; ‘ that as to these lands there should be no taxation; that for three generations at least there should be no power of alienation ; that in point of fact twelve little communities of these halfbreeds should be established in the North-Westâ€"blocking, and stopping, as it were, the advancing tide of sotule-‘ ment and civilization from the older pro- vinces and the old worldâ€"these commu- nities to be governed by different laws from the rest of this country ; and that for these halfbreeds n peculiar system of jurisprudence should be enacted. His Grace the. Archbishop was alone in that suggestion. Lieut. Governor Lsird'dissp- proved of it. Col. Richardson, a gentle- man who had had a. great deal of experi- ence in the country as a magistrate, dis- approved of it. The Bishop of Saskatche- wan, who had been there for many years. disapproved of it. Each‘ had his own nostrum, but no two agreed. Now let us come to the time when Sir John Macdonaid’s responsibility begins. He found that the matter had been dealt with by the Mackenzie Government. As he was not satisfied that theirs was the proper way of dealing with it, he had caused these enquiries to be made, and 1 have told you the result. What would you have done in his place! Youxwho are being called upon to say that he is guilty of treason to his country. that, as Mr. Blake says, he is chargeable with shameful and scandalous and callous neglect of the rights and grievances of these halfbreeds. What would you have done under those circum~ stances? VVouid you have created up in that country twelve little Quebecs. with different laws, difi'erent languages, differâ€" ent institutions, from those which pre- vail in the rest of this Dominion 7 How would such: policy as that have answered, when our great North-West came to he settled up .‘3 How would it answer toset apart in this country {our large townshipsto beinhabited only by one particular class of people; the land not to be taxed, or bought or sold, but to remain in the hands of the original population in perpetuityâ€"for practically it would he so in the case oi‘the half- breeds? Would you approve of such a policy? Would you deem it a wise or prudent policy, having aegard, as the Government of this country are bound to have regard to the welfare, of not merely one particular class, but the whole com- munity ‘2 I don’t think there is a man in this room who would say, notwithstanding the good intentions of His Grace the Archbishop in making such a sugges- tion, that such a policy would be (melwhich would be approved by the peo- ple of this country. Would you have given them scrip when everybody who knew anything about itâ€"â€"Col. Dennis, the Archbishop, the English Bishops, the N. W, Council, and Lieutenant-Governor tom in the North-West; one and all a reed on that point. and that a one. 1 think you will probably say that in that matter the uhnnimous opinions, of Arch- bishop Tncho, of the Bishops of the Church of England, of Lieutenant- Governor Laird and of the North-West; Council were right, but what other pro- posals did they make? The Archbishop porhagg hgdta bogtei; right than any other . u In x, I, 50 $qu ‘01“: Behalf of the halibreeda, be- ing a. Frenchman himself, and” the corre- spondence Wit-h the halfbreeds was main- ly with the French ha1fbreeds, though there were a considerable number of Scotch halfbreads who joined in the representa- tipps which warp made. r5p1ies_ lens to them? Gegtlc'gmn, thay no in one thin‘ and and gfiing' only. T oy agree that or! o ht not My be givenrto the h-«lfbree e. ' hey say that the example they had had of giving scrip to these eople in Manitoba. had not been s’uch'u’ oyadu’éb a repemion pffho eye: it will only be Wasted; it will go for drink or something else not much more valuable. “It makes no differenceâ€"give them their dues.” DON’T GIVE THEM SCRIP in rebellion and joimd Riel ; and I pro- pose to deal with the came. of those menâ€" ae they ought to be dealt withâ€"according to their rights and their position at the time the outbreak occurred. First let me tell you how many of thosa men. wore an titled to scrip, in any View you. may take of the policy of giving them scrip at all. It is found on examinntion that of the 358 men whose griavancas, ac- cordln to Mr. Blake, were sointo arable that they were compelled to take up arms and involve this country in the horrors of civil war all but 24 had already got their scrip in Manitoba, and were therefore no: entitlpd in (my cane to receive scrip as N h-‘Vest hullb cede. (Loud chm-rs.) I nah that; in any View you may take of this matter, that (imposes of tho pretext that that particular griev- ance was the cause of the outbreak. Now as to the surveys, all the property along the banks of most of the rivers “here the halfbrcsde had settled had been laid out in the manner which they desired ; but in one part of the Saskatchewan, running a. ditance of 70 miles along the riverâ€"â€" counting both binks~thn the surveyor went there he found nine families. and not Bupposin that, because nine families were- scattere along at intervals: for that space, he was expected to Harvey according to the halfbreed method, he laid out the la» in the ordinary wayâ€"the way which was usual throughout the North-“Test. After- wards them were other halfbreeda who came in, ahd this was one of the diffi- culties up to the time that Louis Riel was invited into the country. The Gowrnment said, we have been willing all along to lay out your lands in the North-“feet, where you have settled in advance of survey, in the manner you desire, but where the surveys have been made in advance of your settlement, and those surveys are now on recorv’, We cannot go to all the expense of another survey and wipe out the present survey to anti fy your whims. It had bean pointed out b Capt. Deville, the head of the technlcm branch of tho" North-lives: Harveye. that in cases where there‘gulor surveys had been made in ad- vnnce of sottlemont they could have the [rooted lots if they desired by dividing up the requ'ar forty chain lots into ten chain frontag‘ ; angl early i3 1384, before there was any rebellion or any threat of rebell- lion, 9. Government officer had gone up, and pointed out to the people that while the Government could not re-Iurvcy=tho land, the people could have their late with the turn-chum frontage by dividing up the. exiefing surveys in the manner I 'navu pendant-and that time they “(ICU not You are aware that in the North-West the lands are surveyed in squai‘ blocks of forty chains each way, and that they are sold in‘ quarter sections of 160 acres each. The hallhroeds had been accustomed in Manitoba and the North~Westâ€"â€"but chiefly in Manitobaâ€"to settle along the banks of the rivers, on lots with the narrow frontage of ten chains each, and running back from the river fronts for a. distance of two miles, just- as the people of Quebec have their farms to-day; mud they requested the Government to so lay out their lands for them that they would not be forced to take up square sections or quwrter sections, but should be permitted to have these long narrow lots stretching back from the river banks, according to the system to which they had been accustomed. Perhaps it may be said that that was a small matter after all, but I think we would all have regretted to find the Government of this country refusing a simple request of this kind. In the early days of the North- VVest surveys the policy of surveying these lots in that way was distinctly laid down and faithfully adhered to. Wherever the halfbreeds had settled before the survey- ors had gone in to survey the country the instructions were that they should survey the land and lay out the lots according to the wishes of the halfbreeds, and in the manner that his race had been accustomed to. But if the halfhreeds were not there when the surveyors went in, the general method of survey, and us it would be found in the end, the better way was to be followedâ€"the system which we had imported from the \Vestern States of surveying in miles square. Now I don’t think there are many of us who would con- sider that that was unkind or cruEl. However, difficulties occurred. Now let me draw your attention for a moment to the condition of things in the actual seat of the rebellionâ€"because there are half- breeds scattered over the ' North-iVest in many placesâ€"at Regina, at Qu’Appelle, at the Touohwood Bills, at the Cypress Hills, at Prince Albert and other places. You must not let any man abuse your ears by summing up to- gether the grievances or complaints of all the halfbreeds of the North-V‘Vect, because we have to deal only with those who broke out in rebellion. and those were the halfbreeds along the South Branch of the Saskatchewan in lthe neighborhood of Duck Lake. Now let us refer to the con- ditiofief things in that locality. Of the halfbreeds who broke out and took part in the rebellion there were found. to be about 358 heads of ixmilics. I have told you of two of their grievances: First, as to the scri ; secondly, as to the manner of survey ; mt there was a third â€"and that was the small payment: which they had to maize, in common with the other settlers. for the wood which they took off of lands adjoining: theirloteâ€" lands upon which they did not settle themselves. As“ I have said The Government ash}, we we iii-y MSG gradually wacntoudnv alumni"! to ngrioulfiurnl pariah: we. lab!“ 3 they are pattlyeugbged in freighth “Ni 12!} engaged in oulzlvntiun; slat wan“ yew. have only to road the r! art: chorus of fines Government 03 ab, almwing that: on mm, of mm halfbreed location: then won impun- meuts running up all the way 1mm 6309 or $400 to 8E0!) and 2900, created by their awn industry in the {our year: previuul to the rebellion, to {arm com» idea 01 the ex- tent to which these prle had gamed down to the alteredhonditiana of the country. Will any one 0! you any that it was not 0. wine gud prudanu policy to leave these peopla wineth to their own resources to make tham fool flan they were free men, standing on m equality with other settlers in the North-West instead of more depend-ants on a Manual Governmentâ€":(hcnr, hear)â€"to nm is these man (Bel that they hzd the privilege lilm obhtrs of taking up land in the North- VVast, settling on if; “d :nnkinghgmm for themselves and their families. I think tho sober common lenae 01' film pimple of fill: country will endorse that. policy as being after all a wlwr and better policy considering all the éifliculliea which surrounded the quoafifion, than to have udqptedh olicy which was unani- mously condemninga by all those who had the best opportunities for quWldg the oircumumuocs. (Hear, hear and cheers.) At any rate, it does not lie in the mouth of Mr. Blake, or Mr. Mills. or of these who supported the Government of ,which they warn members, to my that the’policy Mloptei was an unwise policy bvquuso it was their own policyâ€"~(hear, hnar)â€"Torm- ed at a much earlier period, formed Indore the halfbreeds wereno well «taunt-411 to the methods of settlement and civilim- lion in they were at the lamr date when' Sir John was I called upon to denl with the question. Now, that was the great; grievance of the North- West halfhreAed~that he did not get scrip ; that he was not treated like him fellowa in the Province of Mani‘mlm. Bur. I would. not he fair to you ; I would be imitating Mr. Blake if I did not tell you that there WL-l‘u other grievancvu, and than other grievances I shall explain to you. Another grievance was as to the manner of 358 HEADS or FAMILIES mom 0L"! SURVEYING THEIR LANA S 5v; there his cousin. :1 lxalfbreed, living on the banks of the Saskatchewan. This half-breed was one of the men who agitated or suggested or counsded than Riel should be brought over to head their ngifiation against. the Govomment, and we know thatjn consequence of tlmtgagicafiinn, than people . bout a. deputation to Iii-:1, who Whahhen/apparontly living quietly fin Montana. teaching school. We know now that a year or two before um. the “3%)”! brnin of this man had concaivad‘ihe idu of Mining 3&9 an ‘lndian agd hnli-‘ataod war, and if he could only have gut one o! the large bands there to join himâ€"and w: have all read the story of how ho 1m: dezwomd to incite them ‘Lo take up M'anâ€" an invasion from Montana, headed by RM, would have taken place, no that {95" an anally conceive 131ml; he was “at the bvfl’om of the invitazion whichwuaiurwarda no“ to him in n. 5W=i,mmw, Making h5- KEEP THE NORTH-VVEST and to turn out zhose who purchased it from the Hudson Bay Company. This may be perfectly right, but the people of Canada. cannot acknowledge it, and as; I said before, if they are right we am all wrong. Now let us start with that fact, for it is important in order to make a fair investigation and revision of this subject, that we nhould realize exacth what the feelings and notions of these people wore at the time of the outbreak. Riel went to Montana in 1883 and met PROVE IT FROM THE DOCUMENTS, and the facts being an I have stated, do you believe that those men could reason- ably or did actually rise in rebellion, take arms in their hands and shoot down our countrymen in the North-West because of this question of scrip, because of the method of survey which was inngreat many instances carried out in accordance with their own wishes, or becausepf this matter of 15?} cents a year which they had to pay for wood taken off other lands. (Hear, hear and cheers.) Could anything but the fertile imagination of Mr. Blake, and drawing very largely upon it also, enable him to come to the conclusion that the Government were responsible for this outbreak,this treasou,tlmt the Government were theparties who werewrong. and the halfbrceds the people who were right? No; the cause of the rebellion lay not there. Many years ago~l think it was during the time that Mr. Mackenzie was in oflice. though I do not lay it to him or his party as a. crimeâ€"this man Gabriel Dumout had created a Government in the North-“lest ; he was himself the Governor and he had all the people in the parish in which he lived swear allegiance to this new Government. They never believedâ€"and if they Were right we are all wrong: Mr. Blake and evw‘ybody elseâ€"they never believed that we had any right m that country. They claimed that they were the. owners of the country, that they had tho right if they were strong enough, to turn us out of their country; that we were trespmseru and intruders on their soil and iroehold, and that therefore they were jzhtificd, when- ever they felt themselves htrong enough, in riaing and attorupting to regain their lost independence. I say i! this were right we are all wrong here, and we are not to bloom one party more then another. We have taken that country and paid for it; we have gone up there and settled it; we are seeking to make it the linme of many happy people who could thrive either from nmongat ourselves or from the densvly populated natives of the old world; butlwe do not acknowledgeâ€"wearin- nor. acknowledge. in the pavition we ocuupy *tllat in taki :1 posaeesionoi that country we have amounted any crime ngamet civilimtion or that higher international law which should govern ms. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) The halfhrecdu have not been so long thcre themselves. Who are they? They are the descendants of the French fur traders belonging to th . Lh- West Company as it was called, who went there in the early part of the century, 80 that they have not been very long there. “'hy, the Irinhnmn in lreland does not acknowledge that the Englichmen who have been settled in that coun- try since the days of Elizabeth have any right to be there. ; he thinks that the landlords should he turned out of 12119 country. But these lmlibrcedsâ€"â€"1’.lze pro- duct of these fnr traders and Indian Womenâ€"who have for the most part been there since the earlier part of v the century, though some of course were there earlier. claim that they are entitled to I mentioned, and thaf; truss they weal-xi 32; what they waned. Wu than my mm? ship in thia when they could hive whit out the forty 0min imam abomtolvu they dulmd ! ‘i’v'auld HA: grievance by considered by any muonnblo mu 9 figuri- [floating (at . point out; to youl were the protein, [in excuses, forvthc halfbreed rebellion, but they were no: it: real canker. A can different reason aimed for the“ mou flying to' arms, Ml will attempt to ex- plain to you this evening. Let me pain? qupip you ,howxhe matwrfitood up to the leaders of the rebellion. Of the 21 lemlerq including Dumom, who was in you know the principal-leader under Rielâ€"of thou leaders including the member: of the pro~ Vii-Lional council which was formodu-W haul Already got their scrip in Manitoba, one - of them mu ' a native of Quebec. and therein": not entitlocl to ‘05 treated as a hallowed, and thmelow there was just one man left who had any claim or any grievance to be taken into amount. in con-:iderinz the alleged cnuuou hf the rebellion. (LCUdVCnflifi‘SJ Not only so, but actually Dumont. who lmd zhe mat comfortable place at Batoche and had the ferry there, hid made entry for his quarter section, just the some as the while ecttlors had entered for theirs, and it was surveyed in the ordinary way. (How, hear.) The same remark is true of many others among their number. Going over the list I find that of the 75 who weze nettled: on the west bank of .the Saskat- chewan 55‘ had mule entry in the ordin- nry way. No quay-lion of complaint about nurvey‘s, no question of difficulty with re- gard to patents, occurred in regard to those cases, though of course, like all other So filers, they had to wait three yoazu for their patents. Like the ot her gamete they had made their en- tries, tl‘loi‘: claims were there, and were just as good an if they had had the patents in ohm: hands. The next. batch is 138 people, who were to the south of the 75 I have mentioned ; they were in the locality known as: Dugk Lake, but still on the hmnlm of the Saslutehewnn, 49 of them bei ‘g in the parish of Si. Lunrent. Tm: pair;le hall been surveyed in the French umthod. and those Philip]?! therefore lmd no complaint, to make on tho score of the sur- Veyn. Thou: had been, ii; is, hue, some lituie difficulty or delay owing Lo some troubleâ€"n. more matter of annoyingâ€"4n the laying ofl'of an In-lizm reserve in Unit localiby. but as soon as the dill‘lculLy with the, Indians had beun‘sattled, these prople were entitled to linnko phoir entries and recuive thnir patents. Of the remaining 45, including Dumont’s tuber and brotherLand Father Fourmomi, their priest. had made entries for the lots as they stood. and they‘could not reason- ably complain about the surveys. The Government said, we cannot possibly fol the sakeiof '27 meo,§11)jy'cy a distance of 70 miles. We would not be justified in putting the country to ,the expense of another survey, when you (2an hue your lots as you want them by‘dividing up the present lots. Now I have dealt with all their troublefi except the one about wood. and as to that. that the sum which all these halfbreeds had paid .amongst them, the sum of $80.25 for wood, or l5!) cents apiece per anuum. (Hear, hear, and beers.) If any one preaont questions this! statement I can