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MAGNIFIGENT =MECTING.

Splendid Representation of our Yeomanry

Mh CHARLES

Addressed by

TUPPER HO

a.

HON, hin. DICKY

In Able and Convincing Spe3ches.

Every FAIR-MINDED PersoN who was present will, we think, almit that the great meeting beld at the Rink last even- ing contained more of the brawn aod brain of Prince Edward Island than any public gathering of the kind ever tefore held in Charlottetown. From the extreme West of the Island, froin the extreme East, from the North and from the South, and from every intervening section there were representatives of the intelligence of the country. The immense building was censely packed. We shall not attempt to give the names of any whe were prevent (1) b ecause it would take up space which is required for our report of the Premier's splendid speech. and (2) lest. we should inadvertently omit mention of some of the many prominent gentlemen whe were present.

whe Prime Minister, Hon. Mr. Dickey, Hon. Mr. having, been

and Ferguson

met upoa arrival at «the wharf by Ifis

Honor the L’evtenuant-Governor, proceeded

7 , . at once to Government House, where they

were entertained at dinner, together with a B shop Macdonald, the Chief-Justice, Mr. Justice Fitzgerald, His Worship the Mayor and

party including H's Lordship

others. Thence the honorable gentlemen

went to the rink, where they were received

with round upon round of cheers.

Patrick Blake, Esq., occupied the chair,

aud after calling the meeting to order and

bespeaking an attentive and @ careful hear-

i wg for the distinguisbed visitors, preseute

and read a complimentary address of wel.

turned naturally to the Mother Country. They found that we turned our eyes across the sea, and that we did nos look } there in vain; that instead of the trade of this country being struck down, and in- stead of its being shown that we were de- pendent upon that great republic for our progress and prosperity, they not only failed in their object but learned that we were able to create be:ter and more pro- ductive markets for the people of this

country in the mother land than the United States coild give us. (Cheers)

Therefere, with the single exception [ have mentioned, I stand here tonight to cl«im, that all,and more than all, i ventured to hold out to theelectors of P. E. [sland 18 years ago would result from the return of the Libera!-Conservative party to power, has been accomplished b yond the hope of either myself or the most sanguine man in that great parity. (Hear, hear).

Now, Sir, we stand tonigut, face to face with the great el-ctorate of Canada, an appeal bemg made by the two great parties for the people’s support. We confilently look to the intelligent eiector- ate to

THAT VERDICT which they gave in 1878 and which, on three succes-ive occasions, they have en- dorsed. There is no evidence that can be presented toa free and intelligent peopie, as to the claims of a great party to a con- tinuance of power more conclusive than the fact, that the electors of this country, who have had an opportunity of contrasting the policy anid administration of the Liberal party for five years, from 1873 to 1878, aot only, after that expericn:e, dismissed that par.y from power, but on three o:ca-ions since, have placed their confidence in the | great party of which I have the hoaor to be ‘the head. (Cheers). Under those cir- cumstances I say it is an easy matter, to look at the records of the country, to look

REAFFIRM

. : 1“ } } - apiece” e come to Sir Charles Tupper, in which the | 9) 16 contrast which it is within the pur-

leading questions of the day were referred to. Sin Caances Terrer, who was received with round after round of cheers, said : THE PREMIER’S ADDRESS.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, —The very arduous work which has de- volved up» me for some considerable time past, in traversing a great portion of this wide Dominion and addressing very large axsembliges of people, makes me fear very much that [ sali not beable to make a great many in this vast audience hear what [ have to say to-night. Buti can assure you that it is with the most unfeigned pleasure that I find myself oxce more face to face wita the intellizent an! independent electors of this portion of Prince Eiward Islan’. (Aoplauze ) Yo: have referre!, in the too kin{ and flatter- ing address with which you have ja-t hon- ored me, to the period when, in my boy- hood, I had the pleasure of speuding a year of my life in this Island; and [ migit say toe von, that from that hour up to the present, I have always telt the warmest and deepest interest in the progress and prosperity of its people. (Cheers.) I had the great honor and pleasure, 18 years ago, of addressing you on the great ques- tions of the day, and of propounding to you the policy which the Liberal Conserv- ative party proposed to adopt for the purpose of lifting this Dominion. out of its

then condition of great depression, and of |

enabling it to secure a return of the pros- perity which it had enjoyed during the period it wae under the rule of the Liberal Conservative party. I am proud to be able to stand in your presence to-night and to claim at your hands the verdic’, that ai!, and more than all, which on that occasion I ventured to pred et woull be the result cf rertoring the Liberal Con - servative party to power, has been accom- plished. (Cheers and sume cries of “No.”) On that occasion I ventured to express the hope that if we were returned to power we would, in two years, have the pleasure of finding that reciproc:! trade relations would be established betweea the United States and ourselves. It is quite true that that hope was not realized; it is quite true that the expectations that I thea believed I was warratted in holding out, that at an early day the great republic to the south of us would see the rdvantage of restoriog those reciprocal relations between Canada and ihe United States, which bad proved so vast'y beneficial to them as well as our- selves, were not fultiiled. But you must not forget that if we did not succeed in brioging about that reciprocal trade it was because we encoun- tered difficulties whicn we had no right t> expect. You must not forget that a great party in this country adopted a course, in reference to this question, which led the people of the United States to believe that if they refused to give us rec'procal trade they woald get us ourselve:; and I have no hesitation in saying that that idea, thor- oughly unwarranted as it is, bas been, in my judgment, the great cause of

PREVENTING RECIPROCAL RELATIONS

| view and knowledge of every intelligent man in this country, to make for himeelf, and to say ‘here is the policy of the one pariy and here is the policy of the other. Here is not only the policy ef one party and tbe policy of the other, but nere are the practical resa'ts of entrusting power to one party and the practical re- sults of entrusting pozer to the other.” (Hear, hear), From 1867 di wa to 1873 the Liberal-Conservative party of this country werein power, and 1 need uot tellany inteliizeot man that when they re- signed tLe reins of office in 1873 aid handed them over to Mr. Mackenze and the J.iberal party, they banded over a great country, united from sea to sea, prosperon?, happy and contented, and having made five years of progress such as had previou-ly scarcely ever marked the history of any country. (Cheer-).

I quite admit that slthoagh we Lada very low tariff we enjoyed avery high protec- tion during these five years. tion arose from the fact that although cur tariff was a very low one, the great labor market cf the United States had been s0 ! completely disintegrated and disorganized by the great internecine war, that wa-ted a million lives, that disturbed and tore up the great industrial interests of that ceun- try, costing hundreds of millions of money in bloody war -I say that under that state of aifairs we enjoyei a high protectioa and Canada was prosperous. All) that, how- ever, was changed, happily for that coun- try, when peace was re-tored and their in- dustries, under a high protective tariff, were placed again in a flourish'ng condi- tion. But, sir, the Liberal Party who succeeded in obtaining power, seemed to be

UTTERLY INCAPABLE of realizing the changed coudition of things, and persisied in maintainiag what they called a free trade policy, and refused to adopt the policy of fostering and pro- tecting the industries by means ef which we urged that Canada would be likely to prosper. We were then a comparatively feeble minority in the House; bar we dd our duty steadily asa loyal Opposition. We sowed that we were ready to give them our support when on few occasivns | they brought forward anything that en- titled them to that support, and which we believe would serve the interests of a suf- fering and despo.dent country. Our ad- vice, I need not tell you, was not taken, and things wenton from bad to worse

{

That protec- ;

sixty in the House of Commoss wiped out on the one hand and a majority of over eeventy brought into Parliament on the ocher. (Cheer-), That was not done by Liberal Couservatives; it could not be done by them, We had an election in 1S74 that brought Mr. McKenzie and his party inte power by a majority of over seventy, and I suy, therefore, that the result of 1878 coald only be accomplished by the men who had elected Mr. McKenzie and brougit the Lib- eral Party into power withdrawiog ther support and uniting with the yreat Liberal- Conservative Pariy in Canada. (Cheers). Why, Sir, what happened? You know. You do not require te be told that one of the first acts that Mr. McKenzie and bi- Goverament undertook was the construc- t on of the

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY,

They had declared that the members of the previous Government, were madmen They said we were insane to propose to build a Canadian Pacific Railway. We proposed to construct it by giving a grant of public money and a large amount of public lands, which were to be Opened up and made valuable by that Railway. Mr. MeKenzie declared, however, tiat tie whole resoure's of the British Ennpire could not build the Canadian Pacific Rail- way in ten years. What did he do when he got inte power? He propo’ed that the Government ehould un jertake thia im port- ant and necessary task themselves, and thus the people would have the profit in- stead of a syadicate of capitalists, He wasted five years of the precious life of the country, and he wasted a large amount of public money on the wildest schemes in counection with the cuns:ractioa of that road that ever waz exhibiiel by any Gov- ernment. Sir,the same men who declared that it was an act of utter madness on the part of the Government of this country to undertake to construct a Canadian Paci- fic Railway, put an advertisement ia the newspapers ali over the world, a-king on what terms parties would take a jarge sum of money and a large amount of land and do this work. When he really grappled wit! the question of doing it asa public work, he was pretty much in the position of the ) captain of a vessel going into Boston Bay. A ne-guboring vessel saw this brig flying up to the wind and yawing about and be- uaving In the most frantic manner, They bore down upon her, thinking that 2 mutiny hal occurred on board. “Brig, ahoy” shouted the captain of the vessel, “Holloa” came the reply. “Who are you?” ‘So and-s0.” “Where are you bound = for?’ Again the anewer, 3» and-so, “Who is your C3p- tain?” “IT am the captain; came the reply.” “I undertook her, but I find she 's too much for me.” (Laughter and ap- plause). Thus Mr. McKenzie found the Canadian Pacitic Railway was too much for him, and blundered about from one wild and extraordinary traneaction to an- Othef, until after five years of misgovern- ment and mis-rule he was hurled froin power by an indignant people. (Cheers). I dare say some of you are told that the present Government have made certain uiistakes ; that $200,000 have been los: by mismanagement or something worse here, and that there have been a loss of another $100,000 there; but I can po'nt you ty the records of your country and show vou that, In One transaction, exhibiting a tota! in- capacity to discharge the duties of hs oflice, Mr. Mackenzie, as Minister of Pub- lic Works, purchased 50,900 tons of steel rails four years before he wanted to nse them, and paid double the money that he could have bought them for when they were wanted. What was the result? For the particulars cf that transaction, and ] aim not going to take up your time hy discussing these matters at length, but you need only look at the “Hansard” of 2let April, 1877 and you will find & speech delivered by myself of five hours duration in the Howe of Commons, in whieh J reviewed Mr. Mackevzie’s conduct as Minister ef Public Works in relation to the construction of the Canad'an Pacific Railway. You willthere find that I proved—I gave you the figures, I gave you the evidence, that one and a half million doliara of public money were as completely thrown away ss if they were thrown over one of your wharves itto the sea. Now, does that bear ont what I say — that the management of public affairs

from the first hour they had an existence asa Government down to the time when the great electorate of Canada, being given an opportunity of recording their sober second thought in the light of the experience they had had of the mis-gov- ernment and jucapacity exhibited by the Liberal Party, dismissed that party from power by an overwlieling verdict from one eud of the country to ibe other (cheers) When we came back into power we car- ried out the policy that I ventured, eight- eeu years ago from thie platform, to tell you we would carry out if we were en- :rusted with the administration of affairs. I say today that the National Policy we then propounded, acd which I presented from this platform, waa the

being reestablished with the United States. Republicans and Democrats alike avree upon one policy. There is one great question upon which, although separated on all others, they agree, and that ques- tieu ie, an ardent desire to see Canads be- come @ portion of the great republic. I feel that that desire does them great cred.t I feel that it is @ great compliment to our- selves that they should so ardently wish to see Canada tecome a part of their country. It certainly ia not to be wonder- edat. What do theysee? They see ihe northern half of this contineut of North America, lying side by side with their own territory, # littie smaller than ours, and they see a couatry not only filled with in- exhaustible natural riches and resources, but a great population of free men of en-

ergy andi euterprise, that naturally might be expected "te be coveted by any nation in the world.

(Cheers.) I trust and beleve that hour will never come. I believe that the senti- ment has steadily deepened in the public mind, as year after year of experience has rolled by, that. we are bappy in a more united, a more prosperons and a ater than we wouldever be if Canada formed a pert of that republic. (Cheers.) When the United States adopted the means that they were led to believe, by ee 200 were false to Canada’s best . would force us into those rela-

tions with them, they found that we

SALVATION OF CANADA

from the dire misfortunes ‘hat had’ fallen upon her. I said then that it would have n@ power to reacue this country frem the depression that lad filled the minds of the people, and I say now that that policy hae been steadily pursued down to the present hour, and with what result? With the result that we are able to make a contrast so that he whoruns may read, so that every intelligent man iu this country, whatever his party may be, need only look the simple facis in the face as they are impressed upon the indelible record of the country’s history, and he will see that the happiest hour Canada ha: ever seen was the hour that delivered her from Liberal mistule and Liberal incapacity. (C.recrs and cries of “*No, no.”) There seem to be some doubting Thomases here (taugh- ter), some faithless aud unbelieving Liber- als, who, if they will only keep quiet and give ne an opportunity, may hear a few facts thatI ahink will make it rather doubtful whether they are disposed to cheer a patty whose nismanagement struck down a prosperous and happy country into a condition so ruinous that, as I say, every intelligent man, no matter what his party may be, must view with ditmay and huimitiecion. (Cheers). If you want to know whether that is true or not, look at the record of the election of 1878 when you saw @ majority of fifty or

authority, without sanction, wihout sppvoval of Parliament,in fact every prin-

by the Liberal Government, was tota!ly unworty Of any statesmen or any persona who undertook to govern a country right ly and properly, Not only were the facts as I have stated, but that speech—and you can learn it by the book—th.t ind ict- ment of Mr. Mackenzie and his Govern- ment did more, perhaps, to strike down that administration than any other indict- ment that ever was placed on record against them (Some cries of “Oh, oh.”) I tell you more. That speech delive.ed in 1877 remains unanswered to the present hour, for the reason that no man coula be found within the Lib-ral tank-, or out cf it, who could reply to it (applai-e). Not

only was there this wa-te ¢ f pablic mouey —one policy adupted one day to be aban- doned and thrown away after « great am ount of public money had Leen |

; ic mic euvk in connection with it; the n-xt—but there was violation of the principles upon wich contract4j were to be let. Lars contracts were let by ministers witho ct

tie

ciple of constitatisnal law and constirut- tioaal Government was outraged, from the time the Libera's commenced to. simin- ister public affairs in 1873 until they wen

Out of power in 18738. Take aaotier trans-

action. When we went out of power we had iovited a large nuinber of tendes« fox deepening the Welland and St. Lawrence Canals. These tenders were received be- fore we went out of power, but we said: “We are going toresign: we shall leave the awarding of these contracts to the Guy ernment that sneceeds us.” and we accord- ingly did so. Whatdid they do? Award the contract to the Jowest tender and let the work gocn? Nut at ail. They can- celled the whole of them, asked for new tend-ra,and let the centracts in avcha way as commended oteelt to their judg- ment, at @ cost of aheavy sum of public money which was sunk in these work- lost to the country, for the purpoze — of enabling the Liberal Government to place - 2 yg ro he hands of their own riends, | am bp ing to wear

I say this: Tha: in comer to as action, you will find the evilence clear

ae

and unmistakable—evidence that was not refuted then, and has never been refuted since—because it could not be refuted — to show you how utterly incompetent the Liberal party proved themselves to und. r- stand or io do that which was calculated to further or promote the best interests of the country. (Cheers) SOME OF THE SLANDERS.

I dare say you know that when, dar- ing the last session of Parliament, the Libera!-Conservative party exhibited a great desire that I should re-enter public life, and I consented at the request of Sir Mac- kenzie Bowell to become Secretary of State under his. administration, I went down tothe Conuty of Cape Breton to seek reelection, What lappeued ? No sooner nad I placed my foot upon the threshold of public and Parliamentary life again, no sooner had I placed myself in the hands of the people—in order if they wantel my services, to do the best I could for them— than I wys aseailed by the wildest inveetive, the most incessant tor- rent of stander and cbuse that was ever directed at a public man in his own coup- try. The Globe newspaper of Toronto and the Morning Chroniele of Halifax filled their pages with a mass of vile slan ders against my public character that you would natarally suppose would frighten most men and deter them from attempting to enter the House of,Commons.. What happened ?_ I continued the even tenor of my way. One of these slanders was what was called the Charlebois contract, in which it was declared 4hat [ had iupro- perly let a contrast to Mr. Onaderdonk when Mr. Charlebois was the lowest ten- derer, and had involved, directly and in- directly, the loss to,.the publ’e of some $200,800 of money, and in fact, altogether they made the loss up to over a million. Well, veu may be a little surprised to learn that the county of Cape Breton, hav- ing done me the honor to.elect me and send me to Parliament, I sat face to face with the leaders ofAhe Liberal party, the ablest men in their ranks; anl from the hour I took my seut down to. the close of Parliament not a man of them had the couraze to name one of these scandals. (Cheers.) I can givé'you, gentlemas, no better evidence of the vileness-cf these slander-, than the fact that tho-e papers which had made them ‘could not induc: any man in their ranks to take them uo If they were true, if there was the slight est foundation for one-of tho e slandere, those. men were bound in deference to what they owed to Parliament,and the country, todrive me oit of Varliament. Bat, sir, not one of them ventured.to do so. (Cheers.) Why? Because they knew that in the Hansard of 1892, when Mr. Mackenzie moved @ re<olution of cen- sure regarding what I had done in the Charlebois coutract, I not only gave a de- fence ou that occasion that closed his mouth and the mouths of hie frieads fram that period down to the time that I came back to this country years afterwards, but I carried the war int» Afiizt ard! show- ed how Mr. Mackenzie an! the Govern- ment of which he we3'a member had jobbed contracts. I silenced them = then, and from that day, on the fl.or ef Parlia- ment, nobody was brave enouzh to again name this Charlebois coitract. (C.eers.) One of two things was true. Etoer my position as a public man was inp-egnab'e, as [hold-it is (hear.) I sgy here to-night in your prezence: let any man living show me the time or the oceis®9 up mM which I have ever laid my unholy bands upon a dollar of public money; let him show a

a single case in which there ha been the slightest malversation on my part, or failure to. discharge my duty as a public «aan, and he will not have any trouble in. getting rid of

me,—I shall disappear, and vere -udden- ly. (Cheers.) But I say’ tiat. standing here as I do, with a record: of 41 years of public life, [ defy any man living to bring thet against my public name that would cause a blush either to myself or to any of my friends that Ihave in the country. I. was amused on taking up the Mcrning Chronicle a day oc two ago-to“find th at the whole of these terrific scandals had dwin- dled down into.a dittle. paragraph headed “Tupper’s Oats.” (Lang'iter.) Some of you who have seen that veraciou3 jour- nal may have noticed it. Finney paid that someboiv somewhere had distributed, in a very proligal manner, among the people a certain quantity of oats, (Renewed laugh- ter.) All I can tell you is, { never heard j of this matter, never heard the trane- action named, and knew no more about it than would a man in London. Bat when [ got to the end of the paragraph and found that it was to be fastened upou me, [ discovered this statement also, “We don’t know where this munificence came from, bait we take it for granted that it was done ia Sir Charles Tupper’s interests.” This isthe kind of thing with which I sm now charged. But there was another paragraph under the caption **Tupper Scorched Again’? What do'you sunposz

that was? It was said thabo somebody, away up in Ontario, lad telegraphi- cd that somebody else ‘had — said that Sir Charles Tuppér owned

£4,000 of brewery stock. (Langhter.) Well, as I never owned a dollar of brewery stock in my life, you can naturally under- stand how poor the Opposition must be and how bedly cff for charges. against a pubiic man, when euch utterly senseless and ridiculous slanders are pat afloat—not to amuse the intelligent electorate of this country, but to steal away the judgment of scine poor ignorant man who-knows ncoth- ing of public life or public affairs. (Cheers.) Why,I ask every intelligent Liberal here, is it that your party is driven to euch senseless, suchiutterly dis- creditable means of endeavouring to pro- mote their party interests? [will tell you why. Itis because the publi¢ records of the country show that tne Lyberal | party cannot establish any claim to. the confi- dence or support of any intelligent man in this country. (Cheers.) It.,is because the public records show, onthe other hand, that the great Libveral-Conservative party of this country, in its amanagement of public affairs, has accomplished the most gigantic works, has htted a few isola‘ed, weak previnces out» of their hopeless condition and brought them— nalf acontinent strovg, from the’ Atlantic to the Pacific, nuder one powerful govern ment—has brought Canad:

L.,into the atti- tude and position of a nation: (Gheers ) Why, Sir, the 1

HISTORY OF THE- LIBERAL * CONSERvAtivE PARTY .

for the last eighteen years is gne cf the most magnificent that any country or party on the face of the globe can show. © What have we done? As I said before, the position we occupied was one of xt:er helplesenese. The provinces had no in- terests in common. The effurts to get communication between Nova Scotia ant Yew Brunswick, carried on by the best meu the Liberal party and Conservative party could produce, had failed, and th-re we were without any communication _be-

tween these nexzhbouring provinces

Look also at Ontario and Quebec, and what was their position? They were helpless for six months inthe year, being cut off from communication with the out: side world, except through a -foreign country. Take the great prairies of the Northwest, so grani, so important, that Lord Duff-rin; after having travelled to and fro over them for weeks aud. months

deciared : “Here is a country, the fertile belt of Canadi, lying between the Red River of the North at Winnipeg and the foot of the Rocky Monntaing, ‘capab e of furnishing happy homes for forty millions

of people,” aad what was their position ? They, too, were cut off from the rest of Canada, as was also the province 6f Brit- ish Columbia and the province of Prince Edward Is!and, until we had the good for- tune to sesure her kin y} (Cheers. ) AsI say, this country was united un ler one Government; but it was & mere paver Vonfederat'on. What could we do with fifteen hundred miles of irack- less desert lying between Ontario and this great prairie country of which I have spoken? What could we do with British

this trackless prairie Dut b

Movntains and those other ranges of mountains which made it ntter'y sible to have any communication with her

~as sieasind ns

the Rocky

im pos-

wiatever. To give youan idea cf what

our position was in relation to British Col

umbir, I may t-ll you that tht country, which 1s now within a week of Prince Ed- ward Island, was so competely separated from us that the last cargo of rails which I sent there fur the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway was only seven months going from London to Victoria.

{ it no wonder that the United States, that great enterprising republic}lying to the south of us, should have naturally suppos- ed, in view of this condition of things, that we would, in ashort time, drop into their mouth like ripe fruit from the tree; that having no connection with each other, be- ing entirely dependent for our trade upon them, we should in a very short time drop into their basket. But, as I say, all that has been changed, and Canada has, by means of the National Policy, been rescued from that helpless condition. (Cheers.) That policy has furnished the means and the industries which have built ap the trade of this country and made it thrifty and prosperons, betides restoring our lost and depressed credit. I ask is it wonderfu! that, under these cir- cumstances, the Liberal-Conservative party should feel they have reached the proud position of having made Canada a pation, @ most important nation. in con- nection with the great Mother Country to which we belong. (Cheers)

Well, sir, wken we took up, in sober earnest the constructicn of the Canadian Pacific Railway how were we met? How were we met when we took up the Nation- al Policy ? Didthe Liberal party help us? Notatall. They declared it was utter madness to attempt to build up the progress and prosperity of a country by any such means. They declared that in- stead of helping the country -we woun'd inflict an irreparable danage upon it. They denounced us and the measure, and did their little best to prevent it being ad- opted. But it was adopted all the same. (Cheers.) When they were in power they were unable to do anything for the coun- try, Bat, fortunately for Canada, when they wereoat of power they were impotent to obstruct the pariy that has made Can- ada what she is. Under these circum- stances, we stand in the p>:ition of having been able to grapple with and accomplish works £0 gigantic and important, so vita) to the progress and prosper.ty of Canada, as to have att:ac ed the admiia‘ion of the civ lized world. That language is not ex- agzerated, wher I tel] you that you will read bistory in vain, you will look over the history of the civilized world in vain. to fiad another people of less than five millions, as we were then, who, by their energy and cnerprise and courage have epanued a great continent for four thous- and miles with a trans-cont nenial line ot railway. (Cheers.)

Ye were told when we made the prop)- sition that it was

UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE

to accomplish it. But we did not believe them. We were told that in spite of all the numerous obligations that we had in carred for ite accomplishment it would atterly fail, and that it never would be cons'rucied. Tiey said that so far from it being constructed in ten years, it never coull be constructed at all. Tnat was the fir-t idea. The next point was, that even if the road could be built, Mr. Mackenzie had figure! out,in the most laborious way, and -hown that it would cost $65,000,000 a year over and above all the road could earn to pay its working expenses, and that this money would have to be paid out of the treasury of the countrv. Yet, as I have siid, when he got into power he boldly declared that he was going to build the road asa Government work in order

stead of wealthy contractors: Langhter)- I give you that as a sample of the wonder. ful ability shown by tbe Liberal party in dealivg with thoze measures. Sir Rich ard Cartwright proposed, in his first Bud- get, an increase of taxes to the extent of three millions a year. For what purpose? He dd not pretend that he wanted it when he cume into power, but he said that the three million dollars were to provide for the interest on the money that would be required ts construct the Canadian Pacific Railway. Atthe end of the year all the money that he cou'd wring out of the people by taxation—his additional three millions and all together—was swallowed up, and no Canadian Paeific Railway had been built. All the money hal been swallowed up without his being able to show that he coull get enongh revenue out of the people to pay the ordinary cur- rent expenditure of the country. And yet these were the gentlemen who, when we told them that we were going to take up the National Policy eni change all this,

and that wewere goingto secure the prompt construction ef a _ great inter-occanic line of railway, un- dertook to obstract it. Mr. Mackenzie

bad declared thatthe whole resources of the Britsh Empire could not construct this road int n years. What were the facts? ‘Lhe contract was signed by this right hand in London in October, 1880. The company bad then to get their charter and would not be able to begin work until 183l and the contract obliged them to open the road for traffic on the first day of July, 1891. | The list spike was driven in November, 1885, an] in June 1886 this road, that all the resources of the British Empire could not construct in ten years, was completed five years within the time that the contract allowed for its construc- tion. (Great applause). What more? Did we have to take six million dollars out of the revenue of the country to pay the working expenses? Not atall. We incurred no suc respons bil ty under our plan. That duty devolved upon the com- pany and what was their position? Ina very short time they were able to show a revenue on that line of railway, that ran through a trackless desert when it was bailt, from Nipissing in Ontario away to to the shores of the Pacific, with only one village of a few hundred people located on the whole line, a revenue derived from the trade and business created by the construc- tion of this I ne of railway of over $20,000,- 008 per anoum, (cheers) and it proved to b2 oue of the best financial and commer- cial undertakings that has ever een carried out in this country. The Liberals said *Even if you could construct and operate it you would have no credit, for the obligations you have incurred ar: so great that however badly we may -ant moaey for anything else it will be utcerly impossible to. obtain it because our credit will be gone.” How was that prediction real- ized? It showed that the Liberals knew as listle of finance as they did of trade or any- thing else. (Laughter), When the whole of the obligations were incurreJ, and I resigned my office as Finance Minister in 1888, I went to London and put a3 per cent. loan on the market there—the first 3 per cent. loam that was ever placed by any colony in the British Empire. . (Cheers). { obtained the price of £95 1s per cent. for that loan of 3 per cent; and mark 5302, when we went inte Confederation there was not a proviace in BrXish North America could borrow at 6 per cent, and get par for it. The credit of Nova Scotia ai that time stood the very highest of any province. “When I was prime Minister of that province I took Nova Scotia 6 per cent bonds to Lon-on in orderto get £40),- 000.10 build the railway from Truro to Pie*ou and the highest I could get for the bonds was 95 p*r cent. And yet ia 1888, after all the obligations that were neces- sary to build this great transcoritinental live of railway, and to.as'onish the world by what the energy and the enterprise and vigor of Canadiaas could accomplish, we

div c>-dperation. k.could . borrow money not _only at 3 per

cent. but nearly at par. Those 3 per cents are standing ata premium of 103 to day and the credit of Canada, which, in the estimation of the Liberals, would be

‘ruined by the construction of the Canadian

Pacific Railway, stands exceedingly high. A voice.—You are the head maa in the

lumbie, separated from us by yot only

Dominion, (Cheers and laughter,

tw

thut the people might have the profit in,

_ “TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1896.

Sir Charles Tupper. — I am mach obliged to my friend for his compliment, but Ihave received so many compliments | that I am afraid Tam becoming almost in- sensible to them. (Laughter.) Now, I may say that I brought down, as Minister of Railways, a policy of contributing, out of the revenue of Canada a certain sure of money to assist in

DEVELOPING RAILWAY ENTERPRISE.

I long ago came to the conclusion that if this great Dominion wae to be made what I believed it was capable of being made we would hayeto open up the avenues of commerce and of tratlic and of travel throughout this country as they have been opened up in Older countries. I believed that we had a country so rich in nstural resources that all that was neces- sary to develop it was to furnish the means of inter-communicaticn and traffic. Let me give you one single illus- stration, and only one, of how traffic can be created where none existe. I visited Rat Portage and Keewatin before the Can- adian Pacific Railway was commenced. and I found that civilization was represent- ed there by a log cabin, which was the Hudson’s Bay Company’s post, anda few birch bark camps occupied by Indians. That was a}] that was to be seen at that time. Rat Portage and Keewatin lie be- tween the Red River, to the north, at Winnipeg, and the head of navigation at Lake Superior, or, Thunder Bay, as it was then called. I passed through that locality the other day on my way to Wianipeg and what did I find? I found two thriving towns in that spot, and how much d> you suppose they paid the Canadian Pacific Railway Company for freignt eyery year? Over a million dollars per annum. (Cheers). Those places would be represented by a few Indian camps and a log cabin to-day but for the coastruction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and the opening up of that country and the creation of inter- communication. When we brought down the policy of railway construction how were we met? These gentlemen are incap- able of doing anything themselves. They have so long discharged the duty ef ob- structing any person who did undertake to do anything that I should be very much amnused—I shall not live to be amused | know,—by seeing how they would act if they got into power. (Laughter). Bat if [did [am sure I should be quite amused to know how they would undertake not te doa thing becanse they have done nothing since [knew them, (Cheers and laugh- ter).