CHAPTER XXII.

SIR GEORGE ETIENNE CARTIER.

BY J. CASTELL HOPKINS.

The Birth of Cartier-Supposed to be Descended from one of the Nephews of Jacques Cartier-Studies at the College of St. Sulpice-Enters upon the Study of Law-Practises His Profession in Montreal-Sides with Papineau in the Rebellion of 1837-After the Defeat of Rebels Cartier Flees to the United States-Returns to Canada-Pardoned by the Government-Returned to Parliament for the County of Verchères-Appointed Provincial Secretary in the Cabinet of Sir Allan McNab-In 1857 Appointed Attorney-General-Visits England in the Interests of a Federal Union-One of the Fathers of Confederation-A Member of the Canadian Assembly for Verchères from 1848 to 1961-Returned for Montreal East in 1861-A Member of the Executive Council of Canada-Entrusted with the Formation of a Government with Sir John A. McDonald—Attorney-General under Sir Etienne Taché—Member of the Colonial Conference, London, 1866-7—Created a Baronet— Minister of Militia and Defence for the Dominion-Influential in Promoting the Construction of the Grand Trunk Railway and the Victoria Bridge-Dies in LondonGeorge Maclean Rose's Summing up of Cartier's Career.

Sir George Etienne Cartier, Minister of Militia, was born in the Village of St. Antoine, in the County of Verchères, on the 6th of September, 1814. It was claimed for him that he was descended from one of the nephews of Jacques Cartier, the adventurous Breton navigator who showed to France the ocean pathways to a possible western empire. But aside from this interesting idea he made for himself in the history of his country a name and fame which, by right of native ability and resolute and fortunate effort, was permanently his own. His immediate ancestors were of the better class of French-Canadians. His grandfather, a successful merchant, was one of the first members chosen for the County of Verchères when the Constitutional Act of 1791 gave to Lower Canada the right to representative institutions.

In Lower Canada during the early days of George Etienne Cartier, as now, two avocations possessed a strong attraction for the more gifted amongst the younger population. These were the Church and the Bar. Cartier chose the

latter. To qualify himself for his intended profession, he pursued, for eight years, a course of study at the College of St. Sulpice, in the city of Montreal After leaving college he entered upon the study of law, and in 1835 began to practise in Montreal. The secret of his success at that time and indeed throughout his life was an industry that never knew cessation, an energy that never faltered, and an ever-present consciousness of his own ability.

And he had scarcely begun the practice of his profession when he was drawn into the political vortex. Louis Joseph Papineau, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly since the year 1817, had been flaming like a portentous meteor in the troubled sky of Canadian politics. Under his influence Cartier fell as did a majority of French-Canadians. By the Constitutional Act, in 1791, Canada was divided into two parts known as Upper and Lower Canada. A Legislature was, by the Act, established in each Province. It consisted of a House of Assembly and a Legislative Council. The people elected the Assembly; and the Crown nominated the Council. Then followed a long conflict between the two Chambers, between the French and the English, between demagogues on the one hand and office-holders on the other. was a very much mixed up contest, and right was sometimes on the one side and sometimes on the other. In the end, the Rebellion of 1837 broke out. Cartier sided with Papineau.

It

After the defeat of the rebels a reward was offered for the apprehension of the leading participants, and although Cartier was not mentioned in the list he fled to the United States. He afterwards returned home secretly and remained in hiding for a time. His seclusion was not of very long duration, however. An intimation from the authorities assured him that on presenting himself in public he would not be arrested. The promise was faithfully kept. For nearly ten years after this escapade M. Cartier took no active part in public life. In 1848, yielding to the pressure of his friends, he was returned to Parliament as the representative of his native County of Verchères.

In 1855, he was appointed Provincial Secretary in the Conservative Cabinet of Sir Allan McNab. He was not eager for office and had previously declined the Commissionership of Public Works. In 1857 M. Cartier began his first session as Attorney-General of Lower Canada in place of Mr.

Drummond. During the next year Messrs. Cartier, Ross and Galt visite England in the interests of a Federal Union, but no action was taken by the Imperial authorities at the time. He took a most prominent part at a later period in the accomplishment of Confederation, and was a delegate at the Charlottetown Conference of 1864, and at the Quebec Conference which followed on Oct. 10. He was at one time president of the Montreal St. Jean Baptiste Society. He declined the Solicitor-Generalship of Lower Canada in 1851, the Commissionership of Public Works in 1853, the Companionship of the Bath in 1867. He was a Government Director of the Grand Trunk Railway from November, 1852, to May, 1853, and was Solicitor to the Company for many years. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Speakership of the Legislative Assembly of Canada in 1854.

Sir George first entered Parliament as a supporter of Messrs. Lafontaine and Baldwin, became afterwards the principal supporter of Messrs. Hincks and Morin, and succeeded to the leadership of the French-Canadian Conservative party on the retirement of Sir L. H. Lafontaine and M. Morin. He sat for Verchères in the Canadian Assembly from 1848 until the general election of 1861, when he was returned for Montreal East, which he represented until the Union, and for which he was an unsuccessful candidate at the general elections 1857 and 1873. He was a member of the Executive Council of Canada from the 27th January, 1855, to 29th July, 1858; from 6th August latter year to 23rd May, 1862, and from the 30th March, 1864, to the Union; and during the several periods was Provincial Secretary from January, 1855, to May, 1856, and Attorney-General, L. C., from the latter date until August 1, 1858, when he resigned office with the other members of the Cabinet. He was appointed Inspector-General on 6th August, 1858. He was entrusted with the formation of a Government with the Hon. John A. Macdonald, in which he held office as Attorney-General, L. C., from 7th August, 1858, until 21st May, 1862, when he and his Cabinet resigned, being defeated on the Militia Bill. He was a second time called upon to form a Government but declined in favor of the late Sir Etienne

Taché, 1864, in whose administration he again held the office of AttorneyGeneral, L. C., a position which he retained until the Union of the B. N. A. Provinces in July, 1867.

He was a member of the Colonial Conference, London, 1866-7, which finally obtained the passage of the British North America Act of 1867. He was sworn a member of the Privy Council of Canada, created a Baronet, and appointed Minister of Militia and Defence for the Dominion on 1st July, 1867, and in January, 1872, was created a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella la Catolica (of Spain). In 1868 he was a delegate to England to confer with the Imperial Government respecting the defences of the Dominion, and the acquisition of the North West Territories.

The Parliamentary Companion of 1872 enumerates some of the public measures which in part or whole owe their existence to Sir George Cartier, as follows: The construction of the Grand Trunk Railway, including the Victoria Bridge; the promotion of Education and the establishment of Normal Schools; the improvement in several particulars of the Criminal Laws; final abolition of Feudal Tenure; determining and settling the laws with regard to Lands in the Townships of Lower Canada; decentralization of Justice in Lower Canada; the Codification of the Civil Law and the Civil procedure of Lower Canada; the Confederation of B. N. A.; the re-organization of the Militia of the Dominion. After his defeat in Montreal in 1873 he was elected for Provencher, Manitoba, but died shortly after in England on May 20. He was given a public funeral in Montreal, at which a multitude of people accorded the last tribute of respect to a great career.

George MacLean Rose in his Representative Canadians, sums up Sir George Cartier's career as follows: "He is looked upon, and perhaps deservedly, by the French-Canadian people as the greatest statesman that the French province has ever produced. M. Cartier was a hard and fast partyist, but a devoted friend of his race. The great secret of his success was his strong ambition, and his almost phenomenal perseverance and energy. In private life his name was always above reproach, and in his public capacity, although, as stated, a conspicuous type of a partyist, very little of definite reproach cliugs about his name. Indeed, some of his admirers, and those

whose statements are entitled to regard, aver that the great statesman made a practice of sacrificing his private interests to those of the public. As a speaker he was sometimes regarded as tiresome, but it would be more correct to say that he was exhaustive. It was customary with those who heard him make speeches to say after he had sat down, that nothing more remained to be said. Every point of value was brought into light, every argument of weight was skilfully marshalled and made to bear in the direction of the speaker's contentions. He had the gift, too, of being master of both English and

French"