opportunity to declare that he was now a Liberal." On the following day Mr. Tweedie replied to these remarks. He had not changed his policy. He had always been opposed to the Hon. George E. Foster, in Dominion matters, and had supported the present Dominion Government because he considered their policy was helpful to the Province. "I am now simply what I always was--a Province man." He did not believe in running Provincial elections on Federal lines. On April 3rd, following, a deputation representing the Government supporters in the Legislature waited upon the Premier, at Fredericton, and presented him with a pair of carriage horses and an Address. The latter expressed hearty appreciation of the manner in which he had performed his duties as Leader of the party and Premier of the Province.

The Legislature of Prince Edward Island met in its first Session, after the elections of December 12, 1900, on March 19th, and was prorogued on May 10th. The House numbered 23 Liberals and 7 Conservatives, and the Hon. Daniel Gordon acted as Leader of the Opposition. From the date of the re-organization of the Government, on December 28, 1900, following the elections, there were no changes in membership, until a year later, when the retirement of the Premier took place. On October 29th the Hon. Mr. Farquharson had accepted the Liberal nomination for the House of Commons, in East Queen's, in succession to Sir Louis Davies.* Four days later the Charlottetown. Guardian claimed that in doing so he had practically vacated the Premiership, and it proceeded to make suggestions regarding the position. Many, it stated, would like to see the Hon. Benjamin Rogers, Prime Minister, on account of his high character and Prohibition principles. Others, it was added, desired to see the Hon. Robert C. McLeod chosen as being a strong, energetic and economical man, with the qualities of a leader and with keen business ability. The Summerside Journal, though Conservative in politics, endorsed this latter suggestion, while the St. John Globe urged, from the neighbouring Province, that the Hon. James W. Richards was "the most independent and fearless of the public men on the Government side and a man of considerable ability." On December 27th it was announced that Mr. Arthur Peters, K.C., M.P.P., Attorney-General in the Farquharson Government, had accepted the leadership in succession to Mr. Farquharson, who had resigned. The new Government was as follows:

* Early in 1902 Mr. Farquharson was elected over Mr. A. A. McLean, K.C., the Conservative candidate.

In Manitoba the chief political events of the year were the Railway legislation and the Prohibition decision of the Imperial Privy Council. There were no changes in the Government, and the second Session of the tenth Legislature met on February 21st, and was prorogued on March 29th. The House was composed of 25 Conservatives and 13 Liberals. On January 10th the Hon. Hugh John Macdonald, K.C., the late Conservative Premier of the Province, who had resigned to help Sir Charles Tupper and been defeated in Brandon, definitely declared his intention of remaining out of public life. On June 16th, at a banquet held in Killarney, in honour of Mr. George Lawrence, M.P.P., the Hon. Mr. Roblin stated that the establishment of an Agricultural College, the extension of the Provincial boundaries. by acquisitions from the Territories, and the building of sundry branch railway lines, were planks in his general platform. On June 21st the Winnipeg Labour Party held a meeting at which it was decided to form a new organization to be called the Political Reform Union. Its suggested platform included a vigorous denunciation of party government, and of alleged political corruption; urged the abandonment of all partisan ties and independent work along the lines of education and organization; and advocated public ownership of utilities, abolition of the patronage system, the creation of a Civil Service Commission, adult suffrage, Government control of the liquor traffic, proportional representation and adoption of the Hare-Spence system of ballot. During the next few months various meetings were held, under the auspices of the Union, with ex-Mayor A. J. Andrews, of Winnipeg, as one of its chief speakers.

The Government of the North-West Territories during the year 1901 had Mr. F. W. G. Haultain, B.A., at its head as AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner of Education. He had already presided over the various phases of the Territorial Government since the inception of its Executive Council in 1887. On March 2, 1901, Mr. James Hamilton Ross, who had been a member of the Executive Committee, or Government, since 1895, resigned to accept the Dominion post of Commissioner in the Yukon, and was succeeded by Mr. Arthur Lewis Sifton, M.A., LL.B., who was re-elected to the Assembly by acclamation. Speaking of the retirement of Mr. Ross the Alberta Plain-Dealer of March 8th declared that it was a most regrettable event. Mr. Ross had, with Mr. Haultain, been "the moulder of government in these Territories for many years." He was "an able man and one whose opinions on public questions were worthy of respect." On March 22nd two bye-elections took place, and the previous members, who had resigned to unsuccessfully contest seats for the Commons, were returned by large majorities. Both were Conservatives but Mr. R. B. Bennett was an opponent of the Haultain Government while Mr. R. S. Lake was a supporter. In this political connection the Assembly at the beginning of the year had 12 Conservatives, 9 Liberals and 10 who were either independent or without actual party affiliations. The Haultain Government had, however, a substantial majority, the Conservative Premier having a

large Liberal support. He was strongly opposed during the year by many Conservatives in Regina and elsewhere.

British Columbia had a somewhat perturbed political record in 1901. Railway legislation and mining development were the most important incidents of the period and politics came largely into the discussion of these and of educational questions. The Government was supposed to be a non-party one in the sense of Dominion politics, though the Premier was generally considered to be a Conservative, Messrs. Eberts and McBride were admittedly Conservatives, Mr. Prentice had not adopted a party_name and Mr. Wells was a Liberal. The House was made up of 17 Conservatives, 12 Liberals, and 8 members without definitely stated politics. At times the Government majority upon important legislation promised to be large and at other times small. It was always hard to predict with any degree of accuracy. The second Session of the ninth Legislature lasted from February 21st to May 11th and was the scene of some differences between the Government and supporters such as Messrs. Helmcken, McPhillips, Hall, Hayward, Tatlow and Murphy, while upon more than one occasion Mr. Joseph Martin, the nominal Leader of the Opposition, together with Messrs. J. C. Brown, W. W. B. McInnes and one or two others of his following, supported the Government. On September 3rd the ensuing official announce

ments were made:

The Hon. John Herbert Turner, M.P.P., resigns the position of Minister of Finance and Agriculture and becomes Agent-General for the Province in London. The Hon. Richard McBride, M.P.P., Minister of Mines, resigns his position. Mr. John Cunningham Brown, a member of the late Martin Ministry, is appointed Provincial Secretary and Minister of Education.

The Hon. James Douglas Prentice, M.P.P., is appointed Minister of Finance and Agriculture.

A political crisis and much keen controversy followed this appointment of Mr. Brown. The Dunsmuir Government had been originally formed to represent the elements elected as a protest against Mr. Martin's policy and personality and the announced appointment of a former member of that politician's short-lived Ministry, and a present supporter of his party, caused pronounced criticism throughout the Province. Mr. McBride's resignation was the first result and the second was a vigorous contest in New Westminster between Messrs. Brown and Thomas Gifford for the seat in the Legislature vacated by the former's acceptance of office. The allusions of public men to these incidents were not veiled. Mr. J. F. Garden, M.P.P, of Vancouver, a Conservative and nominal supporter of the Government, told the Province of September 3rd that the action of Mr. McBride in resigning was "manly and straightforward" and the policy of the Dunsmuir Cabinet in this connection disloyal to those who had hitherto stood by it. "The betrayal of the Government party by the Premier is to my mind nothing but an outrage." Mr. R. G. Tatlow, M.P.P., declared the Premier's conduct "fully justifies my action in leaving a caucus of

the Government party last April." He thought that Mr. Martin had acquired a complete ascendency over the Premier and expressed his intention of supporting Mr. McBride to the extent of his ability.

The Vancouver News-Advertiser, under the control of Mr. F. CarterCotton, a member of the late Semlin Government, also took strong ground against the apparent combination of the Government and Martin parties. Mr. Joseph Martin, in the Vancouver World of September 4th, declared that Messrs. Helmcken, McPhillips, Tatlow and Garden had tried to defeat the Government upon their railway policy during the past Session but that when they found that he and his followers intended to support the measure they had weakened. Mr. Dunsmuir owed them nothing and it was only natural that the vacancy should be offered to one of the Opposition members who had stood by him at a crisis. Meanwhile, in an interview at Victoria, Mr. McBride stated that he had resigned because by including a Martinite in his Government, Mr. Dunsmuir had betrayed his party. Mr. Smith Curtis, a Liberal-Labour leader, had already withdrawn his support from Mr. Martin and he now denounced Mr. Dunsmuir as having paid the price demanded for Martinite support and as having betrayed his old-time followers. The Victoria Colonist, the principal press supporter of the Premier, stated that all this opposition was personal and of a piece with the petty character of the politics which it declared to have long afflicted the Province. Specific acts of policy must now be the line of demarcation.

As a whole the press of the Province was hostile to the Government's action and to Mr. Brown's admission. In the campaign which followed at New Westminster, Messrs. McBride and Smith Curtis fought energetically for Mr. Gifford, and the new Minister was assisted by the Hon. W. C. Wells, a member of the Government, Mr. G. R. Maxwell, M.P., and Mr. Joseph Martin. On September 18th it was found that Mr. Brown was defeated by a majority of 52. On October 3rd he resigned his place in the Government. Of this result the Vancouver Province declared, on September 19th, that it endorsed Mr. McBride's action, made him the legitimate and recognized Leader of the Opposition, called for the resignation of the Government and for a Ministry led by Messrs. McBride and Smith Curtis. The Executive of the British Columbia Liberal Association met on October 4th under the chairmanship of Senator Templeman and declared that the only way of ending existing disturbances and difficulties was to frankly adopt Dominion party lines in Provincial politics. This proposal had been already favoured in various though fluctuating degrees amongst both Liberals and Conservatives for some time-chiefly as a means of escaping from a possible conflict along Labour-union and anti Labour-union lines. The retirement of the Hon. Mr. Turner from the Legislature left a vacancy in the Assembly for Victoria and this was contested in a vigorous campaign, lasting through November and December, by Messrs. E. V. Bodwell, K.C., and Lieut.-Col. the Hon. E. G. Prior, who had lately been unseated

from the House of Commons and who now ran for the Assembly as a supporter of the Provincial Government.*

Retirement

of Sir Charles Tupper

On February 5th, in anticipation of the immediate opening of Parliament, some seventy Conservative Senators and members of the Commons met at Ottawa to consider a formal communication from Sir Charles Tupper, Bart, G.C.M.G., C.B., resigning the Leadership of the Party. The resignation itself had been announced shortly after the general elections of November 7, 1900, as pending, and the communication which was now read and made public was dated January 17, 1901. In it Sir Charles spoke with affection of the party with which he had been identified for forty-five years of public life; declared that its principles were now finally established in the administration of affairs, and the policy of Sir John Macdonald and his colleagues fully vindicated; referred to the creation of Confederation, the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the development of Protection and the maintenance of British connection as its crowning achievements; and urged the establishment of a fast Atlantic steamship line and the formation of an Imperial Preferential trade union as the present and future policy of Canadian Conservatism. He concluded in the following words: "My feeling toward the people of Canada is one of profound gratitude for the confidence reposed in my political associates and myself for so many years; and I accept with equal readiness the adverse judgment which places our party still in Opposition. It may be that I acquiesce in this judgment the more readily that it releases me personally from duties and responsibilities too onerous for my years. I can wish my successor in leadership no better fortune than that he should enjoy the same support and the same unfailing kindness that has always been extended to me."

The resignation was accepted and a communication, endorsed by the gathering and signed by Mr. W. R. Brock, M.P., as Chairman, was submitted to the late Leader in reply. In it he was thanked for the character of his farewell address; praised for the "devotion and unquestioned ability and unfaltering courage" which during the last five years had won for him the abiding gratitude of friends and the sincere admiration of opponents; and described as having, since the days before Confederation, "unsparingly given to your country the benefits of your talents, your eloquence and your energy." The event had been so long anticipated, owing to its announcement nearly two months before, that immediate comments by the press were not numerous. But there had been many references during preceding weeks to the pending event and to the memories of historical politics and popular conflicts which it evoked. Admiration for Sir Charles Tupper's unbounded strength of will and physical energy-he was born on July 2, 1821-was accorded by his friends and opponents alike and there seemed to be a general willingness to recognize him in retirement as one of the great figures of Canadian history.

Early in the new year Colonel Prior was elected and entered the Provincial Government.