CHAPTER XIX.

THE REFORM CONVENTION OF 1867.-RESOLUTION OF THANKS TO MR. BROWN.-MR. BROWN'S REPLY.

The near approach of the day on which the new system was to be put in operation necessarily caused some anxiety in Mr. Brown's mind. As leader of the liberal party, he was desirous of securing joint, harmonious action at the coming elections. As on two former occasions, he desired to accomplish this object by full consultation with the party. He accordingly issued a call for a convention of reformers, through the Reform Association Committee, on the 13th June, 1867, to meet at Toronto on the 27th June; the executive committee first communicating with and obtaining the approval of members of parliament and candidates, as well as other local associations.

The object to be attained was briefly stated: "To rejoice over the "great success attending their past labours, and to adopt measures "for securing the correction of the abuses so long deplored by the "reform party, and for the infusion of those sound reform principles "into the daily administration of public affairs, to secure which the "constitutional changes now achieved were so long and earnestly "laboured for. For consultation and friendly intercourse amongst prominent men of the party; and to afford an opportunity "of consolidating the party and harmonizing the views of those who were temporarily estranged by the events of late years."

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The response to the proposal was cordial all over Ontario, and on the appointed day about 650 leading men from all quarters met in Toronto. In this magnificent gathering Mr. Brown took the greatest possible interest, though he made no attempt to control its proceedings. It was his desire at this time to retire from Parliament, if this could be accomplished. One gentleman, in a brief speech at the convention, expressed a fear that it was called "to make one man the leader of the "reform party without consideration." Mr. Brown, in presenting the report of a committee, of which he was chairman, a few minutes afterwards, alluded to that remark as follows: He said "he scorned "the imputation. He stood here at the end of twenty-five years "service to the reform party, and he defied any man to show the first "act of selfishness of which he had ever been guilty with reference "to that party. He defied any man to show one word that had ever "crossed his lips, as the representative of the people-one motion

"he ever made-one speech he ever delivered-one vote he ever "gave-which was not in harmony with the principles of the reform "party of Upper Canada. So far from there being any ground for "that imputation, one great cause of this convention being called was "that he might deliver up his trust to the members of the reform "party of Upper Canada, and that they should start with the new "machinery in a position, in respect of unanimity and distinctiveness "of purpose, at least equal to that it occupied when he first took the 66 responsibility of leading the reform ranks. It was unfortunate that "there were some reformers who took up these ideas of the conserva"tive press who, when they could not attack a man because of his votes and speeches, took hold of these flimsy things, 'Oh! George "Brown wants to be the dictator of his party.' And it seemed as "if some reformers, by hearing this so constantly repeated in the "Tory press, really fancied there was some foundation for it. He thought if any answer were necessary to be given to all this trash, "it was to be found in the fact that he gave his vote in the executive "council that there should be a meeting of the representatives of the "people throughout the country, to take the responsibility off the "hands of individuals of declaring what were the principles and measures on which the party should go to the country." These remarks were received with the greatest applause and evidences of sympathy. The silly and stale accusation implied in the speech that Mr. Brown replied to had the effect of evoking their enthusiam for and confidence in him which all popular gatherings manifested as occasions occurred.

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At a subsequent stage of the proceedings this feeling was more strongly shown, when Mr. Currie moved the following resolution, with a view to induce Mr. Brown to withdraw from his declared purpose of not entering parliament again: "That this convention cannot sepa"rate without expressing to the Hon. George Brown the gratitude of "the reform party, of which he has been so long the able leader, for "his services to the people of Canada, and also the earnest hope that "he will reconsider his intention of retiring from parliamentary life, "and accept a position in the legislature of the country."

When the chairman put this motion to the meeting all the people sprang to their feet and gave utterance to their feelings by prolonged cheering, showing how very heartily the whole convention appreciated Mr. Brown's past labours and desired their continuance in parliament. ' He replied briefly, apparently being taken by surprise, and so overpowered by emotion, as to be unable for some time to control his feelings. The following extracts from his speech have some public interest, apart even from their connection with himself:

I hope the members of the convention will grant me their indulgence in the position in which I find myself. I have had but little sleep for several successive nights, and was totally unprepared for the high honour you have done me by the passing of this resolution. But I think it is due to you, and an act of justice to myself, that I should explain the reasons which induced me to decide on retiring from parliamentary life. There were many reasons which, in my opinion, made it desirable, not only on personal but on public grounds, that I should adopt this course. One of these was very strong, and was the reason on which I mainly based it. I entered parliamentary life, in 1851, strongly against my will, inasmuch as I entertained the conviction that the editorship of a leading party journal was, to some extent, incompatible with holding a leading position as a member of the legislature. And I have since learned by many years' experience that the incompatibility is vastly stronger then I had conceived. So strongly have I felt this, that years ago I would have resigned my position in parliament, but that I feared that my doing so might have injured the cause of constitutional reform for which I had struggled so long. As a general rule, the sentiments of the leader of a party are only known from his public utterances on public occasions. If a wrong act is committed by an opponent, or by a friend, he may simply shrug his shoulders and say it is very bad, but no one need know his opinion of the transaction unless it is forced on the consideration of the legislature. But this is not the case with the public journalist. If true to his country, and true to his position, he must speak out, and say wrong is wrong and right is right, no matter whether it offends friend or foe. You have often seen attacks on myself, even by some portions of the reform press, for my having acted firmly in this way. They say, "Mr. Brown has fiercely assailed public men;" but I tell you, if the daily thoughts and the words daily uttered by other public men were written in a book, as mine have been, and circulated all over the country, there would have been a very different comparison from what now exists as between them and myself. I have been in the peculiar position of having a double duty to perform. If I had been simply the leader of a party, and had not controlled a public journal, such things would not have been left on record. I might have passed my observations in the confidence of private life, and nothing more would have been heard of them. But, as a journalist, it was necessary I should speak the truth before the people, no matter whether it helped my party or not; and this, of course, reflected on the position of the party. How often have I had several political friends candidates for the same office-all equally urgent for the support of the journal under my control-and totally unwilling to believe that the candidate supported was the right man in the right place, and best entitled to the office. Frequently, when I have seen a man doing a wrong thing, I may have felt sorry for him as an individual; I may have known the circumstances of temptation under which he was placed, and as a man have felt deeply for him. But as a journalist, I had but one duty to the public to discharge, and that was to maintain a high standard of political morality. And I do not doubt that, when the political history of this country comes to be written, and justice is done to me, as I am sure it will be, it will be seen that when I have been compelled to denounce the conduct of public men, it was because the public interests were at stakeand that the verdict of public opinion has sustained me in every case. Consequently, I have long felt very strongly that I had to choose one position or the other-that of a leader in parliamentary life, or that of a monitor in the public press. And the latter has been my choice, being probably more in consonance with my ardent temperament, and at the same time, in my opinion, more influential; for I am free to say that, in view of all the grand offices that are now talked of-governorships, premierships, and the like-I would rather be editor of the Globe, with the hearty confidence of the great mass of the people of Upper Canada, than

have the choice of them all. No one will fancy that I claim for a moment that in my long career there have not been many mistakes. Human nature is liable to err, and I have a full share of human frailties. But of this I am quite sure, that when the twenty-five volumes of the Globe are examined to find what has been the political history of this country during the last quarter of a century-and a better record of that history does not exist than is to be found in those volumes-it will be found that fair play between man and man, justice and earnestness with regard to all public questions, and an ardent desire to serve the people of Canada, have marked that record from the beginning to the end. In this resolution which has been read to me, I find the confirmation of that which has been my stay and comfort during many years of arduous political contest, when we were hoping almost against hope, when we hardly dared to hope that we would be able to accomplish our great ends within any reasonable period. During those contests, it was this which sustained the gallant band of reformers who so long struggled for popular rights, that, abused as we might be, subjected to reproach and slander as we might be, we had this consolation, that we could not go anywhere among our fellow-countrymen from one end of the country to the other-in Tory constituencies as well as in reform constituencies-without the certainty of receiving from the honest, intelligent yeomanry of the country-from the true, right-hearted, right-thinking people of Upper Canada who came out to meet us-the hearty grasp of the hand, and the heartfelt greeting that amply repaid the labour we had expended in their behalf. That is the highest reward I have hoped for in public life, and I am sure that no man who earns that reward will ever in Upper Canada have occasion to speak of the ingratitude of the people. I have received, at the hands of the yeomen of Upper Canada, far more kindness than my services deserved, and far more than any public man could have a right to expect. But I had another urgent cause for retiring from parliamentary life. You are aware that daily journalism is no light task. A daily journalist has to consume the midnight oil, not only from year to year and from month to month, but from day to day. Seldom does he lay his head upon the pillow until the late hours of the morning; and, with a near relative-who has for a number of years greatly lessened my labours, and taken many responsibilities off my hands-now in infirm health, it seemed to me impossible that I should think of continuing the burden of the two positions. I had looked forward to the triumph of representation by population as the day of my emancipation from parliameutary life, and now that it has come, I resolved to take advantage of it. But I am free to admit that what has now taken place-the announcement of this new coalition-this secession from our party-somewhat alters the case. Where work is to be done for the reformers of Canada, and for the people of Canada, I shall not shrink from it. And I am free to state what isine course I now intend to pursue. I think it is desirable that the members of parliament, and the candidates, who are present, as well as those not here who agree generally with the resolutions we have passed, should have communication together at the earliest moment, and that we should arrange for the political campaign on which we are about to enter. And if it shall be found, in the course of this communication among ourselves, that my services for a short while in parliamentary life can be of use to the party, I shall not refuse. At the same time, I repeat that my determination is not in the slightest degree altered. There is this further difficulty that I encounter in going into parliamentary life, and if my doing so can be dispensed with, I strongly desire that it should be. It is absolutely impossible that I could in any way take upon me an official position -and this was one of the reasons which made me think it exceedingly desirable that I should retire at once-that I might not sit in parliament in the way of those who would become leaders of the party when it assumed office. I thought it would not be just or generous to stand there

as the leader of a party in opposition, taking, perhaps, some popularity away from others who might be called upon to assume the reins of office. But if there is work to be done, and a hard fight to be gone through, probably this can be arranged. We will have a communication with the representative men of the party, and whatever decision is arrived at, I am prepared to bow to their judgment. I again heartily thank the convention for the great compliment they have paid me. I value it above all the testimonials I have received in my public life.