Up the Gatineau! Article
This article was first published in Up the Gatineau! Volume 18.
Confederation and the Elections of 1867
James Martin
The following is the major portion of a letter written by James Martin of Low, Quebec, to his brother William who had emigrated to Minnesota. U.S.A. in I850. James Martin had arrived in Montreal from Ireland with his father and his family in the 1840s and eventually come up the Gatineau where he settled. A collection of about 100 letters to and from members of his family came into the possession of Stuart Geggie: the relevance of these letters to today's Canada will be readily evident. Members of the Martin family still live in the Low area.
Low, August 16, 1867
Dear William.
...There is no news here just now. The all engrossing topic at present is the elections which are coming off soon. The Confederation Act came in force on July 1st. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Canada are all that are afflicted (sic) by that Act for the present. The other colonies it is thought will soon join.
Upper Canada is now the Province of Ontario, Lower Canada is the Province of Quebec and the whole Confederation is called the Dominion of Canada. Ontario has a local Parliament of one house consisting of 82 members and Quebec has a local Parliament of two houses, the House of Assembly consisting of 65 members and a Senate of 26 members who are to be appointed for life from the 26 Electoral Divisions that used to elect Legislative Councillors.
The Dominion of Canada has two houses: the House of Assembly or Commons to which Ontario will send 82 members. Quebec 65, Nova Scotia 17 and New Brunswick 15; and a Senate the members of which will be appointed for life, 24 from Ontario, 24 from Quebec, and 24 from the other two Provinces. So you see that Upper Canada has a great preponderance in the lower House of the Dominion — 17 members more than Lower Canada.
Each Province will have a Governor who is to hold office for five years and who will be appointed by the Government of the Dominion. John A. Macdonald (now Sir John) is Premier for Canada and his government is composed of 13 members — 5 from Ontario, 4 from Quebec and 2 from each of the other Provinces. The Honourable Mr. Kenny of Nova Scotia is the only Irish Catholic in it. Sir N.F. Belleau is Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec and the Honourable Mr. Chavaw (Pierre J.O. Chauveau] is Premier. His Government is composed of 6 members.
John S. Macdonald is Premier for Ontario. The members of the Parliaments of Canada will be in for [indecipherable] years and the members of the local Parliaments will be in for four, subject in each case to dissolution. So each constituency has two members to elect, one for the general and one for the local Parliament.
The Writs are issued the 7th of this month returnable the 26th of September. In some Constituencies there are half a dozen candidates presenting themselves. For this county we have not so many. The Honourable John Hamilton is appointed for life to be a Senator for the Dominion and there is no opposition to Alonzo Wright for the Confederate Parliament — much to my regret. You would perhaps think from this that the Protestants of this county would be satisfied with these two members where they are such a small minority, but no, they are applying for a Protestant to be appointed for life to the Quebec Senate and Dr. Church, Jr., is a candidate for the Assembly of Quebec, and he is supported by all the Protestants from W. Evans upward and downwards. His opponent is a Mr. McGrewy who erected the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa and who is at present making a macadamized road from the Chaudière to Kirks and is an Irish Catholic. He is supported by G. McGoey, A. Lanny, and several other prominent men. I think he has a good chance of being elected. I believe every Catholic in Wakefield, Low. and Aylmer will vote for him ...
There is great excitement here at present on the subject. I hope this resume of our Canadian politics will have some interest to you although I presume you are more accustomed to hear of Republicans and Copperheads, Democrats and Radicals than of Reformers. Clear Grits, Torys or Conservatives.
...In my next I will let you know something about the crops. As it is near eleven o'clock and I have to rise early I will conclude.
James Martin
P.S. Direct your letters for the future to
Ottawa County,
Province of Quebec
Dominion of Canada
That is the Post Office regulations
J.M.
P.S.S. August 25th
Owing to hurry of work I could not take the letter to the post office nor could I see any person going there so opened again to let you know we are all well up to date. The nomination for the county comes off next Thursday and the polling Thursday and Friday week. McGrewy and McGoey were at Mass in Low last Sunday and made speeches after Mass.
J.M.