It was the policy that suited
their interests, and they had just as good a right to
look after their interests, he conceded handsomely, as
anybody else. But he did blame the British Government
for holding out hopes, for making definite pledges, to
a young and struggling nation, which they must have known
they would not be able to redeem. He blamed their action
then, and he would blame it now, if the opportunity were
given to them to repeat it, for the opportunity would
pass and the pledge would pass into the happy hunting
ground of unrealizable politics, but not--and Mr Winter
asked his listeners to mark this very carefully--not
until Canada was committed to such relations of trade
and taxes with the Imperial Government as would require
the most heroic efforts--it might run to a war--to
extricate herself from. In plain words, Mr Winter assured
his country audiences, Great Britain had sold them before,
and she would sell them again. He stood there before them
as loyal to British connection as any man. He addressed
a public as loyal to British connection as any public.
BUT--once bitten twice shy.
Horace Williams might riddle such arguments from end to
end in the next day's Express, but if there is a thing
that we enjoy in the country, it is having the dodges of
Government shown up with ignominy, and Mr Winter found
his account in this historic parallel.
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