I will quote him a little.
"Let us hold," he said simply, "to the Empire. Let us
keep this patrimony that has been ours for three hundred
years. Let us not forget the flag. We believe ourselves,
at this moment, in no danger of forgetting it. The day
after Paardeburg, that still winter day, did not our
hearts rise within us to see it shaken out with its
message everywhere, shaken out against the snow? How it
spoke to us. and lifted us, the silent flag in the new
fallen snow! Theirs--and ours... That was but a little
while ago, and there is not a man here who will not bear
me out in saying that we were never more loyal, in word
and deed, than we are now. And that very state of things
has created for us an undermining alternative...
"So long as no force appeared to improve the trade
relations between England and this country Canada sought
in vain to make commercial bargains with the United
States. They would have none of us or our produce; they
kept their wall just as high against us as against the
rest of the world: not a pine plank or a bushel of barley
could we get over under a reciprocal arrangement. But
the imperial trade idea has changed the attitude of our
friends to the south. They have small liking for any
scheme which will improve trade between Great Britain
and Canada, because trade between Great Britain and Canada
must be improved at their expense.
Pages:
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377