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Date: 1865-03-17
By: True Witness
Citation: “No title”, True Witness (17 March, 1865)
Other formats: TBA

On the morning of the 10th instant, after a long debate extending over several weeks, the Ministry by a clever appeal to Parliamentary tactics, known as moving the “previous question,” forced on a division on their Union scheme. It was carried by a large majority, and the members dispersed “singing;” so the journals tell us.

God knows they had little cause to sing or to be glad. At the best, to the Catholics and to the French Canadians, the Union proposed by the Brown-Cartier Ministry can only appear as a painful but necessary alternative, forced upon them by the unfortunate position to which they have been driven. As a less evil than representation by population, “pur et simple,” as less ruinous than annexation to the Northern States, the Ministerial scheme may be accepted conscientiously by Catholics and French Canadians; even as to save his life the wounded soldier will submit to the amputation of a limb, or to save his ship from immediate destruction the sailor will throw his guns overboard, and cut away his masts. Even if a necessary evil, it is none the less an evil and a humiliation; to be accepted in a spirit of Christian resignation rather than in that of congratulation or of triumph. We do not indeed see how the projected Union can in any manner affect the chances of annexation to the neighboring republic—since this is an event which depends entirely upon the issue of the pending struggle betwixt the Northern and the Southern States. — Neither can we perceive any practical difference between the Brown-Cartier Union policy just adopted, and that of the Brown-Dorion Cabinet, which we in common with our [soi?] disant Conservative brethren of the press, had the honor of opposing a few years ago, as ruinous to the autonomy of Lower Canada. Others, however, as competent to judge, and fully as honest as we can pretend to be, may see matters in a different light, and may therefore feel themselves at liberty to accept the Brown-Cartier policy as an evil indeed, but still as a less evil than would be either “Annexation,” on the one hand, or “Rep by Pop, pur et simple,” on the other hand ; but we cannot understand how any Catholic, how any French Canadian, could have found matter for singing and rejoicing over the triumph of a democratic policy which for long years all faithful Catholics, and all who call themselves Conservatives, have steadily opposed. To submit to defeat, to capitulate when resistance is no longer possible is one thing; to grace the enemy’s triumph with shouts of applause is another thing.

History nevertheless furnishes us with several instances of short-sighted mortals singing then, when they should have wept. So Made. de Stael tells us how on the 4th of May, 1789, she sat at an open window at Versailles in company with Made. Montmorin, gazing on the gorgeous spectacle presented by the procession of the States General, then on their way to Church to assist at a solemn High Mass; and how the sun shone bright on the plumes of King, and Princes of the Blood, and nobles of France, on the vestments of the dignitaries of the Church, and on the long array, of the Tiers Etat, she the daughter of Necker, gave way to expressions of joy and exultation, over what she no doubt deemed to be the triumph of her father’s policy, and a pledge that his power as Minister should long continue. “You do wrong to rejoice,” said Made. Montmorin with prophetic insight to her companion; “you do greatly wrong to be glad and to rejoice; for this bodes great misfortunes to France and to ourselves.” So also say we to those who on Friday morning went home singing and rejoicing, and who perchance shall weep ere long over the irretrievable consequences of their party triumph. “You did wrong, greatly wrong in that you rejoiced and in that you sang; for this vote of yours bodes great and irreparable evil to you, to your nationality, and to your religion. You did wrong to sing; unless indeed your song were a dirge, or as the song that the swans sing when their last hour approaches, and when already they feel that hand of death is cold upon them.”