Document Information
Date: 1866-11-10
By: Montreal Herald
Citation: “Something Which We Should Like to Know” Montreal Herald (10 November 1866).
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SOMETHING WHICH WE SHOULD LIKE TO KNOW.—On Saturday last—a week ago to-day—our conservative contemporary the Gazette informed us that he had in hand a scathing criticism upon the modest remonstrance of the Lower Canadian Parliamentary minority against the attempts now being made to have Confederation enacted by the Imperial Parliament, without the previous consent of the people of Canada, given in some mode known to the British Constitution under which we live. The remonstrance itself was represented as a very weak and trumpery affair, whose demolition, therefore, was a thing of the most easy execution, and as we have already stated, this scathing rebuke was stated to be ready for publication at a moment’s warning. Between that time and this our contemporary has issued several numbers of his invaluable journal; but somehow the “scathing” affair, which he was compelled to bottle up only temporarily, no less than a week ago, has not yet seen daylight. We confess to have felt considerable anxiety for the future peace of mind of the gentlemen whom this thunderbolt was morally to annihilate, and, having a friendly sentiment for some of them, we rejoiced even in the respite and breathing time which was thus afforded them. But as uncertainty and suspense are reported to be the most painful of all mental conditions, we must protest against the cruelty of keeping the blow hanging over the heads of the victims any longer. Perhaps our contemporary was only using a professional latitude of expression, when he said that he had in hand the paper which was to use up the remonstrants for all time coming; perhaps, when he said the document was a “scathing” one, a week ago, he only meant that it would certainly be scathing some day or other. But even then, it surely could not require seven whole days of labour on the part of the powerful intellects, whom our contemporary can call to his aid, in order to forge a weapon strong enough to destroy or break an argument as the “remonstrance” is said to be. We protest against this dangling of death before the eyes of the doomed; if they are to die let the execution be done quickly and mercifully, or people will think that it cannot be done.