| Show THE CANADIAN PREMIER PROBABLY there to is no other public man on this side aide of the atlantic whose name is 12 so frequently mentioned as that of sir john macdonald prime minister of canada even in the united states his name is as familiar as that of any of our own statesmen in the politics of canada he has been a prominent figure during the past half century ap he is of scottish ancestry but has no h hereditary eredita ry claims to rank he distinguished yet a young man of twenty he was appointed by the crown to defend a political prisoner named a pole who inaugurated a petty rebellion in canada against british rule Mac macdonaldd Donalds argument in m defense of ranks among the highest efforts of legal oratory but his work was of no avail for was shot in early life sir john was a great reformer and an advocate of liberalism now he be is the most moet staunch defender of royalty and of imperial connections in canada he is at present a knight of the orders of st michael and st george and a member of her ma bestys privy council from the latter honor he is entitled to the prefix right Hont honorable rable 11 it is thought that owing to his hii adms in the recent elections and to his pronounced antagonism to reciprocity with the united states lord salisbury acting under the queens wishes will elevate him to the peerage sir john macdonald would make a successful politician in any country he is a jovial good tempered follow fellow and not at all averse to an occasional season of conviviality his personal following is a immense like mr blaine he has a faculty for remembering names and faces that is 18 astonishing persons whom he bad not seen for years he be can remember and when he be meets one of these he be is apt to ask about every member of the whole family dead or alive his favorite drink is gin and soda this mixture in canada is called a bolli bollans nall some time ago a book entitled the life and times of sir john macdonald was published by a man named edmund collins colline the work was favorable to sir john and it occasioned sar sir richard cartwright to say in the house of commons 1 I think it eminently fitting that a man who during his long career has done justice to so many Collin ses should in the end have a collins do justice to him one of sir johns noticeable characteristics te is pugnacity oliver mow mowat at now premier of ontario at one time censured his policy while speaking in the commons sir john who was sitting in the house at the time hollowed as loud as he could 1 I could lick that fellow quicker than h b 11 could scorch a feather on another occasion he was prevented by the sergeant at arms from striking the late william hume blake he has a rooted dislike for americans or rather yankees J as he calls calle them he contends that canadians are the real americans and that the people of the united states should be dubbed yankees the cartwright WI wiman aan reciprocity cip rocity scheme he nominates denominates de veiled treason it is said that british statesmen pat him on the back for his anti reciprocity views his canada pacific steamer line to japan was supported by lord salisbury in order to affect yankee trade sir john is said to resemble very closely the late lord Beacons beaconsfield field he is thin sallow and cadaverous his wife to is a lady of hebrew parentage she takes better care of him than ever mrs logan did of her late husband in canada judges are appointed by the crown for life they can be removed only by impeachment the thedis history of that country furnishes but a few instances of degraded J Ju dires thisina this is a favorite topic of convere con conversation bation with sir john and he likes to inveigh against the united states method of electing judges he contends that judges must of necessity be corrupt owing to the manner macner of creating them he also condemns the system of party appointments point ments to the civil service in this country he bays it is infamous abominable and demoralizing and that in the end it will ruin the country sir john to is now verging merging on to tout four score he has one son in winnipeg who will inherit his title in case he is made an english peer the leader of the opposition in canada is sir richard cartright Oart right sir hector Lang Lan goven even is leader of the french conservative section and a close friend of sir johns langesen Lang even to is the champion of th the jesuits and it is this which places sir john at present in the most critical position of his life but he is a man of resources and energy and he may surmount the difficulty and end ahi days in public favor and renown |
