"Considering that Great Britain's aspiration, for a long time past, has been universal domination by means of her military naval power; "Whereas England is unfair against France in using her as a shield against German invasion; "Considering that England is exercising by all possible means a strong pressure upon the Colonies for her only benefit; "Considering _that all the social leaders have united to demoralize the conscience of the people, to poison their mind, to set their vigilance at sleep, and to represent to them as a national duty what would formerly have been considered as a betrayal of national interests_; "Considering _that England is trying to crush Germany, being afraid of her colonial expansion and her maritime and commercial competition_; "Whereas our compatriots of the British races have many faults; _that they are ignorant, assuming, arrogant, overbearing and rotten with mercantilism_; "Considering that they have acquired _many of the worst vices of the Yankees_; "Considering that Canada should never participate, outside of her own territory, in the wars of the British Empire; "Considering that the Canadian Cabinet and Parliament are criminally guilty of having ordered the organization of a Canadian army to go and fight against Germany on the French territory, and in authorizing the payment of the cost of this military expedition; "Be it "Resolved", that this meeting energetically protest against the declaration of war against Germany by His Majesty King George V, _without the assent of the Canadian Cabinet_, to defend Belgium's territory invaded by Germany violating solemn treaties; "That this meeting is of opinion that, for the purpose of favouring the restoration of peace as soon as possible, England should notify all the Powers that she abdicates for ever her supremacy on the seas, which supremacy Germany could hereafter safely exercise; "That this meeting being absolutely convinced that _the maintenance of a compact British Empire is the most permanent provocation against the peace of the world_, is strongly of opinion that Great Britain should, in order to quiet the fears of the Nations friendly to peace and opposed to militarism, like pacifist Germany, dissolve her Empire, at once acknowledging the immediate independence of India and of all her autonomous Colonies; "That this meeting's formal opinion is that the Canadian Parliament's imperious duty is to order without delay the dissolution of the British bond of connection, _which would be a public benefit_, and to proclaim the immediate independence of Canada; "That a copy of the present "Resolution" be addressed to His Excellency the Governor General, to the Members of the Federal Cabinet, to the Senators and to the Members of the House of Commons." The italics in the above draft "Resolution" and "Preamble" are quoted from Mr. Bourassa's writings.