Produced by Al Haines [Frontispiece: SIR WILFRID LAURIER 'IN ACTION' After an instantaneous photograph taken during an address in the open air at Sorel, 1911] THE DAY OF SIR WILFRID LAURIER A Chronicle of Our Own Times BY OSCAR D. SKELTON TORONTO GLASGOW, BROOK & COMPANY 1916 _Copyright in all Countries subscribing to the Berne Convention_ {vii} PREFATORY NOTE In conformity with its title, this volume, save for the earlier chapters, is history rather than biography, is of the _day_, more than of the man. The aim has been to review the more significant events and tendencies in the recent political life of Canada. In a later and larger work it is hoped to present a more personal and intimate biography of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. O. D. SKELTON. KINGSTON, 1915. {ix} CONTENTS Page PREFATORY NOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii I. THE MAKING OF A CANADIAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. POLITICS IN THE SIXTIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 III. FIRST YEARS IN PARLIAMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 IV. IN OPPOSITION, 1878-1887 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 V. LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION, 1887-1896 . . . . . . . . . . 91 VI. LOOKING TO WASHINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 VII. AN EMPIRE IN TRANSITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 VIII. THE END OF A REGIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 IX. NEW MEN AT THE HELM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 X. CANADA'S NEW PLACE IN THE WORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 XI. THE COMING OF PROSPERITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 XII. CANADA AND FOREIGN POWERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 XIII. NATION AND EMPIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 XIV. FIFTY YEARS OF UNION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 {xi} ILLUSTRATIONS SIR WILFRID LAURIER IN ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_ After an instantaneous photograph taken during an address in the open air at Sorel, 1911. SIR ANTOINE AIME DORION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _Facing page_ 12 From a photograph. PRIME MINISTERS OF CANADA, 1867-1915 . . . . . . . . " 36 From photographs. GOVERNORS-GENERAL OF THE DOMINION . . . . . . . . . " 48 From photographs by Topley. VICE-REGAL CONSORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " 64 From photographs by Topley. HONORE MERCIER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " 90 From a photograph. SIR WILFRID LAURIER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " 128 From a photograph by Topley. THE LIBERAL GOVERNMENT FORMED BY MR LAURIER IN 1896 " 168-9 From photographs.