It is unfortunate that, owing to the absence of verbatim reports, it is impossible to reproduce any of Tilley's speeches during the confederation campaign. No speaker that New Brunswick has ever produced has been more generally acceptable than was Tilley. His speeches were pointed, and so clear that they could not be misunderstood. He possessed, to a very large extent, that magnetism which enabled him to retain the attention and to awaken the sympathy of his audience. At all the meetings which he addressed, there were many who regarded themselves always as his friends and supporters and who formed a phalanx around him, giving him a confidence and political strength which few statesmen have ever enjoyed to a like extent. Although his addresses frequently provoked the bitter animosity of his enemies, he had always enough friends to counteract their influence; and during the many contests which he had to fight for his seat in the city of St. John, he was always able to rely on the loyalty of those who were his early associates and who remained his supporters until the end of his career. It is quite safe to assert that confederation could not have been carried had it not been for the personal efforts of Mr. Tilley. As the leader of the government which had consented to the Quebec scheme, he was properly looked upon as the chief promoter of confederation in New Brunswick, and his name will go down to future generations identified with that large and necessary measure of colonial statesmanship.
THE LEGISLATURE MEETS
Although the vote of the electors had been taken on the question, much remained to be done before confederation could become an accomplished fact. The last elections, which were those of Kings and Charlotte, were held on June 12th, but more than a year was to elapse before the union was effected, and the result which the election was intended to bring about realized. The first thing to be done was to call the legislature together and complete the business of the province, which had been interrupted by the dissolution. The legislature met on June 21st, and the Hon. John H. Gray, who had been an active advocate of confederation, and who was one of the members for the county of St. John, was made Speaker. In the speech from the throne the following reference was made to the question of confederation:—
"Her Majesty's government have already expressed their strong and deliberate opinion that the union of the British North American provinces under one government is an object much to be desired. The legislatures of Canada and Nova Scotia have formed the same judgment, and you will now shortly be invited to express your concurrence with or dissent from the view taken of this great question by those provinces."
The address in reply was moved by Mr. Kerr, of Northumberland, and seconded by Mr. Beveridge of Victoria, and its consideration was made the order of the day for the following Saturday. When it came up for discussion the Hon. Albert J. Smith was not in his place, and Mr. Botsford, one of his colleagues from Westmorland, endeavoured to have the consideration of the matter postponed; but the House was in no humour to await the convenience of any single member, and the address was passed the same day by a vote of thirty to seven. Attorney-General Fisher, immediately on the passage of the address, gave notice of the following resolution, which was to be made the order of the day for Monday, June 26th:—
"Resolved, That an humble address be presented to His Excellency, the lieutenant-governor, praying that His Excellency be pleased to appoint delegates to unite with delegates from the other provinces in arranging with the imperial government for the union of British North America, upon such terms as will secure the just rights and interests of New Brunswick, accompanied with provision for the immediate construction of the Intercolonial Railway; each province to have an equal voice in such delegation, Upper and Lower Canada to be considered as separate provinces."
Mr. Fisher moved the resolution in question in a very brief speech, and was replied to by the Hon. Mr. Smith, who spoke at great length and continued his speech on the following day. Mr. Smith took exception to giving the delegates power to fix the destinies of the provinces forever, without again submitting the scheme of union to the people. He proceeded to discuss the Quebec scheme, and took exception to the construction of the Upper House of the proposed legislature of the confederation, declaring that each province should have an equal number of representatives in it, as was the case in the United States. After going over the ground pretty thoroughly and criticizing most of the terms of the scheme of confederation, he moved an amendment, to the effect that no Act or measure for a union with Canada take effect until approved by the legislature or the people of the province.
A PLAN FOR CONFEDERATION
The Hon. Mr. Tilley replied to the leader of the Opposition in one of the most effective speeches that he ever delivered in the legislature. He first took up Mr. Smith's allusion to the constitutional question, and, with immense power and solemnity, he charged that any want of constitutional action which existed was due to Mr. Smith and his colleagues. He stated that the governor's sympathies were with the late government, and that he had endeavoured to aid and not to injure them. Mr. Smith had alluded to the Hon. Joseph Howe, who was then an opponent of confederation, in terms of praise, and Mr. Tilley, in reply, read from Mr. Howe's speech, made in 1861, a magnificent paragraph on the union of British America. Mr. Tilley stated that the government would take the Quebec scheme for a basis, and would seek concessions to meet the views of those who found objection to parts of it. He mentioned the various counties of the province to show that they were either expressly or potentially favourable to the Quebec scheme. He was convinced that even his friend, the ex-attorney-general and member for Westmorland, was hardly against union. He asked, "Was there one anti-unionist on the floor of the House? Where was Mr. Anglin? Mr. Needham? Mr. Hill and all the rest of the anti-unionists? They were all swept away and unionists had taken their places, and when the arrangements for union were carried out, the feeling in its favour would be deeper and deeper." Mr. Tilley showed the great advantages which would accrue to New Brunswick eventually in consequence of confederation. He combated the statement made by Mr. Smith that after confederation the provincial legislature would become a mere farce, showing that of all the Acts passed during the previous two years there were only seven which would have come under the control of the general legislature. Mr. Tilley closed by dwelling on the impression of power which union would have on the minds of those abroad who were plotting our ruin. The speech was listened to with the utmost attention by the members of the legislature and by a very large audience which completely filled the galleries, and it was generally considered to have been one of his greatest efforts.
SMITH'S AMENDMENT