Unravelling the Mystery of Canada’s ‘Annexation Movement of 1849’ – Part 6

by Gerald Therrien.

Part 6 – The British Response

statue of Lord Elgin (in front of the parliament building in Quebec City)

Before the ‘Annexation Address’ was published on October 11^th in the Montreal papers, Governor Elgin had already left Montreal (in early September) and, by early October, the Legislative Council members had also left Montreal – to move the government to Tory Toronto.

Elgin would leave Lower Canada, now called Canada East [Quebec], with the British North American League favoring a union of the British North American colonies (that the British wanted), and with the Reformers favoring reciprocity with the United States (that the British also wanted). Elgin was only worried about two things – one, was his desire for a British Peerage, of course, but two, was his ability to contain the annexation movement.

Although it was the Montreal Tory newspapers that were fanning the flames of annexation propaganda, the English-Canadien signers of the ‘Annexation Address’ in Montreal however, were not only the enraged Tory politicians – like J.J.C. Abbott (who would become a future prime-minister of Canada) and prominent Montreal businessmen  –  like William and John Molson, John and David Torrance and John Redpath (who would become president of the Annexation Association). The signers included members of the Montreal Free Trade Association – like John Glass, Henry Chapman, Thomas Kay, Luther Holton and Benjamin Holmes (who was a Reformer and an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly), but also included members of the Association for the Encouragement of Home Manufactures – like William Workman, David Vass, and Jacob De Witt (a Reformer and elected member of the Legislative Assembly), and included as well, a small group of French Canadiens signers from L’Avenir.

[a very mixed and diverse grouping, that was stuck onto the young ‘Papineau-istes’.]

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Note: Although many members of the Free Trade Association signed the Annexation Address, John Young, the president of the Association, did not, but he became a leader of the anti-annexation movement and organized an anti-annexation address. However, while Young did campaign against annexation in 1849, he would later see the error of his ways (?!?), and by the late 1860’s, it is claimed, he would oppose confederation, would lobby in New York in favor of annexation, and would support a ‘Zollverein’ between Canada and the United States!

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Although many residents in the Eastern Townships favored annexation, and even obtained the support of their local legislators – including Alexander Galt (who would become a future Finance Minister of Canada), it was difficult for the English and French to work together – because the Montreal Tory press and their campaign for annexation was rooted in anti-French arguments – to end French dominance of the provincial government.

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Note: ‘The French Press there [i.e. Montreal] is partly annexationists and partly ministerial – but of course no one either in Upper Canada, in the United States, or in England ever reads a word in the French Journals … this portion of the Press has therefore no influence on public opinion whatsoever out of Lower Canada …’

‘the Herald, Gazette, and Courier … all are bitterly opposed to the French, and to constitutional government which gives the French a share in the government of the country …’ (Elgin to Grey, November 1^st, 1849)

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But Elgin was truly worried about that small number of French Canadien signers of the Annexation Address – the young ‘Papineau-istes’, whose reasons for supporting annexation were based, not on their desire for financial gain by joining the Union, but on their desire for a more democratic form of government and on their insistence that only by joining the United States could the French Canadien culture be preserved – not by going along with the British colonial system in order to assure ‘la survivance’ (the LaFontaine Reformers’ reason for supporting the Act of Union – mere survival).

Without the French Canadien reformers’ support, there would be no Act of Union! Following the example of the tactics used in the land settlement scheme, the French press were needed to separate the ‘Papineau-istes’ from the church. 

Les Melanges, La Minerve and Le Journal argued that the ‘les rouges’ – as the young ‘Papineau-istes’ came to be called, were supporting the anti-French Tories of the British American League; were supporting Mazzini & Garibaldi, and not Pope Pie IX; and were supporting the repeal of tithing and the abolition of seigneurial tenure (the Church owed large seigneurial lands). Abbe Charles Chiniquy, who was leader of the Temperance Society, was recruited by Les Melanges to write articles attacking L’Avenir and annexation. As the church moved toward anti-annexation, it became difficult for ‘les rouges’ to garner support for annexation among les habitants.  

Governor Elgin decided to leave Montreal, supposedly, for his ‘health’ and for a grand tour of Canada West [Ontario] – and not because of the Tory riots nor the physical abuse that he had suffered. But Elgin’s real reason for his trip was his efforts to promote reciprocity with the United States – as the way to stop annexation.

 “I left Monklands on Wednesday and came here direct in the hope, among other things, of meeting the President of the U.S. – He left however the day before my arrival which I much regret.” (Elgin to Grey, September 9^th)

“There will be no response [i.e. to the annexation address] in Western Canada if I can succeed in keeping the seat of Government here [i.e. Toronto].” (Elgin to Grey, October 11^th)

“My own conviction is that our return to Montreal at present would give a great impulse to the annexation movement in Upper Canada, and that the members could not pass a session there in the present temper of men’s minds without being themselves to a great extent corrupted.” (Elgin to Grey, October 19^th)

“The crisis is certainly a very serious one – it may lead not improbably to a break up of parties – if it splits the French it will be a consummation devoutly to be wished. Toronto is the most Tory place in Canada – It contains 25,000 people and I am assured that in the town and neighbourhood there are not less than 25 Orange Lodges.” (Elgin to Grey, October 19^th)

“I believe that if we had returned [i.e. to Montreal], this complex iniquity would have worked the desired result – and that the annexation mania would have spread rapidly through Upper Canada … Every thing depends on this section of the Province and the removal of the seat of government was absolutely necessary to keep it right – even the bugbear of French domination is made less frightful by our coming to the most British and Tory town in North America – But I say it again with all solemnity, Canada cannot be saved unless you force the selfish scheming Yankees to concede reciprocity.” (Elgin to Grey, October 25^th)

After failing in his attempt to meet the President of the United States, Zachary Taylor, Elgin then began his tour of the districts in Upper Canada, now called Canada West, where he would receive addresses of welcome from the district councils and from the neighbouring town councils – travelling to Niagara, Port Dover, Guelph, London, and finally, on October 11^th – the day the Montreal Annexation Address was issued, arriving in Toronto where ‘a great meeting is to be called here immediately where men of all parties will muster to protest against it’.  [what incredible timing!]

An address was drawn up to be circulated for signatures that:

“we, the undersigned inhabitants of the City of Toronto and the Home District, in allegiance to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, do hereby solemnly protest against a movement recently made in the City of Montreal for the annexation of the province to the United States of America. However great may be the depression, commercial or otherwise, under which the province has laboured, and however much mistaken or injurious the policy and conduct which the mother country has pursued toward us, we still unhesitatingly declare that there is nothing in what has occurred, or now exists, to warrant an attempt so revolutionary in its character, and so repugnant to our feelings, as that which seeks the dismemberment of the glorious empire of Great Britain, by transferring this colony to a foreign power …” 

Both Tories and Reformers in Canada West [Ontario] worked together in signing the address. The Tory papers (the Patriot and the Colonist) attacked annexation – it would not solve the problem of economic decline and of French domination; and the Reform paper (the Globe) attacked annexation and called for the government to dismiss any official who signed the annexation address.

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Note: The Globe would claim that the absence of manufacturing in Canada was due to the more profitable employment of capital in agricultural and other pursuits (!?!) and that a similar deficiency of railroads in Canada, as compared with the United States, was due to the superior means of water transportation which Providence had bestowed upon the province (!?!)

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Even the Examiner, the paper of the radical wing of the Reformers who tended to support annexation, opposed annexation – warning that ‘the continued denial of reciprocity by the Americans was likely to keep it alive’; and it printed letters from William Mackenzie (one of the rebels of 1837) from exile in the United States, who warned the Examiner ‘to steer clear of the annexationist reef’ and the perils of annexation – that:

“every effort man could make would have been made by me, not only to keep Canada separated from this country, but also to preserve the British connection, and to make that connection worth preserving.”

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Note: The Examiner, while opposed to annexation, wished to use the issue to further their criticism of the Baldwin ‘reformers’. The young editor of the Examiner, Charles Lindsey, had begun meeting at that time with other young radicals, like William McDougall, Charles Clarke and David Christie, and that would become the ‘Clear Grit’ wing of the reform party. 

Although it was modelled on the British (Chartist) reform movement and the Manchester school, it was sold to ‘les rouges’ as their natural allies in Canada West – they were striving to gain the same thing as the annexationists, though by somewhat different means – ‘the annexationists, therefore, should support the Clear Grit Party and their principles with all their might’.

[An alliance with British liberalism that would be the kiss of death.]

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With the annexation movement isolated to Montreal, the British government could now move to crush it. 

“I do not attach much importance to the petition for annexation which is getting up at Montreal – with the feeling which now seems to exist both in the Upper & Lower provinces generally, little danger is likely to result from this move of a few factious & discontented people in that Town, more especially if the United States meet us fairly on the question of trade, which I am inclined to believe that they will; their having so promptly met our concessions on the subject of the Navigation Laws gives one more hope for the reciprocity bill’ (Grey to Elgin, October 30^th)

“Very much, as respects the result of this annexation movement depends upon what you do at home. I believe that a great many who have taken a part in it ardently hope that you will pronounce yourself strongly against it – (by you I mean the British Government and Parliament) – in which case they will withdraw protesting that they never intended to take any step in the matter without the full approval of Britain … I am prepared to contend that with responsible government fairly worked out and with free trade there is no reason why the colonial relation should not be indefinitely maintained.” (Elgin to Grey, November 15^th)

Grey would firstly, threaten to cancel any British funding of any infrastructure projects in Canada – especially of the proposed railway to link the Maritime Provinces to the Province of Canada (the bribe being used to entice the Maritimes provinces into joining the scheme for confederation) – and to blame the cancellation on the annexationists! And then to set up his military threat! – in keeping with the Empire’s plan to preserve the colonial Act of Union and then to continue with the Empire’s plan for free trade subversion of the United States.

“The account you now give of the state of affairs is I think on the whole satisfactory & I trust the annexation cry will subside, the movement however has already had this bad effect that it rendered it out of the question our proposing to give any pecuniary aid to the Railway [i.e. from Quebec to Halifax] or any other public work in Canada – Before this movement I was not quite without hopes that something might have been done to promote this undertaking; I think you might contrive to have it pointed out in the newspapers that the annexationists must obviously have destroyed any chance there was of assistance of this kind from us, as of course Parliament could not be asked to give public money for works in Canada when there is a party proclaiming that their object is annexation.” (Grey to Elgin, November 16^th)

“I think you should write to me an Official Despatch on the annexation movement on which I may found a pretty strong Despatch condemning those who have joined in it & saying that the Queen does not doubt the attachment of the great majority of Her Canadian Subjects & sets a high value upon it – In writing to me I think you ought to take a pretty confident tone & above all to avoid any language which can be taken to imply that failing to get ‘reciprocity’ with the United States would afford the slightest reason for the Canadians to wish for annexation.” (Grey to Elgin, November 23^rd)

“I am as much convinced as you are that nothing but the thorough and cordial adoption by us of the principles of constitutional government could have prevented the overthrow of our power in Canada; & however little credit we may get for it I am persuaded that if the retention of the colony is an object to this country, to you and myself this is principally true; – if we had acted on the views of our predecessors with regard to the Rebellion losses bill, & as to the duty of giving the support of the Crown to the ‘loyal party’ (a name they will probably drop now) Canada would have been gone by this time … Looking then to a speedy return of prosperity all we have to do in the mean time is to take all the pains we can to keep up the courage of the friends of British Connection & to check the agitation of the question of annexation – I trust that the despatch I have sent you by this mail & which I presume you will publish in the Gazette will be of some use to you in this respect.” (Grey to Elgin, January 10^th 1850)  

Grey would then move to threaten the annexationists with military force, [so much for the veneer of British Whig liberalism, and the true face of the British Empire!] and issue his despatch that:

“With regard to the Address to the people of Canada in favour of severing the Province from the British Dominions, for the purpose of annexing it to the United States … I have to inform you that Her Majesty approves of your having dismissed from Her Service those who have signed a document which is scarcely short of treasonable in its character. Her Majesty confidently relies on the loyalty of the great majority of her Canadian subjects, and she is therefore determined to exert all the authority which belongs to her for the purpose of maintaining the connection of Canada, being persuaded that the permanence of that connection is highly advantageous to both. Your lordship will therefore understand that you are commanded by Her Majesty to resist, to the utmost of your power, any attempt which may be made to bring about the separation of Canada from the British Dominions, and to mark in the strongest manner Her Majesty’s displeasure with those who may directly or indirectly encourage such a  design.” (January 9^th 1850) 

Recall that the ‘Annexation Address’ contained the ‘poison-pill’ – ‘without her consent, we consider separation as neither practicable nor desirable’ – and so, with Grey’s despatch, the Tories exercised their parachute clause and their support for annexation would quite rapidly disappear.

[next week – part 7 – the Aftermath]