the provincial burden and made
the Island railway part of the state system of railways. Prince Edward
Island joined the union on July 1, 1873, and has contributed its full
quota of brain and energy to the upbuilding of Canada.

Newfoundland definitely rejected union in the general election of 1869,
and only once since has it shown an inclination to join the Dominion.
During the financial crisis of 1893 delegates from Newfoundland visited
Ottawa and sought to reach a satisfactory {176} arrangement. But the
opportunity was allowed to pass, and the ancient colony has ever since
turned a deaf ear to all suggestions of federation. But it is still
the hope of many that the 'Oldest Colony' will one day acknowledge the
hegemony of Canada.

[1] _Memoirs_, vol. ii, p. 150.

{177}

CHAPTER XIV

THE WORK OF THE FATHERS

The lapse of fifty years should make it possible for us to value the
work of the Fathers with due regard for historical truth. Time has
thrown into bold relief the essential greatness of their undertaking
and has softened the asperities of criticism which seem inseparable
from all political movements. A struggle for national unity brings out
the stronger qualities of man's nature, but is not a magic remedy for
rivalries between the leading minds in the state. On the contrary, it
accentuates for the time being the differences of temperament and the
clash of individual opinions which accompany a notable effort in
nation-making. But distance from the scene and from the men furnishes
a truer perspective. The Fathers were not exempt from the defects that
mark any group of statesmen who take part in a political upheaval; who
uproot existing conditions and disturb settled interests; and who bid,
each {178} after his own fashion, for popular support and approval.
The chief leaders in the federation movement survived to comparatively
recent years. The last of them, Sir Charles Tupper, died in the autumn
of 1915. All were closely associated with party politics. There yet
live many who walked and talked with them, who rejoiced with them in
victory and condoled with them in defeat. It were vain to hope that
the voice of faction has been silenced and that the labours of the
Fathers can be viewed in the serene atmosphere which strips the mind of
prejudice and passion. And yet the attempt should be made, because the
founders of Canada are entitled to share the fame of those who made the
nineteenth