great ability, his
point of view remained {147} provincial to the end. In his heart of
hearts Nova Scotia rather than Canada ever held first place. No more
upright man ever breathed. He had a fierce intolerance of the
slightest departure from absolute rectitude. The case of a chief clerk
in the Civil Service, who had committed serious irregularities in
connection with the public funds, once came up before the Cabinet.
Thompson, always severe in such matters, considered that the gravity of
the offence called for dismissal, but to this Macdonald would not
consent, holding that reduction in rank to a first-class clerkship,
with corresponding loss of salary, would be sufficient punishment. It
was seldom that Macdonald, in the ordinary course of administration,
interposed his paramount authority as first minister, but, though the
Council as a whole rather inclined towards Thompson's view, Macdonald
insisted that the more merciful punishment should be imposed. Thompson
was angry, but said nothing more at the time. Not long afterwards a
third-class railway mail clerk, with a salary of $500 a year, got into
similar trouble. 'What shall be done with this man?' asked Macdonald
at the Council Board. There was a moment's pause, which was broken by
the bland {148} suggestion from Thompson that, 'following precedent, he
be made a first-class clerk.'

Thompson had a caustic wit. A certain inventor of Toronto, who had
devised an ingenious means for safeguarding level railway crossings,
had long bombarded Sir John Macdonald with applications for Government
patronage. When Sir John became minister of Railways in 1889, the
inventor thought that his day had at last arrived. He went post-haste
to Ottawa, obtained the requisite permission, and installed his models
in a room belonging to the Railway department. One day Macdonald and
Thompson happened to come along the corridor going to Macdonald's
office. The inventor, who had been lying in wait, pressed them to step
aside for a minute and inspect his models. Sir John, seeing no escape,
said to his companion, 'Come along, Thompson, and let us see what this
fellow's got to show us.' Thompson hated mechanical contrivances, but
there was no way out of it, so he followed the chief. The delighted
inventor felt that he had at last realized his desire, and was in great
form. He volubly descanted on the frequent loss of life at level
crossings and proceeded to show his devices for l