ay to assist my
English-speaking friends in the Province of Quebec to a proper
understanding of the real meaning and object of this very troublesome
question.

Perhaps you may think it impertinence on my part, but will you not allow
me to say that you owe it to yourselves first of all to look carefully
into this matter. To-day it is a question in Ontario, but to-morrow it
may be a question in Quebec. Don't you owe it to yourselves to consider
this most carefully? But, to put it on a higher ground--because I have
unbounded confidence in the feelings of justice and fair play of the
Protestants in the Province of Quebec--don't you owe it to us
French-Canadians, in both Provinces, to come to our assistance in the
Province of Ontario, where we are seeking the preservation of our most
elementary rights? I think you owe it also to Canada, to Confederation,
to take a part in this matter. I am not trying to convince you of
something which is not right or just or fair, but convince yourselves,
gentlemen, look into these questions, and if you are not satisfied with
the explanations that I have given, come to me, or go to some one else
in whom you may have more confidence, and find out--learn about it all.
Permit me also to say to you, with all the solemnity and earnestness of
which I am capable, that it is your duty, because the present is as
grave and as dangerous a situation as ever arose in Canada. I say Quebec
is as much a partner in Confederation as the other provinces.
Confederation is a partnership in which we are all jointly and severally
responsible for the performance of duties and obligations assumed by
every one of the provinces, and for that reason I am sure--I hope at all
events--that you will agree with me, that it is incumbent upon you to
look into this very serious matter and do what you can to bring about a
just settlement of it.

Nay more, I say in the interests of the Empire--and I am one of those
who believe in some form of a united Empire--though no one seems to have
yet found the formula, yet I hope it will be found some day--is it not
necessary that we should first have national unity, Canadian unity,
before we can seriously consider Empire unity? How are you going to
bring it about? And is national unity, in Quebec, in Ontario, in Canada,
or the British Empire, dependent upon unity of language? How shall we
have a united Empire if all parts must speak the English language? How
and when are you going to c