cellency as an apparently
well-founded stigma of disloyalty cast upon his opponents. The official
party accordingly set themselves deliberately to work to disseminate the
belief that the bulk of the Opposition were ripe for treason, and that,
under the guise of agitation for Reform, they concealed a design of
effecting the separation of the colony from Great Britain. It is not
improbable that many of those who industriously circulated the report
did so in good faith, for the language of some of the Reformers, used in
moments of irritation, was of a nature to lead to such a conclusion. No
sooner did this report gain credence than there was a very perceptible
turning of the scale of popular opinion. Many who had grumbled loudly at
Sir Francis's conduct now declared themselves as being on his side. They
favoured the doctrine of a responsible Executive, but devotion to the
mother country was as the breath of their nostrils. Whatever tended to
relax the tie which bound the colony to the Empire was a thing to be
utterly opposed and stamped out. The domination of the Compact was bad,
but even at its worst it was better than separation. So argued many
persons who had always been conspicuous for the moderation of their
political views. The official party of course turned such sentiments as
these to the utmost account. The cry of disloyalty was heard on every
side. The state of the Lower Province, which was rapidly gliding into
insurrection, was triumphantly pointed to as evidence of what was to be
looked for if democratic ideas were allowed to make headway. Twice
within the last four years had the Lower Canadian Assembly resorted to
the extreme measure of refusing to grant supplies to the Government. By
so doing they had embroiled themselves with the Imperial Ministry, and
drawn down upon themselves the indignation of persons of moderate views.
It was no secret that the Upper Canadian Reformers generally were in
sympathy with the projects of Reform entertained by the Lower Canadian
agitators; and it suited the Tories to assume that the sympathy extended
not only to legitimate projects of Reform, but to less openly-avowed
schemes of rebellion. Just before the prorogation Mr. Bidwell had laid
before the Assembly a letter written by Louis Joseph Papineau, Speaker
of the Lower Canada Assembly, wherein the great agitator had given
utterance to sentiments which, read in the light of subsequent events,
cannot be construed otherwise than