he last these hundreds of hard-headed business men
rose spontaneously to their feet, and, amid tumultuous cheering, by a
unanimous standing vote passed a resolution recommending the {143}
renewal of the treaty. Seldom can orator have won a more signal
triumph.

For a time his anti-federation campaign went merrily, and received an
impetus from the defeat in 1865 of the pro-federation government of New
Brunswick. But Howe reckoned without the unflinching will of Tupper, a
political bull-dog with a touch of fox. Though the province was
obviously against him, the Conservative leader had a majority in the
legislature in his favour. That this majority had been elected on
other issues, and that the proper constitutional course was to consult
the people, mattered not to him. Here was a big thing to do, and he
was not the man to be squeamish on a point of constitutional
correctness. He held his majority together by the strong hand. In
1866 he succeeded in getting a resolution passed, authorizing the
sending of 'delegates to arrange with the Imperial government a scheme
of union which will effectively ensure just provisions for the rights
and interests of the province.' The Quebec Resolutions were not
mentioned, but it was to support the Quebec Resolutions that the
delegates went.

Howe also visited London, and endeavoured to sidetrack the federation
scheme by a {144} revival of his old idea of an organic union of the
Empire with colonial representation in the Imperial parliament. To the
pamphlet in which he put forward his views Tupper published a smashing
reply, which consisted solely of extracts from Howe's own previous
speeches in favour of British North American union. Against Howe he
set Howe, and seldom was an opponent more effectively demolished.
Meanwhile conferences between the representatives of Canada, New
Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, presided over by the British secretary of
state for the Colonies, wrought out the British North America Act. In
March 1867 it became law, and on the 1st of July 1867 it came into
force.

[Illustration: JOSEPH HOWE. From a photograph by Notman, taken about
1871]

What was Nova Scotia to do? At the first election subsequent to
federation, among the nineteen Nova Scotian delegates, Tupper alone of
the Conservatives was elected. Eighteen others, with Howe at their
head, went to Ottawa pledged to secure repeal. In the local house, of
thirty-eight members two only supported