ties. The French members in the
Assembly, representing, as they did, nearly the whole population, did
not hesitate to press for the official recognition of their language on
a parity with English.

The question first came up in connection with the election of a
speaker. The French-Canadian members, being in a majority of
thirty-four to sixteen, proposed Jean Antoine Panet. This motion was
opposed by the English members, together with a few of the French
members, who nominated an Englishman. They pointed out that the
transactions between the speaker and the king's {10} representative in
the colony should be 'in the language of the empire to which we have
the happiness to belong.' 'I think it is but decent,' said Louis
Panet, brother of Jean Antoine, 'that the speaker on whom we fix our
choice, be one who can express himself in English when he addresses
himself to the representative of our sovereign.' Yet the majority of
the French members stuck to their motion and elected their speaker.
When he was sworn into office, he declared to the governor that 'he
could only express himself in the primitive language of his native
country.' Nevertheless, he understood English well enough to conduct
the business of the House. And it should not be forgotten that all the
sixteen English members, out of the fifty composing the Assembly, owed
their election to French-Canadian voters.

Almost immediately the question came up again in the debate on the use
of the French language in the publication of official documents. The
English members pointed out that English was the language of the
sovereign, and they contended that the exclusive official use of the
English language would more quickly assimilate the French
Canadians--would render them more loyal. To these {11} arguments the
French Canadians replied with ringing eloquence.

'Remember,' said Chartier de Lotbiniere, 'the year 1775. Those
Canadians, who spoke nothing but French, showed their attachment to
their sovereign in a manner not at all equivocal. They helped to
defend this province. This city, these walls, this chamber in which I
have the honour to speak, were saved partly through their zeal and
their courage. You saw them join with faithful subjects of His Majesty
and repulse attacks which people who spoke very good English made on
this city. It is not, you see, uniformity of language which makes
peoples more faithful or more united.'

'Is it not ridiculous,'