Chapter I: Front Matter

[Frontispiece: SIR WILFRID LAURIER 'IN ACTION' After an instantaneous photograph taken during an address in the open air at Sorel, 1911]

THE DAY OF

SIR WILFRID LAURIER

A Chronicle of Our Own Times

BY

OSCAR D. SKELTON

TORONTO

GLASGOW, BROOK & COMPANY

1916

_Copyright in all Countries subscribing to
the Berne Convention_

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PREFATORY NOTE

In conformity with its title, this volume, save for the earlier chapters, is history rather than biography, is of the _day_, more than of the man. The aim has been to review the more significant events and tendencies in the recent political life of Canada. In a later and larger work it is hoped to present a more personal and intimate biography of Sir Wilfrid Laurier.

O. D. SKELTON.

KINGSTON, 1915.

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CONTENTS

Page

PREFATORY NOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
I. THE MAKING OF A CANADIAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
II. POLITICS IN THE SIXTIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
III. FIRST YEARS IN PARLIAMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
IV. IN OPPOSITION, 1878-1887 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
V. LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION, 1887-1896 . . . . . . . . . . 91
VI. LOOKING TO WASHINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
VII. AN EMPIRE IN TRANSITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
VIII. THE END OF A REGIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
IX. NEW MEN AT THE HELM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
X. CANADA'S NEW PLACE IN THE WORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
XI. THE COMING OF PROSPERITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
XII. CANADA AND FOREIGN POWERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
XIII. NATION AND EMPIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
XIV. FIFTY YEARS OF UNION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

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ILLUSTRATIONS

SIR WILFRID LAURIER IN ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_
After an instantaneous photograph taken during
an address in the open air at Sorel, 1911.

SIR ANTOINE AIME DORION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _Facing page_ 12
From a photograph.

PRIME MINISTERS OF CANADA, 1867-1915 . . . . . . . . " 36
From photographs.

GOVERNORS-GENERAL OF THE DOMINION . . . . . . . . . " 48
From photographs by Topley.

VICE-REGAL CONSORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " 64
From photographs by Topley.

HONORE MERCIER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " 90
From a photograph.

SIR WILFRID LAURIER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " 128
From a photograph by Topley.

THE LIBERAL GOVERNMENT FORMED BY MR LAURIER IN 1896 " 168-9
From photographs.

SIR ROBERT BORDEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " 194
From a photograph by Montminy, Quebec.

SIR WILFRID LAURIER IN ENGLAND, 1911 . . . . . . . . " 294
From a photograph.

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