The creation of Manitoba : or, A history of the Red River troubles

Chapter I

Conduct of the Hudson's Bay Company Justified — Negotiations for the Transfer of the Territory to Canada — Meetings of French Half- Breeds — Col. Dennis — Hon. Joseph Howe on a Tour of Inspection — A Rebel Council Formed — Apathy of the English-Speaking Settlers — Arrival of Hon. Mr. McDougallj at the Frontier— The Taking of Fort

Garry 1

Chapter VI

Shawman and the Sioux Indians — The Settlement Alarmed and Arming — Governor McDougall takes Possession of Rupert's Land as Part of the Dominion— Port Garry Pillaged — Scott and others Arrested -Canadians in Schultz's House Besieged — After parley, their Surrender and Imprisonment 146

Chapter VII

Declaration of the Insurgents— Snow and Dr. Bown forced to leave the Settlement — Failure of the Attempt to free the Prisoners — Letters of Bishop Machray, Hon. Joseph Howe and Col. Dennis 166

Chapter VIII

Arrests Continue — Departure of Col. Dennis — Hon. Mr. McDougall's Letter to Riel — His Communication to Cov. MacTavish — Hon. Mr. Mc- Dougall and Party leave Pembina 182

Chapter IX

Riel Levies a Requisition on the Hudson Bay Company — O'Donoghue and the Fenians — Indian Scare — The Sioux in Council Assembled — Grand Vicar Thibault and Col. de Salaberry arrive as Commissioners— Letters of Instructions from Hon. Joseph Howe 193

Chapter X

Mr. Donald A. Smith Produces his Credentials as Commissioner — Riel attempts to obtain them by Force— A Mass Meeting is held, whereat Letters of Instructions from the Govern or- General and Hon. Joseph Howe are read — Delegates to be appointed from every Parish in the Settlement 218

Chapter XI

Americans Meeting at Winnipeg — Their Resolutions— Election of Delegates — Proclamation of the Governor-General — Meeting of the Delegates — List of Rights— Stormy Discussions thereon 243

Chapter XII

Riel Arrests Governor MacTavish ; Imprisons Dr. Cowan; and Threatens Mr. Bannatyne, who wished to visit the Prisoners — Meeting of the Delegates and Commissioners — List of Rights Discussed — Formation of a Provisional Government— Riel is Elected and proclaimed President... 262

CONTENTS.

V

Chapter XIII

Appointment of Delegates to the Government of Canada— Mass Meeting of English Settlers at Kildonan School-House — Miss Mac Vicar and Mr. Bannatyne obtain the Release of the Prisoners — Sutherland is murdered by Parisien — Wm. Gaddee is reported to have been killed in Gaol— The Portage Party are Captured and Incarcerated 274

Chapter XIV

Major Boulton is tried, Condemned to death, but subsequently Pardoned— Commissioner Smith and Archdeacon M'Lean Pacify the English Settlers and induce them to Recognize the Provisional Government— Attempt to capture Dr. Schultz — His Departure for Canada — Thomas Scott is shot by Orders of Riel — Great Indignation in the

Settlement 291

Arrival of the Troops at Port Garry— Hasty Departure of Riel, O'Donoghue and Lepine— Conduct of the 60th Royal Rifles— Governor Archibald Commences his Administration— Retrospect — The Manitoba Bill 389

THE

CREATION OF MANITOBA.

Chapter I

CONDUCT OF THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY JUSTIFIED — NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE TRANSFER OF THE TERRITORY TO CANADA — MEETINGS OF FRENCH HALF-BREEDS — COL. DENNIS — HON. JOSEPH HOWE ON A TOUR OF INSPECTION — A REBEL COUNCIL FORMED — APATHY OF THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING SETTLERS — ARRIVAL OF HON. MR. M'DOUGALL AT THE FRONTIER — THE TAKING OF FORT GARRY.

HEN the people of the North-West were represented as groaning under a yoke of oppression, they were in reality enjoying a degree of liberty and happiness unparalleled in any other country. Their form of government was a peculiar one, which, while it relieved the Red River settlers of a heavy responsibility, at the same time gave them an indisputable voice in the selection of the men appointed to watch over their interests. It cannot be denied that the Hudson's Bay Company invariably made it a point to consult the settlers as to the fitness of a councillor before appointing him to the office; and thus, although there were no elections, the men who were most popular amongst their neighbours were generally chosen to represent them at the Council B

THE CREATION OF MANITOBA.

Board. In this way, the people had to a great extent a voice in the management of their own affairs ; but, because the Hudson's Bay Company also enjoyed the right of sending members to the Council of Assiniboia, it was reported abroad that the whole government of the country was in the interest of that august body, and that the settlers had little, if any, chance to control their own affairs. Another erroneous idea was that the councillors were overawed by the weight and influence of the Company ; whereas the power was an equally balanced one, — for the reason that the objection of one member of the Board was sufficient to overthrow any motion before it. Had the Hudson's Bay Company men, therefore, endeavoured to carry a measure distasteful or detrimental to the interests of the settlers, any single one of their representatives had the power to defeat it ; and, although a majority of votes would have been the more correct way of carrying on the business of the Council, yet our readers can easily see that the plan adopted gave no balance of power to either side — the scales were evenly poised. We may here mention that the individuals chosen from amongst the settlers to act as councillors conjointly with those from the Hudson's Bay Company were, as a rule, men of integrity and high standing in the country, and, therefore, altogether above bribery and falsity to their people's interests.

The taxation consisting of 4 per cent, on general merchandise imported into the country, and one shilling per gallon on liquors, was very small, and therefore hardly felt by the people.

THE RED RIVER TROUBLES.

The Courts of Justice savored more of arbitration than of a mere attention to the technicalities of law ; and it generally happened that there were more cases decided outside the court-room than inside it. People at that period had learned to live on terms of friendship and kindliness towards each other ; and, consequently, it was not a difficult matter to heal a breach between any two individuals. The Government at that time depended greatly on the quiet, peaceful, and contented character of the people for a strict observance of law and order, and did not deem it necessary to enforce severe measures. Had the settlers been the only parties with whom the Hudson's Bay Company had to deal, all would have been well ; but when parties from abroad came to Red River, and sowed the seeds of discontent amongst the inhabitants ; and when those firebrands led the way by breaking and defying the laws, then the Government of Assiniboia was found to be weak — the moral character of the public mind as regarded obedience to the laws of the land having been tampered with. Force was then deemed necessary to protect the dignity of the law ; but, as that was not within the power of the Hudson's Bay Company to obtain, except at a risk of internal commotion, they had to submit to a great deal from unscrupulous men, rather than raise a ferment of excitement and trouble amongst the otherwise peaceable and quiet people of the country. Where all had been confidence and contentment between the governing power and those governed, suspicion and uneasiness crept in, and at last the Hudson's Bay Company found that they had indeed an "elephant" on their

THE CREATION OF MANITOBA.

hands in their endeavours to keep quiet and peace throughout the North- West.

Unfortunately for the Settlement the only newspaper in it took an active part in augmenting the difficulty ; and, by a continued course of undeserved abuse towards the Hudson's Bay Company, endeavoured to weaken the only existing Government at the time ; and also led parties at a distance, especially in Canada, to form the idea that the settlers were not only in a state of thraldom, but also in want of proper protection. To such a degree did the newspaper in question carry its attacks against the Hudson's Bay Company, that the people of Red River became disgusted with its persistent course of unjust and virulent articles, and the consequence was that the press in Red River was a by- word of ridicule in honest men's mouths. The results, however, of this false journalism were still going on abroad, until in Canada it became fixed in the public mind that the people of the North- West were down-trodden and subjects for pity, and thr.t the Honourable Company was a monster of the nineteenth century. The fact of the matter was, that the misdeeds on the part of a few men were lauded by the only newspaper in Red River, on the plea that they were merely acts of opposition to what was termed " The Great Monopoly and, when the la w took hold of those individuals to punish them according to the judgments of juries chosen from amongst the settlers, the same newspaper cited the circumstances as instances of oppression on the part of the Company. It was put forward as a principle, that a man

THE RED RIVER TROUBLES.

as long as he was a British subject could disregard the law of the land, because, as it was interpreted, no law existed in the country deserving of obedience. Under that doctrine crime and fraud might have been committed, and yet the law, because it emanated from the Hudson's Bay Company, and although the sole protection of the settlers, was represented as having no right to deal with offenders. This evil, preached openly both at home and abroad, did much harm, not only in unsettling the minds of the settlers, but also in giving new comers the idea that there was little if any law in the land. The effect of all this was to prevent a better class of immigrants from coming to a country where they were told they would be afforded no protection, and where lawless men could run wild without fear of punishment. When the jail was broken open, and the laws defied, it was recorded in print, to be scattered abroad amongst people at a distance who had no opportunity of judging otherwise, that the lawless act was intended by the "people of the North- West to show to the world that they disregarded the authority over them, because it was a weak and selfish one, distasteful to the settlers generally. Now the truth was, that the inhabitants of Red River as a mass disowned any share in, or approval of, the acts of a few persons; and the jail-breakers found to their cost that they had lost caste with their neighbours on account of their lawlessness. The settlers, it can be said to their honour, discountenanced lawlessness, and gave several proofs of this ; but at the same time the continued preach-

THE CREATION OF MANITOBA.

ing against their only legal authority at last began to tell, and a feeling of insecurity and uneasiness spread itself over the land. The Hudson's Bay Company in the meantime kept on its way, and endeavoured as far as possible to keep order and preserve good feeling amongst the several sects in the colony. But it was up-hill work, subjecting them to all sorts of annoyances and insults from unprincipled men ; the people of the country being rarely mixed up with the squabbles of the time.

The Hudson's Bay Company has been represented by its enemies as a harsh, grinding corporation, and the settlers of Red River as the victims. We do not dispute that many acts of injustice, even cruelty, may have been committed by the Company's officers in the discharge of their duties throughout the vast North- West, especially when it is remembered that the Charter of the Hudson's Bay Company extended back nearly two hundred years ; but it must also be borne in mind that, in the early days of fur- trading in the northern part of British America, it was held by the best legal authority that the sole right of dealing in fur belonged to the Company acting under a Charter from the Crown. Whether that Charter was legally sound or not, is a point which is open to a variety of opinions ; but this may be said in its favour, that England would never have consented to the payment of three hundred thousand pounds sterling for what it deemed a bogus right, and Canada never would have bought the title-deed to the North- West had the way been clear to obtain it without purchase. It was while endeavouring to protect their

THE RED RIVER TROUBLES.

chartered rights that the Company's officers on several occasions made use of severe measures in preserving the fur trade to themselves. Those acts had little if any connection with the prosperity of the Settlement, for they took place, in most instances, at some distance from it. The Nor'- West Company, as well as private traders, endeavoured to run opposition to the Hudson's Bay Company, and the latter can hardly be blamed for using .every effort to protect its own interests. The fur trade, unfortunately, has been confounded with the governing functions of the Company; whereas one was entirely different from, and did not in the least relate to, the other. In dealing with the former, one principle alone was at stake — namely, the infringement of the Charter ; in the latter, the e very-day transactions between man and man had to be dealt with, and on that account laws were framed to regulate the acts of the community at large — the Hudson's Bay Company, as a trading body, being as amenable as any private individual. But, as the governing power, it of course had the right to prosecute in cases where the Crown exercises the same prerogative in other parts of the British Empire. It was at one time considered almost a crime for anyone not in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company to be found dealing in or even wearing furs ; and parties have been, in several instances, severely punished for having been guilty of the same. But time changed all this. Free trade was declared in the North- West. Strong opposition to the Hudson's Bay Company sprang up on every side, and it soon became a struggle, not of blood, but of

THE CREATION OF MANITOBA.

pounds, shillings and pence, as to who would be the most successful. The Hudson's Bay Company used every endeavour to crush free traders, and, having so much wealth and influence at its back, those opposed to it found it difficult work to compete. This mercantile conflict (for it cannot be called otherwise) gave rise to the idea that the Hudson's Bay Company was tyrannical in its measures, when, in reality, it was like a rich man competing with a poor one, the latter, of course, being at a disadvantage on account of limited means. All this, however, had nothing to do with the Settlement, for while the Company exerted itself to the utmost in trying to put down free trading in fur, it did all in its power for the good of the Red River Settlement.

Land was sold to intending settlers at almost a nominal price, and in many cases no payment was exacted. Every facility and encouragement was given to .farming opeiations, and the Company became the principal purchasers of the produce of the soil. Where would the Red River farmer have been had the Hudson's Bay Company imported the grain and other produce necessary for carrying on its vast business ? The fact of the matter is, that, had it not been for the Hudson's Bay Company, farmers would have been at a loss how to dispose of their produce ; and, on the other hand, it was to the advantage of the Company to encourage cultivation of the soil for the simple reason that it made it easier for them to furnish their fur-traders throughout the North- West with provisions than if they had to bring in their supplies from a long distance. It can be easily seen, therefore, that it was not to the inter-

THE RED RIVER TROUBLES.

est of the Compaq to hamper the settlers, as it has been represented they did. But the Hudson's Bay Company assisted the people of the country in other ways, besides buying their produce, for they expended large amounts of money in carrying on their own business. Settlers were engaged to freight goods from St. Paul to Fort Garry; men were hired to manage the boats. Even in their furtrading, they employed settlers to go out amongst the Indians and trade with them. Then, the currency of the country consisted chiefly of bills for five shillings and one pound sterling, issued by the Company. This in itself, whilst it facilitated the operations of the Hudson's Bay Company, at the same time was a matter of great accommodation to the people. Those notes were redeemable at Fort Garry by a bill of Exchange on London, England, so that a merchant doing business in Bed Biver and wishing to make a payment abroad could do so without bank charges or inconvenience. When the free-traders came into the Settlement, the Company in many instances offered them good prices for their furs; and, although they opposed to the utmost of their ability all and any barter with Indians, still, after the furs were in the hands of the trader, they did not try by any means to cheat or rob him of his property. We need hardly say more to convince our readers that the Company, instead of being as they have been represented, a hinderance to the welfare of the Settlement, have been directly the opposite.

Besides this, the Company were liberal supporters of the several religious denominations in the Colony. The Church of England and Boman Catholic bishops both

THE CREATION OF MANITOBA.

received large sums of money yearly from the Hudson's Bay Company, and the Presbyterian minister also received a considerable amount from the same source. When the Rev. Geo. Young came to the Settlement to take charge of the Methodist cause in Red River, the Hudson's Bay Company presented him with a valuable piece of land on which to build a church and manse ; yet, in the face of all this, we have read and heard of the Company as a monster of oppression and even cruelty. But one more instance of the liberality on the part of the Company and we have done. When the grasshoppers visited Red River about two }^ears ago, and so completely devastated the land that starvation stared in the faces of the settlers the ensuing winter, the Hudson's Bay Company came forward cheerfully and most liberally to the relief of the people. Canada, through private contributions, did well for the suffering inhabitants of the North-West. So did the United States, but the Hudson's Bay Company did more • than both together, for it contributed over six thousand pounds sterling towards the relief of the starving settlers. Ontario appropriated five thousand dollars, but Red River never received the amount. When we say Ontario, we mean the Legislature of that Province, for we feel sure that it was from no wish on. the part of the people that the money was withheld. Had it come to hand as in- 1 tended, many poor suffering men, women and children, would have been saved so much misery.

And now let us recount the relations between the Company and the people, and then we will leave it to the good honest common sense of our readers to say whether

THE RED RIVER TROUBLES.

the settlers of Red River were in a state of thraldom or the Hudson's Bay Company a monster of tyranny and oppression. It seems strange to us how the unfortunate Company could be a weak tyrant, for tyranny usually requires force to make it effective ; and yet we have seen the Hudson's Bay Company described at one time as too weak to govern and the next as a t}^rannical oppressive corporation. Let ns see how matters stood. The laws of the land were mild ; the taxation was very light ; the land could be obtained from the Company on easy terms ; produce always found a ready market with the Company ; the Hudson's Bay Company served as bankers to the people free ; the churches and schools were largely indebted to the Company for support ; the Indians throughout the North- West were mostly on a friendly footing; trade in the Settlement was assisted by the Hudson's Bay Company ; and last, but not least, when the people of Red River were starving the Hudson's Bay Company did more than either Canada, the United States or England all put together for the relief of the settlers. And yet the editor of the " Nor'-Wester " newspaper saw fit in the following article to coolly decline an honour which was never presented to him — the fact being that some interested parties endeavoured to push the bashful (?) editor into the position of Secretary of the Relief Committee; but they were unsuccessful, for Mr. R. P. Meade was chosen in his stead. Mr. Meade, however, being a friend of Walter R. Bown, and assistant editor of the " Nor' Wester," proposed handing over the Secretaryship to his superior ; but the latter, finding that the

THE CREATION" OF MANITOBA.

Committee were not likely to receive him favorably, took his revenge in the columns of his newspaper as follows : —

"TO THE PUBLIC.

" Nothing would have afforded the proprietor of this journal more sincere gratification, than to be enabled to occupy the responsible position the confidence of a large portion of our public has accorded him, by appointing him " Secretary of the Co-operative Belief Committee/' during his absence in Canada. On his return to the Settlement, he feels it to be a duty he owes to himself, as well as to his friends who are now engaged in the task of laying the cause of ( this people ' before the general public, to prevent as far as possible, in his future conduct, all avoidable complications and contact with the Company and its officials in this Settlement. His experiences with many of them are of such a character as to prevent his entertaining those feelings of personal and public respect and consideration, which he would wish to have extended to the public functionaries of the Settlement. Where no confidence exists, no trust can be reposed. He, therefore, most respectfully, declines to act in connection with those whose former acts forbid confidence. The public, however, within and without the Settlement, may rest assured that, as far as the duties of a watchful public journalist are concerned, nothing will be lost by his declining the honorable and responsible position the public sentiment within the Settlement has accorded him."

Walter Robert Bown, poor fellow ! it must have been gratifying to him when he afterwards learned that nothing

THE BED RIVER TROUBLES.

indeed was lost by his declining the honourable position which was not accorded him. For the Relief Committee, composed chiefly of the clergy of the Settlement, gave general satisfaction to the public at large and the sufferers in particular ; notwithstanding they were deprived (!) of the services of the " Nor' -Wester " editor and proprietor. Cool ! indeed, that the public journalist should decline giving his services for the benefit of his suffering fellowcountry men, simply because the Company, the donatorof over six thousand pounds sterling, was to have a hand in the distribution of the relief supplies. But we will again have occasion to refer to this public journalist and his friends, and will therefore, in the meantime, turn our attention to other matters in their regular course.

We have already referred to jail breaking and defying the laws, and the influence those acts on the part of a few men had on the community at large. About the same time there was a persistent effort made by malcontents and disturbers of the public peace to sow the seeds of discord amongst the settlers. Had this not been done, no action would have been taken by the people of the country in favor of a change from the free and happy form of government which they possessed. But when they found lawless men defying the laws, and the government too weak to punish such acts — when men, who had everything to gain and nothing to lose, continually presented a phantom of happiness and prosperity before their eyes, they like Adam and Eve, while enjoying a paradise of freedom, longed for something which they could not properly define ; and the consequence was a series of petitions to the Imperial Government for a change — some being in favor of annexation to Canada, while others desired a Crown Colony. Those petitions prayed for a change of government, on the plea that the existing one was inadequate for the wants of the country. We have already shown the cause of this inadequacy, and it only shows how the acts of a few men can affect the whole community, f The Hudson's Bay Company were not loth to give up the reins of government when it became a troublesome, wearying and unsatisfactory matter to handle them. So long as the people of the country were in a state of peace, order and contentment, it was neither a hard nor an expensive undertaking to frame and carry out the few laws necessary for their guidance ; but when unprincipled men put them at defiance and preached to the otherwise quiet settlers that they were abused people, then the Hudson's Bay Company found that it required both money and force to carry out the laws.

The small amount of taxation was not sufficient to furnish the money, and the Imperial Government was unwilling to send the troops unless at the expense of the Colony or the Hudson's Bay Company. For these reasons the Hudson's Bay Company expressed a desire to transfer their position as a governing body and become simply a mercantile one. The Charter, however, had to be dealt with ; the right was a valuable one, seeing that it held a direct claim on the country. The land within the line of the Settlement belonged, by right of purchase from the Earl of Selkirk, to the Hudson's Bay Company, and therefore, although the Hudson's Bay Company were will-

THE RED RIVER TROUBLES.

ing and anxious to give up the governing power, they did not profess to abandon their chartered rights to the country.

Negotiations were opened and several propositions were discussed, and afterwards laid aside, until the Hon. Wm. McDougall and Sir George Cartier went to England on their mission regarding the North-West. At last, the negotiations were brought to a point, the Imperial Government acting as a sort of mediator between the Hudson's Bay Company and Canada. It was resolved that the sum of three hundred thousand pounds sterling should be paid to the Hudson's Bay Company, and that they, in return,, should relinquish their claim to the country, retaining only their forts and a small tract of land around each one. The Imperial Government was the real party with whom the Company had to deal. The chartered rights had to be first handed back to the Crown to enable the latter to give over the country to Canada. The latter therefore agreed to pay the purchase money, and the Imperial Government became security for the amount. A day was then set (1st December, 1869) on which Canada was to receive the North-West into the arms of Confederation, it being also agreed that the Company should be paid the s three hundred thousand pounds on the same day. During all those negotiations, however, not a word was spoken regarding the inhabitants of the country about to be transferred. Hon. Mr. McDougall represented them as • only a few employees of the Hudson's Bay Company and a number of Indian tribes, but not a word was spoken concerning the state of the settlers — some twelve or fourteen thousand souls. This was a great mistake, and led to deplorable results. The Parliament of Canada, apparentlymisled, framed a form of government (which was said to be only a temporary one) but which almost totally ignored the people of the country. All that was heard in Red River about it was that the new Governor had the right to appoint his own councillors from amongst the settlers, and also that so many more were to be sent from Canada to take part in the Red River Council. The effect of this was a good deal of dissatisfaction amongst the people, which was not bettered by the acts of certain Government officials sent into the country ahead of Mr. McDougall.

We have already referred to the grasshopper plague which devastated the Settlement during the summer of 1868, and how the Hudson's Bay Company came forward so nobly the ensuing winter to the relief of the starving people. It now appears that the miserable state of the settlers was taken advantage of by Mr. McDougall and his friends to obtain a foothold in the country before their time. In the fall of 1868, Messrs. Snow and Mair made their appearance in Red River, and announced to the inhabitants that they were sent by the Canadian Government for the purpose of building a road to the Lake of the Woods, and invited the co-operation and assistance of the people, stating, at the same time, that they proposed distributing their money and provisions in the shape of charity, modestly stipulating that the starving settlers should work in return at the rate of three pounds sterling per month for each man to be paid with the charity (?) in the shape of flour and pork at higher prices than