SPEECHES AT THE BANQUET

I attended the great national banquet with which the démonstration was closed, and listened attentively to the speeches. The gathering was exclusively French-Canadian, and the utterances of some of the speakers were, to

^ay the It^ast, iiot very complimoiitary to their English V oiupatriots. One vaîiant coloiiol, dressed iu the Q^een's imitorra, even made a covert threat that the Frimch- Canadian militia would soon hâve to be called out to défend their institutions and their laws. The principal toasts in addition to the usual formai oues were '" France," • Canada." and the " Province of Québec." " France," whose glories and whose greatness were the principal thème of many of the orators, was honoured with immense enthusiasm. Premier Mercier stepped to the front of the platform and led the cheering. which lasted for sometime. The reply of Mr. Wilfrid Laurier to the toast of " Canada " was worthy of the distinguished orator. He rose above the narrow sectarian distinctive spirit of rhe gathering, and his discourse breathed a broad and irenerous patriotism-. But it was noticeable that his libéral sentiments fell on deaf ears and evoked no enthusiasm. Everv appeal for a gênerons union of the two people was received in silence, w^hile the slightest allusion to the distinctiveuess of the French race was received with rounds of applause. One could not help being struck by thf striking contrast between the oration of the Libéral leader and that of the iNationalist chieftain The one spoke as a statesman, the other spoke in the strain of a démagogue. Premier Mercier, to put it in the most charitable manner, unfortunately lost his temper, and substitutiug abuse for argument, launched forth into a tirade aeainst those whom he termed the Ontario " fanatics," who were held up as insolent insulters of the French Canadian race and of the Catholic religion. Every such allusion was cheered to the écho. The Québec Premier's rallyingcry to his compatriots was : Cessoyisnos luttes fratricides ; unissons-nous (Let us cease our fratricidal strifes ; let us be unitt d). United for what ? To perpetuate a di.stinct and compact nationality in this country ? Such was the object that the Natioiialist leader held up to his compatriots as a laudable subject for their ambition and exertions. His words were perfectly clear, leaving no room for doubt. The other speakers took their eue IVom him and spoke on the sarae lines. One of them, a young member of the Québec Législature, named Dechene, said

it would not be very long before th.e Freucli-Cauadians woiil^ hâve the majority in the electorate of the Domiuioii, a sentiment that was loudly cheered.

TIIK FRENCH PRESS

Sînch were the sentiments with which the Cartier- Brebeui démonstration closed. This morning I took up L'Electeur, the organ of the Québec Grovernment, and in its leading article, under the heading of " What we hâve to say to each other," I found the same ideas enunciated in even more forcible andnnmistakable language. L Electeur points ont that the célébration represented a people scattered throughout the American continent, whose destiny has not yet been achieved. The English race has been unable to absorb them, as it would hâve liked to, and to-day the French-Canadians, the writer says, nnmbering over two millions, are masters of one province, representing in North America a distinct civilization, holding iucontestibly in the Oanadian Confédération tho balance of power, and beginning to exercise even in the neighbouring Republic a legitimate influence. The dream of Parent and Duvernay regarded as so hopeless in their time, has become a realization. Even the United States, so fatal in its absorption of différent and diverse races, has failed to nationalize the French-Oanadiau race. Is that ail ? By no means " We believe," concludes L'Electeur, " that we represent in America a distinct civilization, we represent the French civilization of which we are the issue. "With its faith of olden times, its gênerons genius, its aspirations superior to the spirit of mère lucre, its constant aspirations towards the idéal, no one can say what the future reserves for us. Only let us increase for sonie time with the same vitality as in the past, under whatever form our destinies may be realized, and we cherish the hope of an American France, a New France, as our fathers called it, and as our descendants with more reason will call it, if we know how to prépare the way for them, and if they know how to be worthy of the efforts of their ancestors."

Québec is to be the cradle of this American France of the future, but the work is not yet finished. " Old Europe

is shaking, Amorica is commeucing to, but the noble motto. Gesta dei per Franco^, is ahvays true, and there remains for us, please Providence, a page ofhistory toadd on the American continent."

Such, in the clear and forcible language of L'Electeur, is the meaning of the Cartier-Brebeuf célébration, which I hâve endeavoured faithfuUy and honestly to portray.