August 12, 1867

CABINET CAMPAIGNS

With Hon. George-Étienne Cartier’s departure, the prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald is the only member of the Privy Council remaining in Ottawa. No doubt, his recent health troubles have kept him from joining his colleagues on the campaign trail.

MONTREAL WEST

All signs indicate that Montreal West may be the most hotly contested constituency in the whole Dominion as the battle between Macdonald’s man D’Arcy McGee and the former military man, Bernard Devlin threatens to burn with the intensity of a barn fire.

It is all the more remarkable for the fact that McGee and Devlin were once on friendly terms, it being Devlin who introduced McGee to Montreal’s Irish community when the former American immigrated to Lower Canada.

At his most recent meeting, Devlin challenged McGee to produce evidence of claims that Devlin and his supporters are involved in Fenianism. McGee has yet to furnish that proof but has taken the step of sending a letter to the Gazette repeating the accusation and threatening to publish the evidence.

It is an odd tack to take, to repeatedly threaten the release of documents, without actually releasing them and one begins to wonder if this isn’t just a ploy by McGee to try and run down a fellow Irishman who threatens to draw votes away from him.

It is odder still considering Devlin’s strong record of fighting against Fenianism not just in word but also in deed, having served as an officer in the Prince of Wales Rifle Regiment during last summer’s Fenian raids.

The next move is McGee’s and we shall be watching closely.

SOUTH ONTARIO RIDING

The de facto leader of the Dominion Liberals, George Brown, will be one of the first prospective members of the new Dominion Parliament to face the electors. The election writ for the riding of South Ontario has been received and the dates set for the nomination (August 19) and polling (August 26 and 27). These are the earliest dates allowed under the election law.

Brown and his supporters are bullish about his chances in this riding not least because his opponent, Thomas Gibbs, was recently caught having lied about making a $500 donation to the Volunteer Relief Fund for militia men injured at the Battle of Ridgeway.