September 2, 1867

TORIES SWEEP TORONTO

The results of yesterday's polls in Toronto and other ridings have given John A. Macdonald's coalition a 24-11 seat lead in the House of Commons. In Ontario, the Liberals and Conservatives are tied once again, this time at 11 seats apiece. The Québec Conservatives continue undefeated in that province holding all 8 of the seats returned thus far.

The Tory candidates in East Toronto each pulled off surprising late comebacks against their Liberal opponents to take both seats in that constituency, matching the sweep executed by their colleagues on the west side of the city.

As polls closed after the first day of voting, Liberal Dr. William Aikens held a 67-vote lead over Tory James Beaty. By the time the final vote was cast, Beaty had overtaken closed that gap and captured a majority of his own of 133 votes, defeating Aikens 1113-980.

On the second day of voting, Ontario’s Provincial Secretary and Registrar, Hon. Matthew Crooks Cameron polled 268 more votes than his opponent Liberal James Stock. Cameron had trailed Stock through the first day of polling though managed to close Stock’s lead to just four votes by the end of voting on the first day. As the polls closed on the second day of voting, Cameron led Stock by 264 votes, winning 1178-914.

In West Toronto, Tories Robert Harrison and John Wallis confirmed their first day leads and will represent the riding in the Commons and Ontario Legislature respectively.

MACDONALD DEFENDS COALITION APPROACH

In a campaign speech delivered in Toronto, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald defended his coalition approach to government with reference to the Pitt-Portland Coalition of 1794 which gave birth to the Tory ideology to which the prime minister adheres.

When the great Napoleon had massed together hundreds of thousands of men to hurl them upon the coast of England, and when not only the freedom but the very existence of the mother country was imperilled, it was a coalition of the Tories under William Pitt, and the Whigs, under the Duke of Portland, who was nominally the head of the party, but whose real head was that greatest of all statesmen whose name {I mention} with especial pleasure because he was an Irishman, Edmund Burke. It was a junction of parties under Pitt, Burke, the Duke of Portland, William Fitzwilliam and others, that saved England; and if the dear old motherland was not now a province of the French empire, and if she was not now trampled upon by the heels of a foreign soldiery, it was because these patriotic men abandoned their parties for a time and joined together in coalition to defeat the designs of the intended invader.

Macdonald’s linking of support for his coalition with support for the Dominion has been repeated by his candidates across the country and has raised the ire of Liberals who are adamant that the mixture of party and patriotism pose the true threat to the Dominion’s survival.

During his nomination speech in Montreal West, Thomas D’Arcy McGee is reported to have said that a victory over his opponent Bernard Devlin of less than a thousand votes would cause McGee to lose “all confidence in the loyalty and in the sense of my fellow citizens.”

Questions of loyalty have dominated the campaign so far, whether it be the disowning by Reformers of those of their number who have chosen to support the ministries of the Johns Macdonald (Alexander and Sandfield), or whether it be the claims of the Tories that a vote against them is a vote against Confederation.

The Liberals, in the form of the Globe claim now that it is these very charges of disloyalty that put the nascent Union in peril on the argument that a divided Canada should be easy pickings for a neighbouring country that might decide to orchestrate a dispute with Great Britain.

The arrival of the news of the contents of Mr. McGee’s nomination speech in Montreal West coincides with the arrival of the news that he has been defeated in his bid for the Prescott seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Despite having a majority of 20 at the close of the first day of polling, McGee has fallen to Liberal James Boyd, 838 to 816.

Supporters of McGee had travelled to the constituency from both Ottawa and Montreal with pockets full of cash to aid in their canvassing efforts but their overtures were rejected either because of the honesty of voters in that constituency or because the Liberals offered a higher price.

In any case, the defeat of McGee is at minimum an embarrassment for Prime Minister John A. Macdonald who had personally selected this seat for McGee. At worst, it is a sign that the political magic of both McGee and Macdonald has worn off and more surprises may be in the offing as the election enters its final three weeks.

In any event, it is more than likely that voters recognize the claims of both parties in this dispute are exaggerated for their electoral effect and will therefore fail to serve their intended purpose as voters make up their minds for other reasons.

(It is reported that the opening bid for votes in Frontenac yesterday was $20.)

PROTEST IN CARLETON

Defeated Conservative Judge James Skead will protest the results of the election in Carleton on that grounds that some voters did not cast their votes for both races at the same time.

HOWLAND ELECTED IN WEST YORK

Hon. William P. Howland (Inland Revenue) defeated his Liberal opponent H. S. Hubertus in a landslide victory that the Liberal press now declares a foregone conclusion. Such conclusion was the result of Mr. Hubertus’s late entry into the race and his being little known in the constituency. The suggestion seems to be from the Liberals that had the race been a fairer one, Mr. Howland’s victory might not have been assured.

But the Liberals have no one to blame but themselves. While it is true that Howland and supporters had commandeered the Reform nominating convention held in Weston, it is also true that local Liberals in that riding insisted on nominating George Brown as their candidate despite having already been informed that Mr. Brown intended to run in South Ontario. Indeed, much of the Reform difficulty in this campaign appears to be of their own making.

ONTARIO CABMIN DEFEATED

Hon. Stephen Richards (Crown Lands Commissioner) has been defeated in his bid for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Richards, one of the Liberal members of Premier Sandfield Macdonald’s “Patent Combination” was outpolled by Conservative Benjamin Tett in South Leeds. There is no word on future plans for Richards who may resign from the cabinet or seek another seat elsewhere.

NEWS FROM THE WESTERN TERRITORIES

Residents of the Red River Colony are hoping to forestall the sale Rupert’s Land by the Hudson’s Bay Company to the United States. That immigration to the colony can only occur by travelling through the United States makes the colonists’ argument against American annexation more difficult, they are confident that they have proven the case to the British House of Commons for their inclusion in the Canadian Confederation.

The potential sale of the lands has also upset local Indians who are expected to cause trouble for the HBC if their claims are not first attended to.

Gold has been discovered in the Riding Mountains, a four-day journey from the nearest from the Red River Colony.

DAILY ELECTION REPORT

Elections occurring on August 31, 1867

Ontario

Prescott

House of Commons

• Mr. Higginson 130
• Albert Hagar (Liberal) 1205 ELECTED

Ontario Legislature

• Thomas Boyd (Liberal) 838 ELECTED
• Thomas D’Arcy McGee (Conservative) 816

South Leeds

House of Commons

• John Crawford (Conservative) 1393 ELECTED
• A.N. Richards 1364

Ontario Legislature

• Hon. Stephen Richards (Crown Land Commissioner) (Liberal) 1373
• Benjamin Tett (Conservative) 1380 ELECTED

East Toronto

House of Commons

• James Beaty (Conservative) 1113 ELECTED
• Robert Mahon Allen 1
• Dr. W. T. Aikens 980

Ontario Legislature

• Robert Mahon Allen (Independent) 1
• Hon. Matthew Crooks Cameron (Provincial Secretary and Registrar) (Conservative) 1178 ELECTED
• James Stock (Liberal) 914

West Toronto

House of Commons

• John Macdonald (former MPP) (Independent Liberal) 1048
• Robert Harrison (Conservative) 1477 ELECTED

Ontario Legislature

• Adam Crooks (Liberal) 1074
• John Wallis (Conservative) 1439 ELECTED

West York

House of Commons

• Hon. W. P. Howland (Inland Revenue) (Liberal-Conservative) 810 ELECTED
• H. S. Hubertus (Liberal) 297
• David Blain 0

Ontario Legislature

• Dr. Edward Bull (Liberal) 514
• Thomas Graham (Conservative) 587 ELECTED
• W. Tyrell (Independent) 163

South Wentworth

House of Commons

• Joseph Rymal (Liberal) 1015 ELECTED
• Thomas Robertson 988

Ontario Legislature

• William Sexton (Liberal) 1002 ELECTED
• Thomas White (Conservative) 999

East Northumberland

House of Commons

• Joseph Keeler (Liberal-Conservative) 1607 ELECTED
• Kenneth McKenzie 827
• A. H. Meyers 0

Ontario Legislature

• G. Burrell (Conservative) 817
• James Cummings 1
• John Eyre (Liberal) 1492 ELECTED
• Harry H. Humphries 1

Welland

Ontario Legislature

• William Beatty (Liberal) 1298 ELECTED
• J. Pew (Conservative) 1096

Frontenac

House of Commons

• Thomas Kirkpatrick (Conservative) 1242 ELECTED
• Carruthers 693

Ontario Legislature

• Henry Smith (Conservative) 1186 ELECTED
• John Fraser (Liberal) 710
• B. Britton — withdrew 2

Québec

Québec Centre

House of Commons

• Georges Simard (Conservative) -- Elected by acclamation

  Québec Legislature

• Georges Simard (Conservative) -- Elected by acclamation

DAILY NOMINATION REPORT

Nominations being made on August 31, 1867

North Hastings

House of Commons

• Mackenzie Bowell (Conservative)
• Mr. McLean
• T.C. Wallbridge

Ontario Legislature

• George Boulter (Conservative)
• S. Reid (Liberal)

East Middlesex

House of Commons

• D. McFie (Independent)
• Crowell Wilson (Liberal-Conservative)

Ontario Legislature

• George McGee
• Thomas Sheebottom

East York

House of Commons

• Thomas A. Milne
• James Metcalfe (Liberal)

Ontario Legislature

• John Bowman (Conservative)
• Hughes Powell Crosby (Liberal)

For a full report of members elected please click here.

For a schedule of nominations and polling days please click here.