A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time by Rose

and was this year—1842—called to the bar. The third was a Scottish youth of twenty, who had landed in Kingston in April, and was beginning his Canadian life as a stonemason. The young lawyer is now the Right Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald, First Minister of Canada. His student is now the Hon. Oliver Mowat, Premier of Ontario. The youthful stonemason is now the veteran statesman whose name stands at the head of this sketch—a name respected and honored by every clean man in the Dominion of Canada. Mr. Mackenzie was born on the 28th January, 1822, and is two years younger than his friend, the Hon. Oliver Mowat, and seven years younger than his rival, Sir John A. Macdonald. He was born in the parish of Logierait, Perthshire, Scotland. His parents had neither poverty nor riches, but they and their connections had what was better than either: they had brain-power, intelligence, untiring industry, sterling integrity, and an honorable ambition to rise in the world. Along with these good qualities they had a strong liking for Whig politics. Alexander was the third son in a large family. His school days were few. Two years in a private school in Perth; two more in the parish school of Moulin; less than a year in the grammar school of Dunkeld, and the education of the future Premier of Canada was finished so far as the schoolmaster was concerned. At the early age of fourteen his father died, and, like many another brave Scotch lad who has made his mark in the world, young Mackenzie began to earn his bread on the old Eden principle—by the sweat of his brow. Like Hugh Miller, he learned the trade of stonemason, and like Hugh Miller, he was fond of reading. His spare hours were spent in diligent study, and the habits then formed have clung to him all his days. When twitted with being a book-worm, Thos. D’Arcy McGee replied that he always preferred the society of good books to that of middling men. No doubt Mr. Mackenzie has always cherished the same preference, though perhaps he has never said anything about it. A worthy member of the House of Commons, whose reading days were over, felt lonesome in the same boarding-house with Mr. Mackenzie and David Mills, because, as he explained it “the moment Mackenzie and Mills came in from the house they sat down to their books.” In the following year, 1843, Mr. Mackenzie was joined in Kingston by his brother, Hope F. Mackenzie, who afterward represented Lambton and North Oxford in parliament. Hope Mackenzie was a man of fine spirit, great energy, and high attainments. He was rising rapidly as a public man when his career was suddenly ended by death. Had his life been spared, his ability, industry, and natural force of character would soon have placed him in the front rank of Canadian statesmen. After laboring five years in Kingston, during which time he probably became familiar with the well-known force of the man he afterwards so often faced in parliament, Mr. Mackenzie moved to the neighborhood of Sarnia. His mother and brothers came out from Scotland about the same time, and the whole family made their first Canadian home in that western town. Here Mr. Mackenzie resumed operations as a builder and contractor, lines in which he had been successful before leaving Kingston. It is useless to speculate on what might have been; but had Alexander Mackenzie continued in the building and contracting business, he might perhaps have become the millionaire head of the syndicate that built the Canadian Pacific Railway. In a country where there was so much to be built, almost anything was possible to a man of his patient industry, economical habits, sterling integrity, sound judgment, and all but invincible energy. But Alexander Mackenzie was not to be a millionaire contractor. Like many Scotchmen, he had a keen relish for politics. Five years’ residence in Sir John’s favorite city probably increased his eagerness to join in the fray. In Scotland he had been a Whig, and in Canada he joined the Liberal party as a matter of course. Though a man of quiet, retiring habits, it is no secret that Alexander Mackenzie keenly enjoys debate. To measure swords on the platform with a foeman worthy of his steel was never to him an unpleasant duty. The roar around the hustings never made him nervous. To his natural liking for public discussion and his intensely strong convictions, his love of Liberalism, his popular sympathies, his intense hatred of tyranny in all its forms, his love for the people and desire that they should have fair play—to these qualities add his undoubted capacity for public affairs, and one can easily see why it was impossible for Alexander Mackenzie to keep out of politics. Keep out of politics he certainly did not, for five years after he had started business in Sarnia we find him editing the Lambton _Shield_. Under his editorial management the _Shield_ soon became a power in the west. His editorials educated the electors of Lambton in Liberalism, and were extensively quoted by other journals. Sam Jones is credited with saying that if there is one thing in this world he does hate it is a quiet time. Whether a quiet time is a good time for Mr. Jones or not, it certainly is not a good time for a politician. Mr. Mackenzie had the undoubted advantage of entering the political arena in a stormy period. The battle for responsible government was being fought out and slowly won. The fight had been long and fierce. Under Lord Sydenham and Sir Charles Bagot the recommendations of Lord Durham’s report in favor of responsible government were being carried out. Sir Charles Metcalfe succeeded Sir Charles Bagot, and spent the four years of his official career in trying to deprive Canadians of the rights secured to them by his predecessors. Mr. Mackenzie resided in Kingston during the whole time that Metcalfe was governor, and it goes unsaid that when he removed to Sarnia he was in the right humor to do battle for responsible government. In 1861, Hope Mackenzie, who had represented Lambton in parliament, declined re-election. The future Premier was offered the nomination by a convention of the Liberal party, and accepting, carried the constituency by a considerable majority. When he entered parliament he had nothing to learn but the forms of procedure, and even these he probably know as well as many who had sat in previous parliaments. His accurate and full knowledge of all public questions, his almost infallible memory, his marvellous capacity for mastering the details of every question that came before him, and his power to make clear and concise speeches on any question on the shortest notice, soon placed him in the front row, along with the most experienced parliamentarians. Mr. Mackenzie has never claimed credit for his oratorical powers, nor have his friends put forth any such claim; but the fact remains that in twenty-five years of active public life he never needed to take a back seat in any oratorical company. He could always hold his own, and generally do a good deal more. He is one of the very few speakers in this Dominion whose speeches will stand a _verbatim_ report. He builds a speech just as he used to build a stone wall—clear, clean-cut, concise; sentences are laid one upon another in an orderly and compact manner, and when the speech is finished you can no more knock a word or sentence out of it than you can knock stones out of a well-built wall. His accurate knowledge, never-failing memory, and quick perceptive powers, make him specially formidable in reply. Running through many of his speeches, especially those delivered in hot debates, there is a mingled vein of mild sarcasm and dry, pawky Scotch humour that is very effective. The effect is greatly increased by the manner in which the work is done. You see the bolt across the house and you see quite easily that it has struck. You look to the spot from which it was thrown and you see a serious, almost solemn-looking man, going on with his work as if nothing had occurred. The plainness and apparent simplicity of the speaker give the humor and sarcasm a great effect. Soon after entering upon his parliamentary duties, Mr. Mackenzie saw his political friends take office under the premiership of Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald, who had associated Hon. Mr. Sicotte with him as leader of the lower Canadian section. This government lasted about a year, and was followed by another in which Hon. Mr. Dorian took the place of Hon. Mr. Sicotte. Mr. Mackenzie had in those days some experience as a government supporter—a kind of experience which has seldom been his during his long parliamentary life. After a short and troubled reign Hon. Sandfield Macdonald resigned, and Mr. Deadlock reigned in his stead. Then came a truce and the negotiations which resulted in confederation. A coalition was formed for the purpose of uniting the provinces. Hon. George Brown and a large majority of the Liberal party were in favor of a coalition. Mr. Mackenzie was of the opinion that the Liberal party should give the government a generous outside support in forming the union, but at the same time keep itself clear of all entangling alliances. The union was not long formed until it became painfully evident to the Liberal party that Mr. Mackenzie was right. When the first parliament met after confederation the Liberals were without a leader, Hon. George Brown having been defeated in South Ontario. The position was offered to Mr. Mackenzie, who accepted it, and displayed great tact in welding into one solid body the somewhat discordant elements that came from the different provinces. The task was no easy one, but in discharging his duties as a leader of her Majesty’s loyal Opposition the member for Lambton displayed the same ability and unwearied diligence that have marked his whole parliamentary career. Ever at his post and ever faithful to his trust, Mr. Mackenzie soon gained the confidence of his followers from all parts of the Dominion. The crisis of 1873 found him not only a successful leader but a parliamentarian of recognized position and ability. When the government fell he was entrusted with the duty of forming a ministry. In less than two days the names of his colleagues were announced, and the new government was ready for business. The question on everybody’s lips was, will there be a general election? It is understood that Mr. Mackenzie received such assurances of support from some of his former opponents as might have induced a less cautious man to go on with the business of the country without an appeal to the people. But the new premier was not to be caught napping. His Scotch caution assured him that a parliament elected under the auspices of his opponents, and the influence of Sir Hugh Allan’s liberal contribution, was not the kind of parliament to be trusted in an emergency. He dissolved the house, and in January, 1874, swept the country. Had the majority given him by the people been half as large as it was, the task of the new premier might have been a good deal easier. To enumerate the good measures that were introduced and passed by Mr. Mackenzie’s government would be to write the parliamentary history of Canada for the five years ending in 1878. His friends may challenge their opponents to show a record of equal merit during any five years in the history of the Dominion, in the history of Old Canada, or in the history of any province that now forms part of the Dominion. Let these restless characters who are everlastingly clamoring for revolutionary measures and hunting for strange gods to worship, sit down for a moment, and quietly read over the titles of the acts passed by Mr. Mackenzie’s government between 1873 and 1878, and say if they have anybody in their ranks that can serve the country better than it was served by Canada’s Grand Old Man. It is quite true that he went down in ’78, but he went down with his escutcheon untarnished and all his colors flying. His was no milk-and-water policy. He did not try to run with the Free Trade hare and hunt with the N.P. hounds. He believed it was wrong to increase the burdens of the people in a time of depression. He went to the polls on this issue, and was defeated by the people he was bravely trying to help. Burke told the electors of Bristol that he advanced their interests contrary to their opinions. Mr. Mackenzie tried to do the same thing for the people of Canada and failed. A few years will show, if the revelation has not already been made, whether the electors of Canada did a wise thing when they dismissed a faithful public servant for not taxing five millions of people to enrich a few. Never did British or Colonial statesman display more moral heroism than was displayed by Alexander Mackenzie in ’78 when he stood by his principles while the pistol was pointed at his head—held at times, with shame be it said, by some who pose as moral reformers. If there is no room in the public life of Canada for a man who bravely faces defeat rather than do what he believes to be wrong, then Canada is morally rotten and should be buried out of sight. Soon after his defeat in ’78, Mr. Mackenzie became a resident of Toronto. Owing to declining health he found it inconvenient to represent a large constituency like West Lambton, and in 1882 stood for East York. For this constituency he has been twice elected. East York derives as much honor from its representative as Mr. Mackenzie derives from representing an historic constituency of which he is justly proud. For the same unfortunate reason, Mr. Mackenzie found it necessary some years ago to resign the leadership of the Liberal party. His strength was not equal to the task, and Alexander Mackenzie never was the man to undertake anything unless he could do it thoroughly. The arduous and irksome nature of the work of an Opposition leader in Canada may be learned from the fact that the distinguished gentleman who succeeded Mr. Mackenzie—a gentleman who once could work eighteen hours out of the twenty-four with impunity—has since broken down in health and has been compelled, temporarily at least, to leave public life. The one great mistake of Mr. Mackenzie’s life was his brave attempt to attend to the details of his department while Premier and Minister of Public Works. It is easy to be wise when events are over, but one cannot help thinking that had he worked less then he might be the able and trusted leader of his party to-day, and the party needs a leader badly enough. Mr. Mackenzie’s parliamentary services have not been confined to the Dominion parliament, and the parliament of Old Canada. In 1871, he ran for West Middlesex, was elected, and on the downfall of Sandfield Macdonald’s government soon after, took office under Hon. Mr. Blake, first as provincial secretary, and afterwards as provincial treasurer. Dual representation being abolished, both he and Mr. Blake left the Local Legislature at the same time. Besides his parliamentary work, Mr. Mackenzie has rendered Canada good service by his well-written biography of his friend and leader, George Brown. The tone of the book is moderate throughout, and though written by a strong party man, the facts, so far as we know, have never been seriously questioned. It has occasionally been charged against Mr. Mackenzie that his manner is cold, and his language curt. It is quite true that he calls a spade a spade, and a scoundrel a scoundrel. It may be true that when scaly politicians have asked him to help them to carry out dirty jobs he gave them a reply not always couched in diplomatic language. Quite likely he met the pious proposal of some moral reformers to tax the people for their benefit with language that may have seemed to them unnecessarily vigorous. All this may be so; but those who know Alexander Mackenzie know him to be a warm-hearted man, as kindly as he is firm and true—a man ready at any moment to help the needy, or make sacrifices for his friend. He hates humbug, and scorns shams, and can unmask a hypocrite with rare skill; but no more kindly man stands in the Dominion to-day. May a kind heaven send Canada more Mackenzies. * * * * * =Clarke, Edward Frederick=, M.P.P., Mayor of the City of Toronto, Ontario, was born in the county of Cavan, Ireland, on the 24th April,