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How B.C. celebrated
Canada’s first birthday |

first celebration in British
Columbia of the founding of
the Canadian nation was sparked
by the miners of Cariboo. On
July 1, 1868, the first annivers-
ary of Confederation, Barker-
ville, the “capital” of the gold

mines, rocked to the larged dem-
onstration in its history.
Feature of the day-Iong cele-
bration was a mass meeting of
about 1,000 people which went
on record unanimously in favor
of British Columbia joining Can-

Patriot’s memory honored

As in past years, the Pacific Tribune will honor the mem-

_ory of Amor De Cosmos by placing a wreath on his grave

(below) in Victoria‘s Ross Bay cemetery. De Cosmos, leader of

the movement for responsible government and to bring B.C.

into Confederation, and founder of the democratic press tradi-

tion in B.C., died July 4, 1897. The inscription on the memorial
reads: “A faithful servant of the people now at rest.”

‘ada ‘and condemned the ruling

clique in the colony for trying
to delay the union.

British Columbia, which did
not enter Confederation until
1871, was then still being ad-
ministered directly from Down
ing Street as a separate colony.
Physically it was separated from
the four original provinces of
Canada by thousands of miles of
mountains, prairie and wilder-
ness.

But the vision of a great new
nation stretching from Atlantic
to Pacific had seized the imag-
ination of the great majority of
the people of B.C.—miners and
packers, storekeepers and stage
drivers, newspaper editors and
doctors.

They were determined that
they would become part of the
infant Canadian nation. They
were well aware of the isolation
of the territory — a neglected
colony tucked away on the far
rim of the Pacific. They were
aware too, of envious glances
being cast in their direction by
American expansionists.

Only the officials of the gov-
ernment and a small group of
hangers-on opposed union with
Canada fearing loss of their priv-
ileged positions. But the abso-
lutely undemocratic constitution
of the colony enabled them to
block any move to carry out the
wishes of the people.

The colony was saddled with
this crew of autocrats who com-
pletely mismanaged the ram-
shackle and inefficient machin-
ery of government and wasted
the tax money. They were most-
ly younger sons of English and
Anglo-Irish upper class families
—the original ““‘remittancé men.”
The few thousand colonists were
forced to pay them fantastically
high salaries. .

The governor, who was- paid
more than today’s premier, was
practically a despot. The only
legislature was called the legis-
lative council. and all its mem-
bers were appointed by the gov-
ernor. It was packed with top
officials of the government, and
judges. The minority were, in a
certain sense, people’s represen-
tatives — they were appointed
after they had been voted on
by the people of the various
districts.

In 1867, when the Canadian
and Maritime delegations were

‘in London putting the finishing

touches to the British North Am-

erica Act this council had pass- ©
-ed a resolution asking that the
. delegates consider steps to in-
clude B.C. in Confederation. The -

resolution was introduced by one
of the popular members, Amor
De Cosmos, the outstanding lead-

‘er of the fight for democratic

government.

Governor Seymour relyctantly
sent off a telegram with the coun-
cil’s request to the Colonial Of-
fice, but followed it up with a
dispatch pouring cold water on
the whole idea

The British government re-
plied that the admission of B.C.
must be delayed until control
of the Northwest, prairies had
been transferred from the Hud-
son’s Bay Company.

Emboldened by that news, the
colonial aristocracy used their

By KEITH RALSTON

&

anti - Confederation resolution
through the legislative council
over the protests of the members
representing the people.

In this situation, the miners
along the Cariboo creeks called
the governor’s bluff. He had al-
ways told London that the cry
for union with Canada was the
work of a few agitators in Vic-
toria and New Westminster. He
maintained that the people up-
country were indifferent to .the
whole question, but the miners’
demonstration opened some eyes
in Downing Street. In fact, Sey-
mour’s sudden death obviated
Downing Street’s intention to re-
move him from office.

The big Barkerville celebration
and others in Yale, Clinton, Lil-
looet and Bonaparte, were a pre-
lude to the meeting in Yale that
September of delegates sent by
the people from every section
of the colony.

This Yale Convention, the larg-
est elected assembly in the col-
ony’s history, endorsed Confed-
eration and a democratic gov-
ernment for B.C.

@ =
Action by the people them-
selves thus tipped the scale in
favor of Confederation and demo-
cratic rule. After the events of

_the summer and fall of 1868

_AMOR DE COSMOS

there never was any doubt that
union with Canada must come.

The enthusiasm stirred up in
Barkerville that memorable July
1 is conveyed in the account car-
ried by the Cariboo Sentinel.
The miners’ paper described the
beginning of ‘the day’s program
in these paragraphs:

"The annals of the Cariboo
have no parallel to the celebra-
tion wiMessed yesterday in Bar-
kerville. At one minute past
twelve o’clock the soiemn stif!-
ness of the midnight hour was
broken by the loud peel of Canip-
bell’s anvil battery sending forth
its thunderous salutes of 21 guns,
awakening every sleeper in the
town of Barkerville, and making
the lofty hills of Cariboo rever-
berate as though they had as-
sumed life and were sending
back a roar of applause at the
opening up of a new era in the
history of British Columbia. The
sun rose bright and glorious and
poured forth his rays upon clouds
of bunting which floated gaily
from numerous flagstaffs that
pointed upward from nearly
every saloon and public building

majority of officials to push anin the town of Barkerville.

“From an early hour the
streets were thronged with stal-
wart miners congregated from
the outlying creeks of Cariboo,
all drawn together with the one
desire — that of enjoying them
selves on the anniversary of the
creation of the great Dominion
of Canada. :

"The great event of the daY
was the display of oratory 0
the part of those gentlemen who
have by their eloquence made
Cariboo celebrated throughout
the length and breadth of the
land.

“Shortly after one o’clock, the
crowd being then closely pack:

ed around the platform before

Messrs. Scott and Lipsett’s sal-
con, the meeting was called 0
order, when J. M: Sparrow wah
unanimously called to the chair.

The Sentinel then went on 1
report on the meeting itself,
which unanimously passed three
resolutions presented to it.

The first condemned the opP
sition of the government of Brit.
ish Columbia to Confederation 48
contrary both to the policy °
the Imperial government and the
declared wishes of the people °
the colony. The second urge
that in face of this oppositio?
the people take organized steP®
to ensure immediate admissi0o?
to the Dominion.

The final resolution named #
committee of five to form a Com

federation League, following thé

pattern already set in Victoria.
Os. :

Most of the eloquent speakers
who drew the praise of the Sem
fine! were later prominent in the
struggle for Confederation 4
in the political life of British
Columbia as a province. |

The mover of the first resol:
tion, Dr. R. W. W. Carrall, Mie
elected to the legislative coun!
of the colony, and became i
member of the executive coune
under the new pro-Confederatio®
Governor, Anthony Musgrave.
was one of the delegates W 1
went to Ottawa from B.C. in 187
to discuss terms: of Union, 420
was appointed one of British Col
umbia’s first senators. ;

J. S. Thompson, mover of the
second resolution, was the ft
member in the House of Com
mons at Ottawa ‘for the Cariboo
Cornelius Booth was elected :
the first legislative assembly bi
the new province, while J. eee
bitt was a delegate to the Y4
Convention.

Henry Seelye, a newspape?
man with the Sentinel, later be
came an editor of the Colonls
in Victoria. He went to ottaw?
with the Terms of Union delegt :
tion as his paper’s representay’
and unofficial emissary of th0®

who favored complete democrat?
government. oe
After the serious business the

the meeting there were
sports. which have become  P?
of. the tradition of July 1.

@ - :
But the great day didn’t ent.
at that. The hardy citizens p
Cariboo went strong all evenin&
either attending a minstrel sh?
at the theatre or taking in Pst
Tracey’s Grand Ball.” Finally #’
11.30 ‘at night a fireworks g
play brought the 24-hour 10?
festivities to a close.

The Sentinel called it “one :
the most enthusiastic and pet
ant days of enjoyment ever wy
nessed in the Cariboo” and §
med up the spirit of the occas
in the following words: der

“.. . the harmony, good oF le
and behaviour of the pele
prove most conclusively that 7,
men who have thus laid.
their toils and various dutic’ ve
celebrate Dominion Day: , “4
done so’ not with any desifé
enjoy senseless sport an how
dening pleasure, but to ° fo
their love and their loyallY +
the institutions of a country = 4s
awards to every man who Cl@" +
its allegiance the freest an :
enlarged political and '@™™ sor
liberty of any _ nation ,
heaven.”

joD

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JULY 3, 1953 — PAGE