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The DecidedPolicyof William Lyon Mackenzie LILLIAN F. GATES • m•BETJJ•O• OF1887in theprovince ofUpperCanada cameasthe climax of a longperiod of provincial discontent, theoriginof which canbetraced back, ff nottotheverybeginning ofthecolony, atleast to 1800.Thisdissatisfaction, originating in the landregulations of Lieutenant-Governor Hunter,deepened duringthe administration of hissuccessor. Theradical orpro-American party,to usea termwith whichit wasfoundconvenient to smear it, received a temporary setbackduring theWar of 1812. It regained strength in 1817and1818 during thecontroversies overtheadmission ofAmerican settlers. Until 1821theradicals wereledbyRobert Nichol whoendeavoured tohave placemen excluded fromtheAssembly andtowinforthatbodycontrol oftheprovincial revenues. AfterNichol's retirement frompolitics, the cause of reformwasupheldby WilliamLyonMackenzie, the editor and publisher oftheColonial Advocate and subsequently oftheConstitution . Mackenzie, although theleader oftherebellion andthemost radicalof the reformers, did not dominate hispartynor couldhe always carry it along hisroad. Duringthe decade preceding therebellion, Mackenzie advocated numerous reforms relating to thelandsystem, thebanking system, thecustoms dues, theheax T legal fees, themethod ofselecting juries, thepowers of the appointed justices of the peaceandsheriffs, the postal service, the activities of Orangemen, the school system, the Clergy Reserves, thegranting ofcorporate privileges, thecomposition of theLegislative Council, openvoting, andtheappropriation of the public revenues? Thiswiderange ofinterests onMackenzie's parthas caused himtobedisparaged asa reformer. It hasalsoenabled some who havetakenhim moreseriously to maintainthat he drew his •ColoniaI Advocate, May18,28,Dec. 28,1826; National Gazette and Literary Registero [Philadelphia, June15,1829. 185 186 • C.•.•r •omc• •:• inspiration •om •e Eng•sh ra•ca• ando•ers toregard himas•e expression ofJa&sonian democracy h UpperCanada. It hasbeensaid ß at,unBke Go•lay andlandpoBcy, Bidwe•andthealienquestion, Ryerson and•e Cler• Rescues, Baldwinandresponsible government ,Macken•eneversue•ededh takhg •e leadership on any prominent issue norhadhe •oughout hisBfea "decided" poBcy2 Mackenzie agitated onmany subjects andit hastobea•itted •at hechanged hism•d onsome of•em, butit isu•ak to dismiss h• asaehatterhg agi•tor•out anyovera•conceptions andunable to make good useof•e facts heune•ed. He came toseethatUpper C•ada •d notinreality enjoy •e image andtranscript of•e British constitution and•at, • anyevent, British political •stitutions could notbesuccessfully transpl•tedunmoved to a frontier society with a verydifferent social s•uct•e. ThepoBtical changes he proposed reveal,asR. A. McKayhaspohtedout,the i•uence of •eriean political ideas. aMacken•e,however, wasasmuch-orevenmore-concemedover •e develophg economy of UpperCanada asoverits political •stitutions. In hisop•on •e realweakh of•e coun• was berg created bythelabo• of•e settiers andhewanted tos•e•ard it for•em, bothinthefore of•proved properties of•eir om and inincreasingly vahable pubBe land. Onmore •an oneoccasion Mackenzie stated bluntly, "labo• is•e source ofallwealth?In •is hemayhavebeen•uenced by Lord Lauderdale's Inqui• intothe NatureandOriginof PublicWealth which we•ow hehad read? Lauderdale putthis ideainampler terns more acceptable totheeconomist; • Mackenzie reduced it toa slogan easily quoted, easily remembered, and,for•at ma•er,in common use onbo• sides of•e Atlantic inhisday.Buthedidnotneedtofo•ow the noblelord •rough his •eoreticaldisqu•itions to reach•is economic principle; hecould learnit fromeve• stump-dotted field and clearing • UpperCanada. His idealsociety wasonewhich secured foreve• manthegreatest possible quantity of•e product of hisom labour, anddenied e•stence to anypri•eged poBhcal, religious , oreconomic interests, whomight steal fromhim? Mackenzie's guiding ideawas•at •e province shoedbe a com- •Afieen Du•am, Political Unre• in U•er Ca•da, 1815-1886, published •or•e RoyalColonial Institute, ImperiMS•dies, no.i (London,1927), 106. aR.A. MacKay, "ThePoliticM Ideas of Wi•am LyonMacke•ie,"Canadian Jour•l o[ Econom•s and PoIit•aI S•nce, III (Feb., 1937), 1-22. 4Con•itution,May 24, Nov. 15, 1837. aChades Lindsey, TheLi[eandTimes o[W•l•m LyonMackenz•(2 vols. bound in 1, Toronto, 1862), II, 310. OIames Maidand, Eighth E•I ofLauderriMe, AnInquiry intot• Nature andOHgin ofPublic Wealth(E•burgh, 1804),chap. m. ß Colon•l Advocate, July13, 1830. THE DECIDED POLICY OF MACKENZIE 187 munityof simple living,hardworking, frugal,independent famers served byhonest merchants, craftsmen, small manufacturers, township schools, anhonest legislature, anda freepress; in short aneducated andlargely agrarian democracy? Likeotherreformers he criticized thelanddepartment forinefficiency andfavouritism, 9demanded the regulation oftheCrown lands bystatute/ø anddenounced LieutenantGovernor Head's misuse of thelanddepartment duringthe elections of 18867 • Butheadvocated noonepanacea. He opposed all policies thatmade thegoing hardforthepioneer farmer andherealized that reform inthelandsystem, aftersomuch ofthebestlandhadalready passed intoprivate hands, wouldnotalonecreate thesimple equalitariansociety hefavoured. Bythe1850's Mackenzie hadcome tofear thataturning pointhadbeen reached...

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