The settlers fought the C. P. R. for many years-that is the C. P. R.
monopoly and all it involved. They got support from members and poli-
ticians, but that support never seemed to have much "punch" to it.
Members, politicians, newspaper men, and people who could write and
talk had not much trouble in getting passes, and the C. P. R. vote was not
a thing to be despised. In the nineties the feeling had grown very strong
on the question of freight rates and elevator monopoly. The C. P. R.
had an arrangement with elevator people that they would not ship grain
where there was an elevator in any other way except through that ele-
vator. There was a demand for an enquiry. At that time the only
Liberal member west of the Great Lakes was Robert Watson (now
Senator). Mr. William MacDonald was the member for East Assini-
boia. He with Mr. Boyd, M. P. for Marquette in Manitoba, waited on Mr.
Van Home, the president of the C. P. R. He told me the story of the
interview. It was something like this. He said we had an idea that the
great railroader would be very busy so we said we would not detain him
any longer than was necessary. "Oh, gentlemen," he said. "Take your
time, my time's yours." I asked Mr. MacDonald, "Did he turn his chair
round, and sit straddle of it with his arms on the back?" "Come to think
of it yes," said the genial Mac., giving the inevitable stroke to his rich
Druidical beard, "Come to think of it he did." I had been told that this
way of straddling his chair was a trick of Van Home's. "Well," con-
tinued Mac, "we hadn't a chance with him. We were like a couple of
children. When we made a point, he would touch a button and in would
come a clerk. "Fetch me file number so and so," and the clerk would
bring a file. And then he would start and show us we were all wrong
and the C. P.R. was all right. The only time I scored was when he quoted
a grain rate from Calgary to Fort William to show it was considerably
less than for a similar distance in the States to Duluth. I said "Mr.
Van Home that's a bogus rate, for there isn't any grain shipped from
Calgary" (which was true at the time, for Calgary was then a cattle
country). Van Home admitted that was so. When we mentioned having
a commission of enquiry he said he was perfectly willing as it would
show that the C. P. R. rates were much less than American rates. He
contended that they could not charge less for wheat because most of the
cars came back empty for a fresh load, but there was not only the bring-
ing them back empty for a fresh load, the cars were damaged as running
light, as they were badly shaken.

The Commission sat and the C. P. R. proved its case on the lines indi-
cated. It did not seem to occur to the Commission that they had nothing
to do with the American rates; all they had to find out was whether the
C. P.R. was charging too much, and that when the C. P. R. had shown it
was not so hard on settlers as Americans were it had proved nothing,
as the American lines were notorious in the same way as the C. P. R.
had become notorious. However, the result was a practical whitewash.
The C. P.R. had the privilege of nominating a member on the Commission
and their representative was a Mr. Allison, an Ex-M. P. from the Mari-
time Provinces.

It has not much relevancy, but we cannot refrain from telling an
incident that occurred in the election of 1896. Mr. MacDonald was
opposed by Dr. Douglas, the Patron-Liberal candidate, who voiced the
settlers' complaints in no uncertain manner. The Doctor was addressing
a crowded meeting at Oxbow, at which I was on the platform. He was
dealing with the C. P.R. and the freight rates Commission without gloves.
"Why," he asked in his sonorous voice, "Why did not the C. P. R. nomi-
nate an honest man?" Instantly an elderly man was on his feet in the
middle of the audience, and almost shouted, "Do you mean to say I am
not an honest man?" Dr. Douglas replied, "I don't know you, sir."
"Do you mean to say that I am not an honest man?" repeated the inter-
rupter. There were cries of "platform, platform." The man shouldered
his way to the platform, and was received with applause, and he gave Dr.
Douglas a very uncomfortable ten minutes. He was Mr. Allison, and was
now the local homestead inspector. He was a bachelor, and I was told he
spent half his salary helping the hard-up settlers, and putting shoes on
their children's feet. Dr. Douglas scored a great victory in the election,
but Oxbow was one of only two places that gave a majority for his op-
ponent.