col—

CONFEDERATION CONFERENCE — 1864

We will soon be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the historic meeting in the Confederation Chamber of the Province Building, Charlottetown, when possibility of the confederation of the Canadian colonies was first ser~ iously and officially discussed, and where, indeed, Confederation was born. One hundred years is a long time in the life of an individual, a mere moment in human.his~

tory, but it is relatively a long era in the life of a new country like Canada. In marking now, another milestone

in our nation's forward march, it is well that we should

look back with reverence and gratitude to the men who dreank ed confederation and made the dream a reality. We should

tell again, especially to the children, the story of their struggle, and we should emphasize again the hopes and thougi of those spirits gifted with farsight, who gave our united country its birth, and rocked wisely the cradle of its inan

When the Canadian colonies resolved to try the experi- ment of self government within the Empire, and under the

British flag, it was a new experiment in nationemaking - this attempt to establish a free national government in the British part of Nerth America, to secure essential autonomy and at the same time to retain membership in the larger British Empire. Joseph Howe's resolution in 1861 was the first real link in a chain of resolutions - the first step taken by any Legislature towards uniono

The Charlottetown Conference of 1864 was the result of many Maritime discussions. This was the beginning of practical efforts. In proposing a toast to the delegates at a banquet in their honor, Col. Gray of P. E. Island said "This meeting will be productive of much good, and will serve as the happy harbinger of such a union of sentiment and interests among the three and half millions of freeman who inhabit British Nbrth America, as neither time nor change can ever distroy."

There is no official record of the Charlottetown conferences, only in Edward Whalen's little book of re- prints of the speeches made by the delegates at the bane

quets in their honor here,and later in the Upper Provincese There were many rosy promises and prophecies. After one