Hamilton Sir John A. Macdonald Statue - 1893

The Unveiling – Poem by J. Mitchell, Hamilton

          Who can unveil it,

          The life-work of our immortal hero?

          Who can sum it up that we may shower

          All due honor at his statue’s feet

          And crown the brow with victorious laurels?

         

Did he not lay successfully

The sure foundation of the Dominion’s greatness?

Who can descend to fathom it,

Or scale the heights our knight attained,

To view the summits of the towering splendor

Of our grand and vigorous nation?

While thus I sat and wrote,

Time glided by on her noiseless wings,

And saw me half-perplexed because

I could not fathom it, nor see

The height nor breadth of Sir John’s labors;

And while she passed, she saw and said.

‘O mortal child, whose life is but a span,

Thou canst not pierce the heart of time –

Thine, thine the present, mine the future.’

As I unveil the stars in your great arch

Daily and forever, so I will unveil

The golden deeds of Sir John.’

The goddess Fame, who sits on a throne,

Decks her famous temple at my bidding,

And not a statue in her vast edifice

That stands in dazzling niche

Shall shine more brightly than that of Sir John.

So the excellent labors of Sir John,

Like a southern tree ‘neath its native sky,

Shall ever yield its ripened golden fruit.

On Monday, October 30, 1893. a statue, over eight feet tall, was hoisted into position at the corner of King and John streets in Downtown Hamilton. The operation attracted a lot of attention as it was widely known that the statue, still covered veiled at the time, was the memorial depicting the likeness of the recently deceased Sir John A. Macdonald.

Hamilton was the first city to erect a public memorial in honor of the late Canadian prime minister. Despite the concerted interest in the effort to put the statue in place on its pedestal, the citizens watching would have to wait one more day to see exactly what it would look like, as it was draped in a large Union Jack.

Tuesday, November 1, 1893, began as a bright Indian summer day. The early edition of the Hamilton Daily Times was being sold by newsboys long before the scheduled afternoon unveiling ceremony. In it, the Times reporter described that day’s weather as follows:

“Instead of the cheerless November weather which is so prevalent at this time of year, a perfect autumn day, with gentle breezes from the southwest and a bright, warm sun, broke over the city about the time that the committee which has had in hand the arrangements for the unveiling of the monument of the late Sir John A. Macdonald began to bustle around to make the last preparations.”¹

¹ “Today’s Unveiling : Arrival of Sir John Thompson and Party This Morning:

Hamilton Times.   November 1, 1893

Hamilton took on a holiday appearance as crowds of people began to fill the downtown streets in anticipation of the ceremony.

About 10:30 a.m., the regular passenger train from Toronto arrived at the Grand Trunk Railway station on Stuart street. The train had pulled a special extra car which carried a large party of distinguished Canadian political leaders, including Sir John Thompson, Prime Minister of Canada, and Sir Oliver Mowat, Premier of the Province of Ontario.

While the prominent arrivals were met at the railway station by a large deputation of influential Hamiltonians, there were no formal introductions or elaborate ceremonies. Those who had arrived on the train were immediately hustled into waiting carriages for a drive around the city:

“And such a drive! The day was absolutely perfect, and the ministers were delighted. The view of the city was greatly appreciated. The hazy atmosphere prevented the expanded range of vision which is generally to be had.”¹

At the end of the drive, the guests were delivered to the Court House for a reception to be held in the Law Library rooms. During the speeches, a presentation to the Law Library was made by Sir John Thompson. In his remarks, the prime minister said that he was “glad to see all the lawyers present looking, in the language of the last campaign, ‘so prosperous and happy.’ ” Amid much laughter, the prime minister added that “of course, there could be no prosperity in the country if the lawyers were not contented.” With that, he presented a complete set of Supreme Court records to the Law Library on behalf of the Government of Canada.

After a brief luncheon at the Court House, the party moved en masse to the site of the statue for the unveiling ceremony.

The Hamilton Spectator reporter on the scene, like his counterpart with the Times, had to file his first report of the day only minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin:

“At 2 o’clock, all is in readiness for the unveiling. A big blue Canadian flag floats from the tall crimson staff; the seats in the open sir auditorium are rapidly filling up, and a big crowd has already gathered around the platform. Music from the Thirteenth band fills the air. The statue will be unveiled by Sir John Thompson, and the operation will be done by means of electricity. By an ingenious contrivance, Sir John will merely have to press an electric button and the covering of the statue will fall off.”²

² “Sir John Macdonald : Unveiling the Hamilton Memorial Statue”     Hamilton Spectator.  November 1, 1893

The idea of using an electric apparatus to unveil the statue originated with Mr. F. H. Hutton, and his concept was made a working reality by the firm of Lowe and Farrell. It was the first time such a device had been used locally, and many of the organizers of the ceremony viewed its reliability with some apprehension.

The number of citizens who had gathered for the unveiling ceremony was conservatively estimated at over 20,000 individuals. As well as crowding the streets around the statue, there were hundreds of people watching from the rooftops of surrounding buildings:

“Half a dozen ladies perched on the highest peak of one of the tall buildings on the north side of the street were perhaps to the greatest extreme of any of the fair sex in their determination to see what was going on.”³

³  “The First Statue of the Late Prime Minister Unveiled” Hamilton Times. November 2, 1893.

In front of the statue, several hundred chairs were set up for the use of ladies, while beside the statue, a speakers’ platform had been erected with a seating capacity of the two hundred people who had received special invitations.

After the invited guests had all taken their places on the platform, the Honorable W. E. Sanford, chairman of the committee which raised funds to pay for the statue, began the proceedings by requesting that Bishop Hamilton lead the assembled in prayer.

Dressed in full canonicals, the bishop asked the crowd to repeat after him the Apostle’s Creed, followed by the Lord’s Prayer. Senator Sanford then began the speeches:

“Mr. Premier, and ladies and gentlemen. We have met today to complete the work in which we have been engaged during the last eighteen months – the placing in our city a monument to the memory of the great statesman who, during Canada’s brief life, has been most intimately associated with its growth and development.

“The work of the subscribers is almost concluded, and we refer to it with mingled feelings of regret and of pleasure. Of regret, for we mourn the loss of the great premier as for a father, or a dear friend, with a keen sense of personal loss. Of pleasure, that in the completion of our work, we are first in Canada to erect a monument, creditable alike to the memory of the great statesman and to our city.

“It is most gratifying to the committee and to the citizens generally that the premier who was so intimately associated with the late Sir John for so any years, kindly consented to lay aside the pressing duties of state to be present on this occasion.

“I shall now call upon Sir John Thompson, premier of the Dominion, to unveil the statue”

Thunderous cheers greeted the premier as he rose to address the crowd:

“May it please your honor, my Lord Bishop, Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen;

“Before I perform the duty which is allotted to me this afternoon, and which is indeed a task of love – to unveil the statue of the great statesman under whom I had the honor to serve for six or seven years – I consider it my first duty to tender my congratulations to you, Mr. Senator, and to the people of Hamilton, for having been the first in the Dominion of Canada to erect and unveil this statue to the eminent statesman whose memory we are to recall today.

“I thank you in the name of the government; I thank you and congratulate you in the name of the people of this Dominion; but my congratulations and thanks are wider still, for I have the pleasure here of voicing the sentiments of millions of British subjects all over the world, who will hail this as a great event and a new milestone reached in the history of the British empire.:

When the premier reached this point in his speech, he pressed the electric button on the hand rail before him:

“Ten thousand pairs of eyes were turned from him to the mute, draped outline of the statue, the veil of flags dropped gracefully from it, and there stood before them the life-like figure of the grand old chieftain in the very attitude of addressing the multitude. So intensely dramatic was the incident that a gasp of surprise seemed to emanate from the crowd, there was a moment of tense silence followed by a mighty roar of tumultuous cheering and as it died away, the strains of the Thirteenth band were heard playing ‘Hail to the Chief.’ ”⁴

^{4 2} “Sir John Macdonald : Unveiling the Hamilton Memorial Statue”     Hamilton Spectator.  November  2, 1893

The statue, depicting Sir John A. in a closely-buttoned frock coat, with “an animated but benignant expression on his face, as if he were in the act of addressing a sympathetic audience, and about to get off one of his quaint witticisms ,”⁴ was the work of a talented young sculptor from London, England, George E. Wade. The eight foot, three inch statue was cast in bronze and was placed facing west, on an eleven-foot pedestal made of New Brunswick granite. The pedestal design was the work of Hamilton architect William Stewart.

Although the unveiling ceremony was an occasion of celebration in Hamilton, yet there was still some sadness in the air. A recent Canadian Prime Minister, Sir John Abbot had died just a week earlier. Sir John Thompson referred to the death of his former colleagues when he noted that his was “a task of sadness” because “remembrance of the past, with its personal feelings and personal affections, is almost too much for the man who has this duty to perform. But how much sadder is the task made when I recall that, though but a little over two years ago we laid his body in the tomb, this afternoon, in the city of Montreal, the grave lies open to receive his successor – when I remember that today we are unveiling the statue of one great public man, this time tomorrow we shall be laying another great public man – another great son of Canada – in his last resting place upon this earth.”

Prime Minister Thompson concluded his speech by thanking the citizens of Hamilton :

“For the noble which you have done in erecting the first statue to Sir John Macdonald. Addressing this vast assemblage which is here to see the statue unveiled, I beseech you that you will learn and practice devotion to the interests of Canada, our country, and to the determination that the banner of England shall continue to wave over this country as long as time shall last.”

The next speaker was Sir Adolphe Caron, postmaster-general. A man who was a lifelong friend of Sir John A. Macdonald. In his speech, Postmaster Caron lauded the achievements of his friend in the following manner:

“Every great change in the history of Canada was made under him. The civil law was codified, the statutes were consolidated, the municipal system was organized, a line of steamships were started connecting Canada with Europe, the civil service was reformed, the Intercolonial railway was built, the Canadian Pacific was constructed, the election laws were ratified, and the treaty with Washington was made.

“Yes, it is right for the Canadian people to build up monuments in bronze and in marble, in the country which was so benefitted by his work, in order that our children may remember how much we owe him. If that statue of bronze could speak and express an opinion, it would tell you that, however grateful it may be, it would be much more so if the people of Canada would erect to his memory a greater monument by continuing his work and following his example. It would be a monument that would do him honor, and if we would follow in his footsteps, let us work together, shoulder to shoulder, in consolidating the great Canadian people.”

The next speaker to be introduced was Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper, a popular young diplomat who had recently gained some notoriety for his work in the Bering Sea Arbitration Conference at Paris, France.

Tippert began by declaring:

“By this ceremony, by this expedition and promptness in this honor to the memory of that great man, Hamilton has done itself great honor.”

Tippert went on to talk about Sir John’s last political campaign in 1891, during which the dying politician gave a memorable performance at the Palace Rink in Hamilton, despite his deteriorating health:

“He fought, as you know in Hamilton, with the strength and courage of a lion, even when his life was failing him, even when he knew that his days were numbered, when his issued his last manifesto to his party that loved and trusted him loyally. You can read there today the presence of that man, the signification that he knew his last hour had come, and when he appealed to them to rally to his support, to fight for what he believed to be the unity of the empire; you know that he fought with the courage of a lion, and with the support of the youth of this country, and he won in the fight and died as a hero should die, with his glorious triumphs blazing about him.”

Despite the good weather of the morning, the afternoon turned out to be grey and ominous. As the next speaker, Sir Oliver Mowat, began his remarks, the rain that had been threatening to fall, began to come down steadily.

The Hon. T. Mayne Daly, minister of the Interior in Sir John Thompson’s cabinet, came forward with his umbrella to shelter the aged premier who was then in his 73^rd year.

Premier said that he had known John Alexander Macdonald since 1864, and, although they were always on opposite sides of the political spectrum, Sir Oliver acknowledged his tremendous respect for the late premier:

“Political parties differ about the wisdom of some of Sir John’s measures, and about the justice of others, but we cannot deny that parliament after parliament, they had the support of the majority of the people’s elected representatives.”

As regards Macdonald’s political opponents, Premier Mowat went on to point out:

“He could, when he chose, in the legislative chamber, on the public platform, and elsewhere, say severe things to them, or of them, but his ordinary bearing towards them, in public and in private, was the reverse of offensive, and was courteous and pleasant. Further, he manifested in public affairs uncommon fertility of resource, uncommon courage, uncommon perseverance, and unsurpassed common sense and tact, especially in dealing with men.”

Sir Oliver Mowat concluded his remarks by emphasizing that he was “pleased to be taking part in the proceedings of today when there has been unveiled a statue, erected here by his friends in his honor as a memorial to future generations of the statesman who held the premiership of this country for more years than any other premier in any country ever held a like office, and whose administration of public affairs affected the Dominion and its provinces so largely and so long that he will ever occupy a remarkable place in their history.”

The final speaker of the afternoon was the Hon. N. Clark Wallace, the comptroller of Customs for the Dominion government. By this time, the rain was falling very heavily. Most people who had left home for the ceremony many hours earlier had not brought umbrellas or raincoats because the weather had been so clear.

Because the audience was getting soaked, Mr. Wallace cut short his remarks, but he did want to say that it was very appropriate that Hamilton be the first city to erect a public memorial to the memory of Sir John Macdonald, “because, from the policy which the Late Sir John Macdonald inaugurated, combined with the courage and enterprise and skill of your citizens, you have benefitted very largely.”

After Wallace’s brief speech, and with the rain continuing to pelt down, the chairman of the ceremony, Senator Sanford, rose to make the formal presentation of the staue to Hamilton Mayor Blaicher:

:Mr. Mayor, I am instructed to hand over, through you, sir, to the corporation of Hamilton, this monument of the greatest statesman of Canada. I know that you will be proud to accept it, and I may say that the earnest wish of the contributors is that our pretty city may be graced by many other similar ornaments.”

“Senator Sanford and gentlemen,” responded the mayor, “on behalf of the citizens of Hamilton, I thank you heartily for this most beautiful monument of the late Sir John Macdonald. The citizens, I am sure, will accept it and cherish it for the silent instruction of ages yet to come.”

After three cheers for Queen Victoria, the Thirteenth band struck up the national anthem, and the ceremony was brought to a close.

Generally, the huge crowd dispersed in an orderly manner. However, a problem developed on the north side of King street, between John and Hughson streets. Most people wanted to proceed in an eastward direction, but a number of people tried to buck the trend and push their way west.

An impasse was reached where many people were unable to move anywhere, being gradually crushed by the surging mass of people:

“A couple of women, with infants in perambulators, had a hard time, and for a while it looked as if the vehicles would be wrecked. Men seized the little ones and held them up over the press and the buggies were ultimately got out over the heads of the crowd into John street.

“Near that corner, a few rough fellows used some women very roughly in trying to force their way into the crowd, and one particularly violent chap made his way by sheer force, and elbow blows ran into the wrong man at one point, just after crushing a little girl till she screamed, and got a thump on the nose that turned him in the opposite direction.”³

In the melee, some children got separated from their parents. One little four year old boy was rescued by a gentleman who had to calm the child for some time until his distracted mother was located.

While the crowd was dispersing, the platform guests made their exit. Sir John Thompson, before he got into a waiting carriage, was asked how he liked the new electrical device employed in the unveiling procedure:

“ ‘Tip, top,’ he replied, ‘I simply pressed the button, and when I turned to see it go, it was gone.’ ”³

The prime minister and part of the official delegation, were driven to Senator Sanford’s Jackson street west residence, “Wesanford,” for a dinner reception, while others in the party had dinner invitations at Dundurn with Senator MacInness, or at the residences of A. MacKay, M.P., Alexander Turner or the Hon. J. M. Gibson.

After the rain had stopped, around six o’clock, and before the scheduled departure of she and her family, Miss Schultz, daughter of the Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba, placed a magnificent wreath of the arm of the staue.

After dinner, the official party reassembled at the Grand Trunk Railway station to be transported back to Toronto. The Thirteenth band and a large crowd of citizens were present for the departure.

As the train pulled out, Prime Minster Sir John Thompson stood on the rear platform of the Government car to wave in acknowledgment of the cheers of the crowd.

Later in the evening, great numbers of Hamiltonians went back downtown to make a closer inspection of the newly-unveiled statue under the electric lights.