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| { "A Family Tradition for 126 Years" OFF TO YORK The election of 1824, as was pointed out in last week's arti- cle, resulted in Peter Perry and his friend Marshall Spring Bid- well, being elected to the As- sembly of Upper Canada (Onta- rio) as representatives of the combined counties of Lennox and Addington. This election was a critical one. It marked the first time that Reformers held the majori- ty. However it was a hollow vic- tory since most of the decisions which they made were turned down by the appointed Legisla- tive Council. MAITLAND RULES The Lieutenant-Governor during Perry's first term of of- fice was Sir Peregrine Mait- land, appointed by the Colonial Office in England. His rejection of much of the legislation passed in the Assembly in- censed the people of Upper Can- ada, so much so that their grie- vances began to make their way back to the British House of Commons. The British Govern- ment in turn appointed a com- mission of inquiry to investi- gate the grievances. THE GRIEVANCES Perry and Bidwell led the grievance protest in the Assem- bly at York (Toronto). One of their major grievances was the Alien Bill, passed by Maitland and his followers. This Bill re- fused to grant the privileges of British citizenship to Loyalists and other Americans who had not lived in Canada for seven years even though they had pledged allegiance to the King and renounced all allegiance to the new United States of Ameri- ca. On this issue Perry gave much support to William Lyon Mackenzie who later led the armed rebellion of 1837. Mack- enzie used his newspaper, the "Colonial Advocate," to attack the Alien Bill. The grievance over the clergy reserves, whereby one seventh of the lands of Upper Canada were set aside for the Protes- tant clergy, created many prob- lems not the least of which was that only the Church of Eng- land received the lands or the money from the sale of the lands. : Peter Perry, although not a deeply religious man, had strong associations with both the Methodist and Presbyterian churches and spoke out vehe- mently against the policy of clergy reserves. He also op- posed the Lieutenant- Governor's practice of appoint- ing judges to serve on the execu- tive and legislative councils. Perry's most urgent concern was that the appointed councils and the Lieutenant-Governor - virtually dictated policy and re- fused to listen to the elected As- sembly on almost every issue. The commission appointed by the British government to in- vestigate the grievances agreed with most of the reformers' criti- cisms. Maitland was removed and replaced by Sir John Col- borne. CHANGES The Alien Bill was disallowed and all settlers who had arrived in Upper Canada before 1820 were granted citizenship. The only judge allowed to sit on ei- ther council was the chief jus- tice. Peter Perry's faith in the British system was reinforced. Perry was re-elected in 1828 and again in 1830 and 1834. In the 1828 election, the Re- form movement was signifi- cantly advanced by the election of Dr. William Warren Baldwin, a doctor, a lawyer, a wealthy land owner and one of the most respected men in York. Al- though Perry was a respected leader of the Reform party, his lack of education and his occa- sional use of coarse language failed to gain much support from the elite. Baldwin with his business, education and profes- sional background, gave an air of respectability to the Reform party's criticism of appointed councils. It was Baldwin who created the phrase "Responsi- ble Government." SIRJOHN COLBORNE The appointment of Sir John Colborne as Lieutenant- Governor had little long lasting healing effect on the unrest From the Imperial Oil Collection among the Reformers. He con- tinued to favor the wealthy and particularly the clergy, givin them far more than their lega entitlement of land. William Lyon Mackenzie became more militant in his approach to re- form and eventually advocated independence from Britain. Perry immediately dissociated himself from Mackenzie's views. Colborne was replaced by Sir Francis Bond Head in January 1836. He was under in- structions from the government in London to establish a more representative executive coun- cil. With that in mind, he ap- pointed Baldwin's son Robert and two other Reformers to the six member executive council. Three weeks later the entire council had resigned when Bond Head informed them that he would run the government himself and merely consult the executive council when he saw fit. This mass resignation caused havoc in the colony and the Assembly appointed Peter Perry as head of a committee to investigate the resignations and issue areport. PERRY'S REPORT Perry's report castigated the Lieutenant-Governor for con- trolling the affairs of the gov- ernment according to his own whims and fancies. It also called Sir Francis Bond Head a liar and a tyrant! The Assembly was so infuri- ated by what Perry had to re- port to them that they voted to cut off the supply of money for the daily operation of govern- ment. (This is an indication of the respect for Perry and the. trust that the Assembly, both Tory and Reform members, placed in him). Head responded by dissolving the Assembly. BRIBERY & CORRUPTION In the following election, Sir Francis Bond Head put forward his own candidates and actively campaigned against the leaders of the Reform party, particular- ly Perry, Bidwell, Mackenzie and Baldwin. Promises of free or cheap land or cash payments to those who voted for his candi- dates assured Head of his goal mh i I Ii iL 17 --_-- 4 [ Fd PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, October 20, 1992 - 23 ounded C mw. JEFFERY s REBELS MARCHING DOWN YONGE STREET ro = | " | he i } » N 's { jf | _ ( wae CL . : 1337 Art Gallery of Toromte REBELS DRILLING IN NORTH YORK IN AUTUMN. 18137 of eliminating his opposition. Perry, Bidwell, Mackenzie and Baldwin were defeated. The aceful reform appeared to ave suffered a total defeat and Perry's political career seemed to have ended. PERRY'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS Perry's name stands out as a leader in the movement toward Responsible government. None- theless his name appears in oth- er significant but less spectacu- lar legislation. During his 12 years in office he is recorded as initiating, leading or strongl supporting many issues includ- ing; the abolition of imprison- ment for debt, the use of secret ballet in elections, increased powers for local township gov- ernments, opposition towards the monopoly of the Bank of Upper Canada and the right of all recognized clergy to perform marriages. Any politician would have been proud to have accom- plished in a lifetime what Perry had done in 12 years. Sir Fran- cis Bond Head had targeted him for removal. Even when he was defeated and no longer in the Assembly, Head regarded him as a threat. THREATS Neither Perry nor Bidwell ad- vocated violence, to the con- trary, they were firm believers in change through parliamen- tary democracy. Throughout his life Perry supported the British form of government. As the leader of the Reformers, Perry was mistakenly held somewhat responsible for the antics of William Lyon Macken- zie. Sir Francis Bond Head went so far as to threaten Perry's friend Bidwell with ar- rest for high treason. Perry and Bidwell both left their ridings. Bidwell went south to New York where he immediately be- came one of the most respected lawyers in the city. His reputa- tion became legendary and his death in 1872 brought eulogies from some of the most impor- tant judges in the United States. Perry moved to Whitby where he started a new life as a most successful businessman and entrepreneur. Perry did however explore other areas be- fore permanently settling in Whitby. Shortly after Mackenzie Re- bellion, Perry visited Iowa in the United States and seriously considered settling there, in fact he wrote a report encourag- ing Canadians to move there to farm. PERRY'S REPLACEMENT Perry and Bidwell were de- feated in the 1836 election by George Detlor and John Cart- wright, both Tory candidates. Although they were supported and encouraged by Sir Francis Bond Head in his vendetta against Perry, Bidwell and the other Reformers, Detlor and Cartwright were by no means second rate citizens. In fact the background of George Hill Det- lor forms an interesting micro- cosm of the type of family histo- ry of these early Canadians. George's grandfather, John V. Detlor, had come from Ireland and settled in New York prior to the Revolution. They finally set- tledin Camden, N.Y. As the events leading up to the American Revolution drew closer, Detlor, in spite of his Irish background, supported the Loyalist cause by joining the Royal Standard. After the Declaration of Independence he took his family and moved to Upper Canada, settling in the Township Rn Tay John Detlor continued the Loyalist tradition by joining the militia to fight against the Turnto Page 24