Crest of Clan MacIvor

Chapter XXIV

Sketch of Lieut-Governor D. C. Fraser; Late Lieut-Governor of Nova Scotia

D. C. Fraser was a native of Pictou county. In early life, he taught school for some years. He taught at Wallace in this county (Cumberland) at the same time the late Hugh McKenzie, another Pictou man, taught school on the Gulf Shore. It was at the time the Good Templars were in full swing. My brother Kenneth and my sister Christy were active members of this temperance society. Clubs were organized in every community. Meetings were held weekly. It was a secret society. The young folks were often together, and many pleasant evenings "D.C.," as Fraser was called, and Hugh McKenzie spent in my father's home here. Hugh studied law and later practiced his profession in Truro, where he had been principal of the normal school a few years previous. He was a splendid type of man, but death claimed him in middle life.

"D.C." also studied law and practiced in his native county and town. Then he entered the political field. As a member of the Federal Government, he supported Sir Wilfred Laurier. Later he was appointed Lieut-Governor of Nova Scotia but died while in office. He was a clever lawyer, a popular M.P., and a fluent public speaker.

One of his daughters married Rev. Mr. Wilson, a Presbyterian minister who was stationed at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, for several years but recently transferred to Victoria, B.C. Another daughter was a trained nurse overseas during the Great World War. She lost her life when the cruel Huns torpedoed the hospital ship Llandovery Castle to their everlasting shame and disgrace.

Nova Scotia was the birthplace of many other clever men who made their mark in the different professions, and who were largely instrumental in building this great country of ours. I will mention a few of them who were foremost in nation building:- Judge Haliburton, author and statesman; Joseph Howe, who fought for responsible government until he attained it, and who also opposed confederation of the Canadian provinces until it was an accomplished thing. Then he fell in and did his best to make it a success.

One of the reasons why [Joseph Howe] opposed confederation was because Canada had a treaty of reciprocity with the United States. She was Nova Scotia's nearest neighbour and Nova Scotia was prosperous under that treatment. But, during the Civil War in the States, the then government of Canada, which was Conservative, was favourable to the Southern Confederacy. For this reason, at the close of the war, the States abrogated the treaty and built a tariff wall against this country, which suffered much in consequence. Halifax was our principal market, as a large number of British soldiers were stationed there, and British warships got most of their supplies there. So Nova Scotia was pretty well off in that respect.

One of the conditions of Confederation was that a railroad was to be built from Montreal to Halifax, to connect the upper provinces with the lower provinces. Joe Howe saw that the said road would bring down to this province the surplus produce of Ontario and naturally glut our only market. This is just what happened, Nova Scotia being largely an agricultural country. Times got bad after the I.C.R. was built and our young people left home and rushed across the line to the States. It is claimed that one million native born Canadians left Canada about that time. It was our great loss.

Sir Wilfred Laurier, the great Liberal statesman, the gifted leader, did so much to united the two great peoples, the French, his own people, and the Anglo-Saxon people, into one harmonious family under the British flag in Canada, and to a great extent he was successful. He was Premier of Canada for about fifteen years. Those men will live in history while the world stands.

Sir Charles Tupper, who was born in Amherst, Cumberland county, was at first an M.D. He entered politics, provincial of course. He was provincial secretary for some time. He espoused the cause of Confederation and when it passed, he represented Cumberland county at Ottawa for several years. He was Premier for a short time. He was Canada's High Commissioner at London for years.

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