ted States boundary; Riel was
captured, imprisoned, and in due course tried for treason. This second
rebellion carried on under his leadership had lasted about three months,
had cost the country many valuable lives, and in money about five
millions of dollars. Clear as was his guilt, Riel's trial, condemnation
and execution on the 16th of November 1885, provoked a violent political
storm which at one time threatened to overthrow the Conservative
government. The balance of power between parties in parliament was held
by the province of Quebec, and there racial and religious feeling evoked
no slight sympathy for Riel. But while a section of Quebec was eager to
secure the rebel's pardon, Ontario was equally bent on the execution of
justice, so that in the final vote on the question in parliament the
defection of French Conservatives was compensated for by the support of
Ontario Liberals. In the end 25 out of 53 French members voted in
justification of Kiel's punishment. With him were executed several
Indian chiefs who had been concerned in a massacre of whites. Painful as
were the circumstances connected with this rebellion, it is certain that
the united action of the different provinces in suppressing it tended to
consolidate Canadian sentiment, and the short military campaign had the
effect of fixing public attention upon the immense fertile territory
then being opened up.

Macdonald's fiscal policy.

The general election of 1882 turned chiefly upon endorsement of the
national policy of protection; in that of 1887 the electoral test was
again applied to the same issue, while Sir John Macdonald also asked for
approval of the government's action in exacting from Riel the full
penalty of his guilt. On both issues the Conservative policy was upheld
by the electors, and Macdonald was continued in power with a large
parliamentary majority. From the election of 1887 the Riel agitation
ceased to seriously influence politics, but the fiscal controversy
continued under new forms. Between 1887 and 1891 a vigorous agitation
was kept up under Liberal auspices in favour of closer trade relations
with the United States, at first under the name of Commercial Union and
later under that of Unrestricted Reciprocity. The object in both cases
was to break down tariff barriers between the United States and Canada,
even though that should be at the expense of discrimination against
Great Britain. The Conservative party took the position t