nd
later on a judge of the supreme court. Mr. Wetmore, when haranguing St.
John audiences, used to depict the dreadful effects of confederation in
a manner peculiarly his own. His great plea was an imaginary dialogue
between himself and his little son, that precocious infant asking him in
lisping tones, "Father, what country do we live in?" to which he would
reply, "My dear son, you have no country, for Mr. Tilley has sold us to
the Canadians for eighty cents a head."

In the county of St. John, the Hon. John. H. Gray, Charles N. Skinner,
W. H. Scovil and James Quinton, who ran as supporters of confederation,
were opposed by John W. Cudlip, T. W. Anglin, the Hon. R. D. Wilmot and
Joseph Coram. Mr. Cudlip was a merchant, who at one time enjoyed much
popularity in the city of St. John. Mr. Anglin was a clever Irishman, a
native of the county of Cork, who had lived several years in St. John
and edited a newspaper called the _Freeman_, which enjoyed a great
popularity among his co-religionists. He was admitted to be the leader
of the Irish Catholics of St. John, and had acquired an ascendency over
them which was not easily shaken; yet he was not, as a politician, a
great success, nor did his efforts to improve the condition of his
countrymen always lead to satisfactory results. The Hon. R. D. Wilmot
had been a prominent Conservative politician, but was defeated, and had
retired to his farm at Belmont. For some years he had been devoting his
abilities to stock-raising; but at the first note of alarm on the
confederation question he abandoned his agricultural pursuits and rushed
into the field to take part in the contest. Mr. Joseph Coram was a
leading Orangeman, and a highly respected citizen.

{A CRITICAL ELECTION}

In the county of York, the Hon. George L. Hatheway, who was then chief
commissioner of the board of works, appeared in the field as an
Opposition candidate, in company with John C. Allen, John J. Fraser and
William H. Needham. Mr. Hatheway deserted the government in its hour of
need, apparently because he judged from the cries that were raised
against confederation that the current of public opinion was strongly
adverse to the Quebec scheme. Having left Mr. Tilley in the lurch on the
eve of the confederation contest, he deserted the Smith government
sixteen months later, when the second confederation election came to be
run, thereby inflicting upon them a blow from which it was impossible
they could recover.