Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

40 HISTORY OF THE BANKis certain, I have left no stone unturned in order to makethem as perfect as possible. Several changes for the worsehave been pressed upon Sir Francis since the deputationwaited on him some three weeks ago, and besides reasoningand coaxing I had to show a little fight occasionally in orderto defeat the influence brought to bear on him."The resolutions drafted by Sir Francis were introduced onMarch 1, and seemed to give general satisfaction. One pointwhich Senator McMaster thought required amendment wasthat relating to the qualification of directors.He urged, inprivate conferences with Sir Francis, that this be reduced.He also favoured granting charters for a period of twenty years,but the Finance Minister finally placed the term at ten years.The Senator reported that the Mackenzie and Brown party1were preparing to defeat the Government on the clause whichtook away from the banks the right of circulating one and twodollar bills, but rightly predicted that they would not succeed.On March 8 he was able to advise that the bill authorizingthe amalgamation of the Gore Bank had made some progressin the House of Commons, and intimated that it had passedthrough an ordeal in the Standing Orders Committee. "Thereare," he adds, "a large number of bankers here who hadheld several meetings for the purpose of considering thebanking resolutions. I was appointed chairman and in thatcapacity had to invite Mr. King to attend. I can hardlydescribe to you how different his manner and general bearingappear, when compared with the way he acted when he hadWhatever may beRose at his back, ready to do his bidding.the state of things in future, one thing is certain, that just nowKing, like Samson, is shorn of his locks, and without powerfor mischief."On March 10 Mr. McMaster reported that the representativesof the various banks had, after several protractedl Thc new Liberal or Reform party, as opposedto the Liberal-Conservativecoalition party of Sir John A. Macdonald. The leaders of the Reform party \\ r ^the Hon. George Brown and the Hon. Alexander Mackenzie (1822-92).latter became the first Liberal Prime Minister of Canada.In 1873 the