Even since the issue, last year, of my book:—"L'Angleterre,Le Canada et la Grande Guerre"—"England,Canada and the Great War"—a secondedition of which I had to publish, a few weekslater, to meet the pressing demand of numerousreaders—I have been repeatedly asked by influentialcitizens to publish an English edition of mywork.
A delegate from Quebec to the National Unity—orWin-the-War—Convention, in Montreal, Ihad the pleasure of meeting a great many of thedelegates from Toronto and all over the Dominion.Many of them insisted upon the publication of anEnglish edition.
Having written that book for the express andpatriotic purpose of proving the justice of thecause of the Allies in the Great War, and refutingMr. Bourassa's false and dangerous theories, Irealized that the citizens of Quebec, Montreal,Ottawa and Toronto, who strongly advised anEnglish edition to be circulated in all the Provinces,appreciated the good it could make.[iv]
I consider it is my imperious duty to dedicateto my English speaking countrymen this volumecontaining all the substance matter of my Frenchbook, and the defense a truly loyal FrenchCanadian has made of the sacred cause of Civilizationand Liberty for the triumph of which theglorious Allied Nations have been so heroicallyfighting for the last four eventful years.
As I say, in the Introduction to this work, Ifirst intended to write only an English resumé ofmy French book. But once at work writing down,the questions to consider were so important, andthe replies to the Nationalist leader's inconceivabletheories so numerous, that I had to doubleand more the pages I had thought would be sufficientfor my purpose. I realized that many points,to be fully explained, required more comments andargumentation that I had at first supposednecessary.
Moreover, since writing my French book, mostimportant events have taken place. To have thepresent English volume up to date, I had to considerrecent history in its very latest developments,and reply to the Nationalist leader's last errors,which by no means were not the least. When once[v]a man has run off the path of reason and soundpublic sense, he is sure to rush to most dangerousextremes, unless he has the moral courage toacknowledge that he was sadly mistaken.
I trust that the English speaking readers ofthis book, will not, for a single moment, supposethat I am actuated by the least ill-feeling againstMr. Bourassa personally, in the severe but justdenunciation it was my plain duty to make of hisdeplorable Nationalist campaign.
For many years past, I have ever been delightedin welcoming promising young men to the responsibilitiesof public life. I remember with amixed feeling of pleasure and regret the occasionI first heard Mr. Bourassa, then a youth, addressinga very large public meeting held on the nominationday of the candidates to a pending bye-electionfor the House of Commons of Canada: Pleasure atthe recollection of what I considered a fair