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Francis Hincks, John G. Vansittart, and Voters in the Oxford-General Election of 1851 George Emery and J.C

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Francis Hincks, John G. Vansittart, and Voters in the Oxford-General Election of 1851 George Emery and J.C Document generated on 09/26/2021 4:56 a.m. Ontario History The Premier versus the Aristocrat Francis Hincks, John G. Vansittart, and Voters in the Oxford-General Election of 1851 George Emery and J.C. Herbert Emery Volume 100, Number 2, Fall 2008 Article abstract The authors use anecdotal evidence and cliometric methods to revisit the 1851 URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1065698ar Oxford-general election. They open with the setting — the electoral process, the DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1065698ar electorate, the voter turnout, the candidates, and the local issues: railway politics, radical democracy, and establishment religion. Then through analysis See table of contents of voters, they investigate why Hincks — the incumbent, the province’s co-premier in the Hincks-Morin administration (1851–4), but also a non-resident — prevailed over Vansittart — the prominent, eldest son of the Publisher(s) deceased Vice-Admiral Henry Vansittart. The central finding is that establishment religion, and in particular the clergy reserves, was the decisive The Ontario Historical Society issue in Oxford, with Vansittart and Hincks offering alternative middle-ground positions between the ultra-Tory and ultra-Reform extremes. The contrasting ISSN religious and ethnic traditions of the riding’s 2,500 voters gave Hincks a narrow win. 0030-2953 (print) 2371-4654 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article Emery, G. & Emery, J. H. (2008). The Premier versus the Aristocrat: Francis Hincks, John G. Vansittart, and Voters in the Oxford-General Election of 1851. Ontario History, 100(2), 178–204. https://doi.org/10.7202/1065698ar Copyright © The Ontario Historical Society, 2008 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ 178 ONTARIO HISTORY The Premier versus the Aristocrat Francis Hincks, John G. Vansittart, and Voters in the Oxford-General Election of 1851 By George Emery and J.C. Herbert Emery They axed me how I was going to vote. I said I would vote for _____; and as soon as the word was out of my mouth the blood was out of my nose. (Zorra-Township elector on the 1851 Oxford-general election)1 n December 1851 the Hon. Francis and the resignation of its Baldwin-La- Hincks defeated his Tory opponent, Fontaine ministry in 1851. On the ul- John George Vansittart, by 86 votes tra-Reform left, an ascendant Clear-Grit Iout of 2,500 votes cast. The Rev. W.A. movement pushed for radical democracy MacKay, in his 1899 memoir, Pioneer Life on the American model, voluntaryism4 in Zorra, recalled the election as “one of in place of establishment religion, and the most exciting contests ever witnessed principled politics before party solidar- in the county.”2 The Oxford riding also ity. Also in the ultra-Reform camp was held interest provincially and received ex- George Brown, proprietor of the Toron- tensive coverage in the non-local press.3 to Globe, who championed voluntaryism The Oxford contest unfolded during but opposed radical democracy. On the a fundamental realignment of parties in right, a reactionary Toryism gave way to Canada West, following Canada’s attain- an ascendant moderate Toryism, which ment of responsible government in 1849 took a middle-ground position on estab- 1 W.A. Mackay. Pioneer Life in Zorra (Toronto: William Briggs 1899), 150. 2 Ibid. 3 See the London Free Press and the Toronto Globe (both ultra-Reform journals), the Toronto British Colonist (Tory), and the Toronto North American (ultra-Reform until 31 October, then ministerial-Reform). 4 The principle that churches should derive their revenues entirely from the voluntary contributions of their laity. Ontario History / Volume C No. 2 / Autumn 2008 179 lishment religion and a prag- Abstract The authors use anecdotal evidence and cliometric matic approach to politics. methods to revisit the 1851 Oxford-general election. The Hincks-Morin ministry, They open with the setting — the electoral process, the The Premier versus the successor to the Baldwin- electorate, the voter turnout, the candidates, and the LaFontaine ministry, repre- local issues: railway politics, radical democracy, and sented the Reform middle establishment religion. Then through analysis of vot- ers, they investigate why Hincks — the incumbent, the Aristocrat ground. Although nominally province’s co-premier in the Hincks-Morin administra- committed to Reform-party tion (1851–4), but also a non-resident — prevailed over principles, it used pragmatism Vansittart — the prominent, eldest son of the deceased and compromise to keep the Vice-Admiral Henry Vansittart. The central finding is that establishment religion, and in particular the clergy divergent elements of its coa- reserves, was the decisive issue in Oxford, with Vansit- lition together. What placed tart and Hincks offering alternative middle-ground Oxford at the centre of things positions between the ultra-Tory and ultra-Reform ex- was its Reform candidate— tremes. The contrasting religious and ethnic traditions none other than the Hon. of the riding’s 2,500 voters gave Hincks a narrow win. Francis Hincks, co-premier Résumé: Dans cet article, utilisant aussi bien les métho- of Canada and the architect des quantitatives que des données de nature anecdotique, of a ministry that was organ- les auteurs réexaminent l’élection générale de 1851 à Ox- ford. Le processus électoral, l’électorat, la participation au ized expressly to deal with vote, les candidats, les problèmes locaux (chemins de fer; explosive new issues and the démocratie radicale; pouvoir religieux), sont tour-à-tour realignment of parties. examinés. Puis, à partir d’une analyse des participants The authors use anecdotal aux votes, les auteurs s’attachent à montrer pourquoi evidence and cliometric meth- Hincks (le député sortant, le co-premier ministre dans le gouvernement Hincks-Morin de 1851-1854, mais ods to revisit the 1851 Oxford- aussi un non-résident du comté), réussit à l’emporter sur general election. They open Vansittart, le fils aîné et influent du vice-amiral Henry with the setting—the electoral Vansittart. Pour les auteurs, la question décisive fut celle process, the electorate, the vot- du pouvoir religieux, et notamment du pouvoir exercé par ceux officiant dans les réserves. Sur ce point Hinks er turnout, the candidates, and et Vansittart offraient des solutions de compromis entre the local issues: railway poli- les deux extrêmes, les Ultra-Conservateurs et les Ul- tics, radical democracy, and tra-Réformistes; mais les traditions opposées aussi bien establishment religion. Then sur le plan ethnique que sur le plan religieux des 2,500 through analysis of voters, they votants, permirent à Hinks de l’emporter de justesse. investigate why Hincks—the incumbent, the province’s co-premier in and a sometime leader of the Woodstock the Hincks-Morin administration (1851- aristocracy). The central finding is that -es 54), but also a non-resident—prevailed tablishment religion, and in particular the over Vansittart—the prominent, eldest clergy reserves, was the decisive issue in son of the deceased Vice-Admiral Henry Oxford, with Vansittart and Hincks offer- Vansittart (1777-1843, a retired half-pay ing alternative middle-ground positions naval officer, a founder of Woodstock, between the ultra-Tory and ultra-Reform 180 ONTARIO HISTORY extremes. The contrasting reli- Vice-Admiral Henry Vansittart (1777– gious and ethnic traditions of 1843). Father of John G. Vansittart. (Art Williams and Edward Bak- the riding’s 2,500 voters er, Woodstock Bits & Pieces, gave Hincks a narrow Woodstock 1967, 41) win. ture on the collapse Relationship to of establishment re- ligion.6 Inasmuch as the Literature the local contest was ur analysis of something of a pleb- Ovoters in a con- iscite on the issue, it stituency case study shows that support is unique for general for establishment re- elections in Canada ligion in 1851 drew West. As such it gives heavily from Anglican a pioneer account of electors, but also includ- the month-long election ed significant numbers of process, fresh insights on the Presbyterians and Method- extent of the franchise and voter ists. The Oxford story also intro- turnout in a general election that preced- duces fresh detail: Vansittart’s Anglican ed municipal voters’ lists, and patterns of middle-ground solution for the vexing voters’ choices.5 It captures specifics of clergy-reserves question—a retention of the 1851 contest such as its timing, which state aid to churches, but with a type of preceded the 1852 census enumeration, equality for the different religious de- the first to report a larger population for nominations. Vansittart’s approach, in Canada West than for Canada East. Thus turn, shows how the replacement of ul- the issue of “representation by popula- tra-Toryism with a pragmatic, moderate tion” and the bogey of “French domi- new Toryism, later exemplified by John nation” were still inchoate; this helps to A. Macdonald, dated from the inception explain why Oxford’s Roman Catholic of responsible government in 1849. electors favoured the Reform candidate Finally, our Oxford study enhances in 1851, rather than the Tory candidate, Sid Noel’s vivid depiction of Francis their preference in later elections. Hincks as a broker par excellence.7 Can- The Oxford study enriches the litera- ada West during the 1840s was highly 5 J.M.S. Careless. The Union of the Canadas. The Growth of Canadian Institutions 1841-1857 (Toron- to: McClelland and Stewart 1967) gives a solid general discussion of issues and the realignment of parties indicated in the election outcome.
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