Laurier was sympathetic to the rouge cause, and imbibed it while
clerking with Rodolphe Laflamme, one of its most ardent proponents and
one of Montreal’s leading lawyers.... there was a certain ethos about rouge
thinking that he liked to defend, and when asked to lead a newspaper
dedicated to the cause of fighting the Macdonald-Cartier-Brown idea of
Confederation, Laurier gave himself entirely to the task. Rouge
philosophy was an odd blend of ideas, reflexes, and attitudes. In part,
it was a clear statement that authority had to be challenged, and that
government belonged rightfully to the people. It was against privilege,
against received wisdom, and it was in favour of what was modern. Its
program was vague at best, but it had the merit of attracting various
shades of romantics, free thinkers, annexationists, and establishment
figures that had no patience for the Macdonald Conservatives.
--Patrice Dutil and David MacKenzie, Canada 1911: The Decisive Election That Shaped the Country (Toronto: Dundurn, 2011), ??.
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