Mr. Bradley Mr. Chairman, I move the following resolution:
Whereas Almighty God has removed
from our midst the Honourable Mr. Justice
Fox, K.C., our Chairman; and
Whereas in his passing Newfoundland has
lost one of her great sons and this National
Convention one who graced it, and by his
unfailing devotion to its best interests raised
it high in the esteem of the country:
And Whereas the members of the National Convention are deeply conscious of the
light that has passed from them; therefore be
it
Resolved that the members of the National Convention desire to record their profound
sorrow over the passing of their Chairman,
and to convey to his family their hope that the
Almighty Father will be present with them in
their bereavement.
Sir, how true is it that "in the midst of life, we
are in death." Not many days ago, Mr. Justice
Fox, our Chairman, was amongst us; today, his
Chair is vacant; his soul has winged its way to the
God who gave it and we have laid his earthly
tabernacle beneath the mouldering dust of earth.
Some knew him but a few weeks, since the opening of this Convention, and yet knew
him for his
unfailing courtesy and kindliness, for his
scrupulous fairness, his deep and abiding love for
the land of his birth, and his loyalty to this chamber wherein days gone by he presided
as Speaker
with such dignity and ability. Others of us knew
him many years. My own acquaintance with him
dates back to the early days of the present century, when we were youths together
in the study
of the law. Even then he impressed me with his
kindliness and consideration for others, with his
broad charity and his aversion to speaking ill of
anyone, with his earnest conception of the
seriousness of life and with his complete freedom
from all unworthy motives. That impression, sir,
has outlived the years and it abides with me still.
I need not here enlarge upon his career: that is a
public document which all may read and one of
which those who loved him best may justly be
proud.
In the practice of his profession, he was deeply
sensible of his duty to those whose interests were
entrusted to his care. He was profoundly concerned about our system of laws, which
he
regarded as the greatest bulwark of human
freedom.
Three times was he called to the counsels of
his country, and in his native district never did he
suffer a defeat at the hands of the electorate - eloquent testimony, indeed, of
the place that he
filled in the hearts of his countrymen. Later he
was elevated to be one of His Majesty's judges
of our Supreme Court, where he had scarcely
November 1946 NATIONAL CONVENTION 183
begun a distinguished career when he was called
to be Chairman of the National Convention. This
latter post, which held no material advantage
whatever for him, I believe he prized most of all.
I said "I believe" — I think I am justified in
saying that I know, for I knew the man. And now
that he is gone, the greatest tribute that I can pay
him is to say that, to me, he is now, as he always
was and always will be Cyril Fox, the man. And
yet he is not entirely gone from our midst. His
cheery spirit can still guide us along the paths of
unselfish effort and sound decision. May his clear
intellect and his devoted patriotism abide with us
to the end.
Mr. Job Mr. Chairman, I have the honour to second the
motion which has been so very eloquently proposed by my friend,
Mr. Bradley. There is not very much that I can add. I have known Cyril
Fox in a personal way for many years. I have known him in recent years on
the
banks of the river where we spent a week or two regularly, and under
those circumstances one gets to know one's fellow companions. I have no
hesitation in saying that during those times I never knew Cyril Fox to
say an unkindly word about anyone; I have heard him say very many kind
words about people and do very kind deeds. He was a devoted father and a
devoted husband and his friends were very, very fond of him.
I do not believe he would wish us to take a
gloomy view of his absence here. I believe he
would like us to feel that he is still with us,
influencing us in our deliberations and helping us
to solve the problems connected with the land
which he loved. Cyril Fox was, to sum up his
character, a true sportsman, a true gentleman and
a true Christian in every sense of those words. I
have the honour to second the motion.
[The motion carried unanimously, and the Convention adjourned]
