"Sir John A. Macdonald was a man with his feet on the earth and his head not so far above it. He seldom sought to climb to moral
elevations where the footing might be insecure. For a time he drank freely but any whisper of censure only stimulated conservatives to fiercer personal loyalty. He said himself that the country would rather have 'John A.' drunk than George Brown sober. He warned D'Arcy McGee that 'this Government can't afford two drunkards -- and you've got to stop.'"
Sources
John Willison in Douglas Fetherling, Broadview Book of Canadian Anecdotes
