HASZARD’S GAZETTE. APRIL 27.

COLONIAL LEGISLATURE

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, Debate on It. Iacanlay’s Blectivs Legis- lative council Bill. Bou. Ila. Tiaras-roir. Twsyusre ape, he was ' on that it would be e iiirpr_cve- iiien upon the inodeofcoristituting the Legisla- tive Council to c it elective. e was, however. no longer of that opinion : for, looking ,‘ end comparing the rooeedings of that body, within that period . wi respet to po measures emanating from the Assembly. with its former practice with reference to measures ofa like nature, it was, he thought, quite evi- dent that they had become so far imbued with the spirit of pro es and liherslity, that no reasonable a pre nsions could be entertained of their interposing any insurmountable obsta- cles to the usage of any measures which the popular branch might deem necessary for the promotion of the general interests of the coin-. munity. In fact, the proceedings of the present Session had been quite suflcient to show that the ‘slative Council were prepared to march with t e times, and to give to every pro sal for the amelioration of the condition c the tonantry, and the advancement of the common interests, which mi ht be brought before them, the fairest and ful est consideration. All the great measures of the resent Session had found ready acceptance wit the Council; and they had also very willingly passed the most impor- hnt measures of the former Session. He felt disposed to give free expression, upon the pre- sent occasion, to his sentiments concerning both the government measures of the past and the present session and the government themselves, as, perhaps, it might be the last suitable oppor- tunity he would have of doin so. With respect to their measures, he felt imself bound, in common honesty, to admit that. generally speak- ing, they were such as the circumstances of the country demanded ; arid, although they had not all his entire approbation. he felt rsuaded that, in the main, they were calculate to confer essential benefits upon the people, and would, therefore, he believed, be in general thankfully received b em. Public men ought always to be jud by their public conductand services; and. after his admission of the value and accept- ability of the government measures, it would follow that, to a cerhiin extent at least. he must, to be consistent, hold the government to be worthy of public approbation and confidence. That he did so, he was very willing to admit. But, although to the Government, as a body, thus freely accorded much credit, on account of their legislative measures, he was very fiir from being satisfied with the individual sition or political character of _some of its main rs. But were his dissatisfaction with the present com- position of the Government still greater than it was,-—-nay were it altogether unquaIified,—it would not induce him to support any measure, of the propriety of which he was not convinced, merely because itmight be believed that, if passed into law, it might tend to the overthrow of a Government, with which he was dissatisfied. Such a mode of o sing ii government could not be otherwise t an disgraceful at any time. But, were he even favourable to the ob'ect of the Bill, and were there a probability of its pas- sing, he would oppose its further progress in the resent Session. The present would, most like y, be the last Session of that House; and in his opinion, it woul be unfair in them to make such a fundamental alteration in the com- sition of one branch of the Legislature as was contemplated by the Bill, without having ascer- taiued, with some reasonable degree of certain- ty, the sentiments of the several constituencies oonoernin it. Another general election was at band, an the opinions of the electors might then be taken concerning the proposed change in the mode of constituting the Le islativc Council. Until then,the question mig t, very safel , be felt in iibeyance: and, should it be foun that the change was desired by the peo- ple, it would be time enough to bring it forward In the first Session of the new House. With the Resolution submitted by the hon. the Leader of the Government, he could not, however, altoge- ther a ree. He could not see with what ro- riety it could be recorded, as the o inion o the ouse, that the makingof the Logis ative Coun- cil electiee, would be inconsistent with the prin- ciples of Responsible Government: for, in his opinion, Responsibility in the Government did not re-sup so harmony, as at all times neces- sari y existing, between the Assembly and the Council :-—-a government might very well be based u ii principles of Responsibility, inde- ndentiy of rnirinent harmony between the 0 Houses 0 the Legislature. He thought it would be quite sufiicient to move that the Bill be committed this a three months. Mr. Lsriin. The on y thing in the Bill which, in his opinion, was calculated, if carried into

2:" G

practice, to confer a benefit upon the le, was the roposal for paying the members of the Council for thelrlegis ative services. '1‘ t ro-

was, he thought, deserving the favorable consideration of the House ; for the adoption of it secured to be the only means by which a re- presentation of the different sections or districts ‘of the Island could be secured in the Council. Hon. Mr. ‘ us e was still of opinion that It would be roper to record, in their Jour- nals, the reasons y which they had been infin- eneed in rejecting the Bill. A Hair. Ms. Porn. The Resolution of the hon. the Leader of the Government laid down a ropo- sitioa which had neither been proved, iror selhiow- . There would, therefore, in his opinion, be an evident improlpristy in cuiering it upon ihs Journals of the ouse. It would be best, he thought, to allow esirnpls record of ihs full ma- yoriiy against the Bill—io withdraw the Resoluion, and to allow the further progress of the Bill to be aim ly ns stivod. . bis. I-lsviasiio. He was going to make an ghssrvatiori to the same eficci, when anticipated by the hon. the Treasurer. t woul quite impossible for the House, at present, to arrive at aav such conclusion, as that set forth in the Reso- lution of the lion. the Leader of the Government. As yet, no trial of the elective principle had been mule, with respect to the Legislative Council. On what experience then, or by what reasoning, could they show that the making of the Council slsctivs would be inconistsi with the rinoiples of Responsible Government? The ssoluiion laid down a proposition. by which, although it had neither been proved not assented to, the House would be bound in future, should they adopt the Resolution. But, besidssihs vslld objection which inlgln be successfully urged sssisn tbs Rssolrmon is that score, it wusqulls irregular in form. I Is- ssrusfvusssiu, in such cases, being held sliogeihsr ‘ . .” . . h jnflon. the Susan hsvisg stated that the record

gfisesons for throwing out the Bill, as contempla- R: ovunirient, would be qoiless variance with fljgggntfly, ususgs; and having also shows why

; ‘us hold is be inadininible in psrlisinesl.-f Hos. iii. Coi.ss said he vmlyl ---Mr-v, hi- sssuinrlos, and more that tbs ‘loll!-I so-sum!

three

this day‘ rneni I. _ _ Is. scslssv. Hessght, 4 H ‘e o '

ihs Ilesoluiisri of the hen. the I.ssdsr_of ’°'°‘

himself very fortunate in being surrounded by men so who, as to be able. without discussion or Inqui- ry. and all al once, iodeierirrrne llllll a plop.»-iii.-r which had been llPl(I deserving ol the IIIIISI serious and deliberate coiisideraiion of the Le islaiures ol Canada. New llrunswicli. and Nova Coulis, was altogether unworthy oftheir aliaiition. member for Bsllasi (Mr. Davie. ) had said ihai ii was not worth their while to give the Bill any furllier cousidersiion. The ban. member must in- deed sets var) high value upon his time and his wisdom in disposing ol it, when he lhiiilis the devoting of we hours to ilie eoneideraiiuii ol ilre Bill, in ii Comniiilee of ihe whole House, would be time rriispeiii, and losi to the country. The view up arcnily liilieii by the Hon the Leader of the ‘overuineni. concerning the object of rho Bill. and by which he seemed to be main- ly ivrfineneed in his opposition to it. was that it would too mrrcli restrain lho power of the Govern- ment soil their majority is the Assembly. [Hon. Mr. Cons. ‘ on. member is quite mistaken as to my views.) Ho (Mr. Macaulay) lhoughi not: the view which he had ascribe to the hon. the Leader of the Government was such as his (Hon. Mr. Cole's) arguments against the Bill fully warranted the belief that be entertained. 'I‘here was something in the nature of power which always inclined it to press against the limits by which it was circumscribed; and it was too ofion dis sod to withstand every charge which might possibly alfccl itself, through no other Icel- inn than ajeslous fear that the alteration would bring with it adiminution ofits extent. It was perhaps only quite natural, therefore. for the hon. the Leader of the Government to wish lo ralaln ihe power of choosing ihe men who should fill up vacancies in the Council, and of I|Illl8elfJ|IOVlt‘Ill'lfl pay for them too, if they were in be psi ;as that mode would rather tend to confirm. than to dimi- nish his power. As to lhe opposition of the hon. member (Mr. Wighlmsn) to the Bill. it might also. perhaps, be accounted for in a similar way. He (Mr. Macaulay) could see no reason why that hon. member should not be quite as open to the allurements, and as free to obey the dictates of ambition as any other man ; and it might, possibly, be quite evident to him that he was fully as eligi- ble io a seat in the Council as any who could be called to it. By providing pay for the members of the Council, the Govcrment might also have it in their power to extend the sphere of their choice, and to call to ii men from the difi'eront sections of the country. ut men so chosen and so paid, would not be the representatives, either of the poo- lc, or of local interests: they would, in fact, be nothing but the paid nominees of the Government; and such a system should never have his sanction or support. He had liitle or no reason to be per- iicularly anxious to please some members of the Government ; but, however that might be, he was not influenced by his privsio fecclings towards any of them, in the course he was pursuing. He was persuaded that it was necesssary, for the due pro- lection of the common interests of the people, to lessen the power of the Government in the Legis- lature; and his chief object, in bringing forward his Bill to make the Legislative Council elective, was to provide a means, whereby Government might be prevented from acquiring. at any time, an unconstitutional and dangerous legislative infin- cncc. The lion. the Treasurer had said that the passing of the Bill would lessen the constitutional flllhll of the people; but he did not see how a Bill, the direct aim and object of which was to ex- iend the elective franchise, could have a tendency to lessen the constitutional privileges of the peo- ple ['I‘he hon. the Tssssiiuss here interrupted Mr. Macaulay, observing that be disputed, not only the correctness of the hon. member's quota- tion of his words, but the construction which he put upon them as wcll.] ii. Mscsuhsir coniinucd-—He was not dispo- sed to trespass much farther upon the time of the House; but he would just remind them of what had been done by the Rcsponsiblcs in Nova Scotia when they were unable to carry a measure by fair and corisiitutionsl means in the U per House: a member thereof was absent, and, although it was very well known that he was on his way from Cape Breton to ialrc his place and attend to his Legislative duties in the Council, the Responsible Government took advantage of his ebsence,and appointing another gentleman, favourable to their views, to a seal in the Council ;snd, thereby, carried their measure. Might not the same thing he done here! Certainly it might : but he would contend that a law passed unconstitutionably—ss any law passed by means of so unfair a msneurs would be—would be no law at all. Any attempt to alter the Consiiiiiiion of a couniry ought-he did not deny—io be well considered before it was entered upon; and, even when entered upon, it ought not to be hastily accomplished. He had not brought forward his scheme without having previ- ously long and well considered it ; and even now he was not over anxious to urge its acceptance upon ihe House. He was not, by any means, in a hurry with it. The Bill, be flattered himself, contained no evidence in itself, of having been in- consideratcly or hastily drawn up; and, he thought the more seriously public attention should be fixed upon its obyect, and the more closely its provisions for the accomplishment of that object should be canvassed, the more clearly would their adaptation to the end be manifested. was, therefore, quite willing that the Bill

3' ‘<

should mslie some sbaervnlioiis on the occasion of II llill now befall this board for iirstlioriling the (inverti- iiierii Io issue £ls.i00 n|"l'ineiiry Nor:--. rmI'«lo-rIn- iible is specie, in addition to the sfir of I l l.!“‘0 H0“ oirisiiiniling. wiih your

islie somewhat of an historical view of the and observe, firsi. that in February, I835. Lie

Governor Ready sent a Message to the VI'Iou M

II will be seen b the following extracts from Des- priichn. in the sport, which I beg Io road to your lloiiors. Illill lhe lords of the Trs-usury, us well as the Colonial lierriitary, ‘were sorrrewlrul puzzled by

Honors’ pusqir-on-ii. I shall lhese operations, :iriil though! it ribiiii-lurill_\ iieccsm

prforce upon the -

---- iM|0.. Keane‘ th authority of I.I8|Il8I|I‘ Governor f

_ o tpideriQ ilis Govcnirneut, Noise pay-

sembly. as follows : , blur in I re, had of checltbig any futtlfl issue of

“ The House of Assembly will see, on exam" them I frslloping lion the oflhe Public Accounts, that Ilicre is s hlauc ,h”ihe *1 ' Tngpl,-p qggaqs, Must Io, |au_ hands of the Treasurer (after dioeba ' all ofitandf gm.‘

ing Warrants), in cash and bonds, to

this balance io cover the expenditure of the yesrllisu the amount of the net revenue

o even i what is provided by the Imperial Government in

of‘ En lsnd) and which have hitherto been paid olu of tit

Revenue, amount, on an average of preceding years,

other

w" Ihen remain in the £I500, available for future exigencies.

Your Honors will observe, that at this period there in ciish and bonds; that the ordinary revenue was about £2500; and the contingent expenses of the Government neces-

providod for were about £050,—inaking together a sum of £3450; so that at llio and of the your there would be an ovorplus of £560; and this, with the anticipated incoming revenue of £2508, there would be available assets In the Treasury to the amount of £3050 towards the expenditure of the fol- The monetary sfihirs of the Island then, appear to be in a most satisfactory and sound stats on the assumption of the Government by Colonel Ready, which, by a prudent and cautious ' nt unfortu- naiely. on the 14th March,—a day long to be remem- bered wiih regret in the financial annals of this Co- lon .—tliere was introduced into the Legislature, on from b a nice- sure, a Bill to authorize the Lieutenant Governor and Council to issue Treasury Notes, ofcertaiu values, to

was in the Treasury a sum of £4000

any to

lowing year, I826. supervision, would have continued so.

wii out. as far as I can perceive, any press without. or any apparent necessity or sue

the amount of £5000—-not reduni b

snnuslrsvenue) in equal £5, £2, and .CI Notes.

Assembly on the lfith. Thus in the short s five days was this most important _statnie add

and resident householders of Charlottetown, pr-uyin

£800, sub'ect to the same regulations as those ins under the ormar Act in March. Joint Committee on the Public Accounts made I.h following most extraordinary Report, vin:—

“ Your Committee cannot

in trade by the issue of Treasury Notes, as well as a gain to the Colony of .5881 Ms. 5d. interest on bonds ,._yvhich could not have been allowed to soon- mulaie, had not so desirable an accommodation taken place."

The Act of I829, to raise a Loan of £5000 sterling, failed to efi'r.-ct its purpose. The year 1830 is render- ed memorable b the adoption of two modes for pro- curing funds;—i e one. by an Act for a further issue of £ll000~in Notes, to_ continue for four years; the other, by an Act authorising an Assessment on Lands, for the purpose of grerit' to his Majosi , his heirs s successors. the sum 0 £1000 annually, for five years. for lb

erecting a suitable building for his syesty’s Reprs. sentulive in this Island, and also for creating a build- i for an Academy in Charlottetown. In I88], a i I was passed to authorise another issue of Notes, to the amount of £8000; £500 of which re be In Notes of live shillings value. The stem is continued in 1888. b an extended issue o no loss than £5000 more o Notcs;—£I000 of outstandi Notes to be paid off annually for five years, by the ' ‘reasirrsr, out of a fund rain or an assessment on land by virtue

£5000), to erect a Government House and other ub- llc buildings within the lslsnd;—ihc amount of res- sury Notes, unrsdssmablo in specie, was re‘ by this statute to £18,800!!! By permission of your onors, I will read a few extracts from the Report on the Currenc of the Island, made in I841 :—-

" In 1834, I a limo appointed by the Act of the previous year for cancelling £1000 of the Notes in circulation. an Act is passed to suspend the cancelling of any portion of these Notes for one ysar;—this Act being transmitted to England, was disllowed b the following Minute of the Lords Commissioners o the Council for Trade :—-' Ilth Au st, 1884. It appears to their Lordships to be inexpadrent to divert from its proper ohjeci the sum appropriated for rsdeemi the Government Notes issued in Prince Faiward Is and last year; their Lordrhips are, therefore, of opinion, that this Act should be disallowed.’

" Mr. Spring Ilice, in his Dcwpatoh to Lieutenant Governor Sir A. W. Young. dated the Idtli October

should lie over for a time ; for be doubted not that, when next brought forward, it would have found such favor among the people, that their representatives would give it, at the least. a more favorable consideration than it had now received, although it was possible that it mi ht he a second time rejec 0 would, never e- less, most certainly have preferred its being

seed in the nt Session ; for he saw a

ngcr looming in the distance, which it was intended to ward olI'. To the decision" of the House it was, however, his duty respectfully to bow . and, in doing so, he would only further observe that, whilst thoy dis uted the correctness of his judgment, he he oy would allow the into ity of his motives.

T e question being then put on the motion of the Hon. Mr. Cous, “ that the Bill be commit- ted this day three months, the House divied :

Yeas-Hon. Mr. Colss, Hon. Mr. Wsrburion, Hon. Mr. Pope, Hon. Mr. Jardine, Hon. Mr. Lord, r. Fraser. Mr. Davies, Hon. Mr. Thornton, Mr. Laird, Mr. Clark, Mr. Macuoill, Mr. Wightinsu, Ir. Havi- land, Mr. Lo worth, Mr. Mooney-—1s.

Nayr—Mr. scarilsy. Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Cam. pion, and Mr. so-4.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL CHAMIII, slsi Msvicir, I858.

Debate on lotion for the loooiid loading of the Treasury I III]. (Continued from Hasanrd's Gasetis, No. 25.)

Ban. Mr. Iinrvia.—ln rbisgto ofsrs few remarlis es the important so ‘ now fore your I-losers, I sin happy to be relieved from subnriitlng any addi- tional arguments in support of sure most pro- snd seconded by the hon. gentlemen on either

me, who have stated their own views ofth‘ question in their meal lucid, forcible sad eloquent language; but having drawn the attention of the com- munity. through the public papers and other channels. in the year I848, to the state of the Currency and monetary afihirs of the Island, more particularly to

-r

-asd u’Iii“p-hp'“.li's'p'r"siu'i'ry' Bessie.“ "'ii:i‘ l

x 4-1. I’

III

I884, enclosing the above Minute, says :-—‘ The issue of Government Notes in the year I888, amount- ing io £5000. was made upon the security of all As- sessmeut on Land, im on or five years, and not expected to produce much more than £l000 in each year of its duration. And ii is therefore evident, that any diversion of that Revenue from its proper object would eventually leave unprovided for one-fifth part of the Notes for which it was pledged. It would add one thousand pounds permanently to the amount oft paper to remain in circulation in the Colony; and every rs titles of such a measure would rodnco a further iiiou one thousand pounds to I spe- ciss oI"Csrrsnoy.h. M

*5‘ am can t tw n the Iagislature seed the Act. they cannot have 'vod that its Tit... und tendency were such as have now described; and I

of

doubt not that they will be fully sensible up siiy of the decision whioh.—ess that the leisure has not yet taken any practical i,—Hi. 31.5.,’