272 HOUSE or ‘ASSEMBLY,

Tucson, MARCH 26, «1833.

Reported for the British American. ' Mr. Owen moved the second reading of the advalorum Bill. Mr. Cooper moved in amendment “ that the Bill be read this day six months,” and in support of the amendment Mr. Cooper read the following s each:—

“Mr. Speaker, I was mistaken when the advalorum duty was proposed in this House, which brought me under the dis- pleasure of my honourable colleague, (Mr, Owen) and subjected me to the lash of his ridicule, about pocket Speeches, and popularity; and although I plead guilty to the ﬁrst of the charges, yet I was not wholly to blame, forI understood that be (Mr. Owen) intended to oppose the Bill and vote against it, and I was glad to think I had so good a leader in the public interest. But my honourable colleague is well aware of my awkwardness, and that through some fault or failing like himself, I express myself in a bungling way, Without a memorandum, and he knows that I have not canning enoughto perceive when he is in jest or in earnest, and thatI cannot (with- out his assistance get into the art of saying one thing, and doing or meaning another.) If my honorable colleague intended that] should vote for the measure, to spare him the obloquy of voting for an unpopular tax, he ought to have taken more pains to instruct me before hand, as to what I should say and howl should vote, and not abuse me about my pocket speeches before abouseful of eople. But with regard to the tax itself, consider it one of the most , equitable that can be imposed, and in many instancespreferable to a land tax, were it not that a land tax is absolutely necessary to correct the great land monopoly, and compel absentees not only to settle their wilderness lands, but to contribute a por- tion of their income to the support of the Government and improvements of the Coun- try, from which they derive it. It is not therefore an account of my dislike to an advalorum duty that I oppose the measure, but on account of other reasons, The first of which is. I think aland tax would be of more bene'it to the country in its present state, and ifthere had not been so inconside- rate and wasteful an appropriation, this un- popular measure would not be required. To explain my meaning better, I will take a view ofthe proceedings of this House since its commencement. This House considered it waaa great inconvenience for those who went to law to have to travel to Charlotte- Town to Court, to remedy which, the country was~ taxed 13001 to build County Court 'Houses, which will require 600! a year to uphold ’ and encourage litigation, over and above the duties and expense of jurors being trebled, and I may be bold to say the

THE BRITISH AMERICAN

whole of these burdens of taxation, will not save the country 1001 a year, conse- quently there is l3 or 14001 in" a lump, and 5001 yearly that is worse than thrown away. The next public inconvenience which this House intended to remove, was, the distance which ship masters had to tra- vel to a Custom House, to remove this grievance, five sub-collectors were ap- pointed (here Messrs. Pope and Owen called the honorable member to order, saying, he had no right to go so far from the subject of debate—Mr. Brenan thought Mr. C. was perfectly in’ order, and saw no reason why he should not be allowed to proceed.) (Mr. (I. continued) at the ex- pense of 200! a year. To have appointed one in each County would not have given a fair chance to those who expected ofﬁces“ And here we are told by an honourable member from Prince County (Mr. Pope) that (Mr. P.) is not half remunerated for his trouble. That he has to keep an oﬂice to obey instructions, and one would suppose from what he‘ stated, that he considers he did the Governor an honour in accepting the situation of Sub-Collector, only on stipu- lated conditions. (Here Mr. Pope appealed to the Chair, and to the House, if Mr. Coo- per was not out of order, in refering to any past deeds 'of the House, or anything that tended to bring it into ridicule. Mr. Brenan contended that Mr. Cooper was perfectly at liberty to revert to any Act of the House, or its members, provided he did not make use of imprOper language, he stood up to speak in support of the amendment, and he was perfectly at liber. ty to support that by drawing his reasons from the proceedings of the House as far as it regarded the state of the country, Mr. Speaker said, it was not the practice of Parliament to name any member in debate_ Mr. (‘ooper said he would not do so again, that he would call Mr. Pope the member for Prince County. (Then Mr. Cooper pro-' ceeded.) And if he (Mr. P ) is not better paid he will resign the ofﬁce. Ibelieve, Mr. Speaker, the honourable gentleman’s talents both in his own estimation and mine, deserve afar higher reward, but I know that the ofﬁce is not ofthat beneﬁt to the country, which he may suppose ; and that those who 'carry the had cannot expect to be paid as architects, however, clever the had carrier may be. \Ve have been accus- tomed in this House to cry up Patriotism, and appear to have gloried in the Reform oﬁhe British Parliament; let us inquire how we have followed their example. The objects of Reform in England is retrenchment, to reduce the salaries of Oﬂices, and do away with a great many altogether, to ease the people of taxation, and grant them equal rights. This House have made 5 Collectors of Customs, 2 or 3 Road Commissioners, 1'2 Collectors of Impost, besides the number of Ofﬁcers

an 35

which will be required m Courts. We have relieved the princi 31 Collector of Impost and the Treasurer pof a great part of their duties,_and granted them high salaries. The Collector of 1m. post has free liberty to carry on trade and 2901 a year of the public money to eéable him to do so. The Treasurer spared no pains to obtain the ofﬁce when the income did not exceed 3001, we have now granted him 5001a yeag, and the patronage of ap. pointing Collectors of Land Tax. He surely wout forget his friends in the ap. pointments. But Ireadily admit, the Gen. tlemen I have alluded to, are highly deser- ving, for the accommodation they have at' all times afforded to the public: but. as[ came here the Representative of the peo. ple. I feel it my duty to have all the Ofﬁces of Government performed at the least possible expence to the people, and I have every reason to believe that the ofﬁces of Collector of Impast and Treaurer could be done equally well for two-thirds the sum, thus saving the country 250! per aunum. But I must not neglect to take credit to our- selves when it is our due. But they had no influence with us and we have no chance of Ofﬁces from them. Ah! the inhabitants to the westward might well chuckle, if they knew the advantages they possess in having Representatives of pe- netration and discrimination, who can ex- amine and reward Public Ofﬁcers in just proportion according to their different de- grees of power, inﬂuence and patronage, and as a criterion, to shew how much the public convenience is consulted when Ofﬁ- ces are made, the Custom House of Three Rivers is held on Panmure Island!!! These are the glorious reforms in our Island!!! But I have been told out of doors, that if the advalorum duty is not passed, that the appropriation Bill will be thrown out by the Council, and we should lose our pay. This would be a great misfortune to me, for whether] deserve it or net, I stand in need of it; but rather than vote for such a measure on those terms, [would sooner, if I had no other means, beg my way home.

On the question being put there appeared for Mr. Couper’s amendment, Messrs. Coo- per, Brenan, Dalyrymple, Brecken, Binns. Against it—Messrs. Owen, Pope, Green, H. M‘Donald, J. S. M‘Donald, Nelson, Compton, R. M‘Neil,\Villock, and Mr. Speaker.

COMMUNICATIONS.

For the British ﬂmerican.

Ma. WHITE,——I don’t know of an word or term that 'is so frequently use Lin support of so many different ideas, 0