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CHARLOTTETOWN, MAY 11, 1350.

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STATE OF THE QUESTION OF RES- » PONSIBLE COVERNMENT. AND AR- © GUMENTS AGAINST PENSIONS.

KF. Wuewan, Esq.

@ir—| addressed a letter to Earl Grey through

the Review. Wishing to have some more eo-

gies for transinivsion than Mr. Pippy could ‘ gpare me, rnd also that it should be seen by

many who take your Paper, if you think fit te

give it insertion, you wall thereby oblige

Your mos: obedt. Servt. ° ALEXANDER RAE. May 8, 1850.

To tue Ricut Hon. Fart Grey,

My Lorp;

Sutfer a plain man to address to you a few lines in regard to the present position of this Colony. Ky the Despaich of Lord Glenelg of 1836, the principle 18 avowed that one uniform system of government. must pervade the North American Colonies. By that of Lord Jobn Rus- ee) of October, 1839, office-holders in this, ae well as in the other Nomh American Colonies, are warned that withont any fault of theirs, they may be required to resign their «ffices on the ground of public expediency. By shat of May, 1846, Hier Majesty's assurance is given that io reference to the adimimstration of the Govera- ment of this Island, ** all the suberdinate officers ef that gevernment, should merit and obtain (as itis Her Majesty's injunction that they ahould cultivate) the confidence of the Repre- sentatives of the people inhabiting the Island, by every measure which can be pursued for that

urpose consistently with their duty to the alee and to the Colonies at large."’ In the latter part of that Despatch, a decided objection js made * ta the general inference of aseump- tion that either Colony is entitled to claim the benefit of any particular poliical usage, which it may be desirous te adopt ane borrow from the ether.” - The manifest contradiction in the lat- er part of this to Lord Glenelg s of September, 1836. Ido not now touch on, ferther than to remark, that the power which gave canpot 2l-

“ways take back aga'n.

Come we next to your own despatches of 1848, 1249 and (850, wherein you tell us that we must pay the Civil List, and in the latter Despatches of 1849, make a powerful appeal fer a Salary to the Chief Justice, and use sun-

“dry arguments in bebalfofalowances to other officers.

Why the fener House was dissulved, and a néw electio. called at the most inclement sea- ton, the Governor has not yet explained. “The Colomsts bore the expense and turmoil, and have as yet made no direct complaint. ‘The new House met, secrificed much for the sake of ob- taining Responsible Government, bat would Reither goon under the old system, nor pay pensions to offices whom they wished to re- move. They were prorogued, they were again walled, and afier five days’ Session have been again prorogued. Who oughtto yield? ‘Lo

e@eterinine this let us endeavour to ascertain Our telative positions. ‘live motives which iwduced Great Britain to (send colonies i is aot neces- sary here toen ©) on but itis proper to remind you thatthe ting hus came when from the know- ‘edge the North Amencan Colovies have, and from their inherent though slr dering power, they ean no longer be des't with im the way eustomary sume twenty years since ; or if such wanageinent shail be atteu.pted, the cost wall greatly cxceed tne profit. Honour or influence none will under such a phasis, be added by them to Britain, and it would soon become Weceasary to* part with depender.cies which both plagued ministers, and kept the Tmperial Trea- “eury and the peerie the losers. | ‘Phat their Le= wiatures have frecacnily gone wrong, 18 Neto- ous s but if amon zst other errors, some of them have occasionally blustered, yet they have the @tlements of growt’ far more vigorous than any past of Ruropefand (ike many a he odlong, hardy

youth, they will rapidly blunder imte vigorous ard resolute manhoud, “Then we are to have Responsible Goveroment | you not only know, but you say so; and the only question is, Aow much 1s it to cost? Nut that Britain is to pocket the price, but that Britain has by yeu been brought forward on the scene as commanding this Colony tv pension certain gentlemen in case it dispensed with their fuither services. It may be foreign to our provinee to examine whether you ure justifiable in making this demand, but we must immediately determine whether the Co-

lony is bound to accede thereto, ‘The following —

reasons appear against such eoinphance :~

Ist.—Pensions are not the custom in America. They are, both in the Colonies and in the Unit- ec States, looked upon as a growing, eating evil, which itis well to avoid. We cannot recognise any rule of right by which men who have sought for and obtained Juerative public offices, shuuld be exempt frem making from their incomes provision against reverse, or from sustaining it as others do.

2d.—It is true Nova Scotia did pension their Colonial Secretary, but he had been sent out from Britain w fiil that ofhee, and he had _per- formed the duties for thirty years. This was one of the cases wherein the Despateh of 1839* stated a pension to be almost indispensible. Our Colonial Secretary came out trom Britain to fill the office of Provost Marshal, and within the jast twenty years, got first to be ‘Treasurer, and then Colomal Secretary, besides being du- ring the same period Puisue Judge, and Master in Chancery, &c, &e., &c. Five thousand men in Brita have incomes exceeding your official income (se far ay the almanac shews it); but in this Coluny, passing by the Governor aud the Chiet Justice, there are probably not five incomes derved from any profession or oc~ capation, which equal the amount of the seve- ra! salaries and fees of the offices held by the Colonial Secretary of ims Island. Onmitting those who have failen into obscurity, or by the tid’ of snisfortune have been swept away to otner lands, aud looking only at these whe in this province have not drawn blanks in the Jot tery of life, and considermg the educaiuen, abi- lity and jabour requisne for his offices, and that ne capiial was neediul, nor ang risk run, he, ou. Colonial Secretary, has drawn the highest prize.

4.— The Colony never agreed to pay such price for ** Respo stbie Governmens.”’ = An- wexed for yearsts Nova Scotia, ves disjoined ia 1771, and those who applied for that disjune- tiva, bound themselves to pay the Civil List. If, 1 consequence of their non-performance, Beitsin chose to take the burden on herself, that gives her no right, when she is tired of it, to fasten it on our shoulders. Let her look to the claimants of the Vownships ; these are the par- ties liable. Yet that ground of exemption, bas in the mean time been waived by the Assembly ; the Civil List has been provided for, the Chief Justice satisfied, and after all these sacrifices, your Lordship’s name is still made use of, you are represented as a trae higgler, stieking to ‘* the pensions ! the pensions !! the pensions !!!”’

_Lord Glenelg says in 1836, that one general rule of Government is to pervade the North American Colonies. Lord John Russell in 1839, gives every office-holder ip this Colony most pe- remptory warning, that his tenure of office zs not to be during life or guod pepariaet i but is to be atenure at wi!l, and that will, ing on pub- lic expzdiency. Mr. Gladotone’s Decrates of 1816, and your subsequent Despatches, first darken, and then, almost directly contradict, Glenelg and Russell. Yet you recommend the ofice-holders to ** merit and acquire the confi- dence and good will of the Representatives of the people inhabiting the Island.” Most_note- rivus it is, that some savage nations have wor- shipped the principle of evil. In that same light were some of these office-holders obeyed at the hustings in 1842, 1846, 1847, and 1850; not that they had done real good but that they had not done so much evil as they might have done. Did they themselves come for- ward? No, notso; who would bark when he was able to buy and feed dozens to do that work? Why should they risk their offices by

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risking themselves as candidates ? | mis is a dernier resort, oneto be taken hold of whes there is nothing but the battle, and when cowniry shall be ge wearied and worried ¥ : mer battles, as to be unable to sirtke an. effec bow. Shall then, those who hetd offices with out enjoying the confidence of the people, who by virtue of the Colonial Government and _ th

ofice,and spat vpon the people, shall. men now come forward? or shall your Lords come forward? or shall the name of your, bigh office be dragged forward as @ warrant that tt Province, must pension them? Shall, men who have long held ofhee against the wish af the popular branch, have right to pension whea those who get into office by the. popul good will, and whe retain office only mi long, 38 they, retain the pepwiar good will, ase instanily on losing that. good wall to surrender the power and emoluments of office without pension! 4th.—Of all the Colonies in North Ameriea, this has least ability to bear sich an inpost. Not one quarter the area of Nova Scotia, not one thirtieth that ef Canada, with a population under 70,000, the wisdom of year predecessors left the Crown without a Territorial Revenyo worth naming. Of the total area of the Island (1,350,000 acres) they (eighty years since) at once graned all but 20,000 acres, and these 20,000 have, except a smail fraction, been alJ since granted or sold, Of tand afterwards fal to the Crown by forfenture, what remains wou) not yield a rentof £1450, ner would it sell. thie year ‘or £1.500. Nova Seotta had her large extent of ungranted lands, her forests, and above all, the prospect of her acerueing imines to en- courage her. She, besides, gained an imme diate addition to her revenue by the compact. Yet further, her chief ports being open all thé year, her commerce is more active and exten- sive. Bat we, eooped up frem ere May, have nothing but direct taxes on Jand, a duties on imports purchased with agriculturad exports, with lumber, and with vessels. Si stringent is ovr neceesity, that the Legislature have been obliged to put a tax on the sails, cordage, iron, and every other equipment im- ported in May or June to fit out the vessel, which in October or November, leases our shores to return no more. ‘They have been obliged to tax the highest degree of industry and enterprize existing in the Colony.

£600 currency of pensions (only 2460 ster- ling), seems indeed a trifle to those accustomed tv the ample means afforded by Imperial Reve pues. Yet the Chancellor of the Uxehequer would look somewhat perplexed, by a new der mand on his department, equal to all the Pao- rates levied in Great Britain. But (to carry on the analogy) the demand you make on us, i double what in any year has been paid to the paupers of this Coluny, ‘To forward fisheries, or any other public interest, five times £500. will be given ; but pensions are on a different tooting, America leoks not backward, but forward ; _ not to individuals, but to the bulk. She will pension a man maimed in defence of his country, if-he have not other means of sustenance; but she despises the systein begun under William, raised to vigour under Walpole, perfected under Pitt, and all on whom the mantle of his inspiration fel! or has since fallen.

My Lord, a worthy gentleman in this Island, desirous of introducing some of those improve- ments practised in other lands, has occasionally for the last twelve years, been advising the pub- lic to establish a model farm, whereon he and others might try agricultural experiments for the benefit ofthe country. It would appear as if this Colony had been early destined for the place wherein British Statesmen were to: try their experiments. Snng and isolated, it seem- ed fursuch a purpose ‘‘ a desirable location.”” Lord Egmont's scheme of a Palatinate was in- deed abandoned in 1768 ; it savoared too much Still some feudelity must remain, partly copied trom the Canadian Seigaeurs, whom the conqnest had shewn com- fortably established in their mansions, “ and ao it was ordered.” But the British Ministry, lees provident for the future population thao tht Ministry of France, did not restrict these lend-

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