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LY MM A Weekly Hournal of Politics, Literature, and dlews.

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“This is true Liberty, when Freeborn Men, having to advise the Public, may speak frece.’’---Euripides,

New Series.---No. 9

Vol. MEL. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Monday, March 10, 1862,

— eee See ee ee ; - re ee 2 ; ee ar ee on

— rere 4? li t | Mr. DAVIES--As Chairman of the Committee which on with Edueation. That the salaries of the teachers are ministry responsible a ie meres they put into his mouth. i This, | Session £400 of the public money were granted for it. Asjthe Goveru-

. as saeatiien anf - ii ai a eT : Sir, is one reason why I shall give my support to the amendment. | ment is so apt to deal in futurity, | presume it is needless to ask

¢ olonial a ay amen + prepared the Address, I feel called upon to ed a few words ae too high is ee by the fag ete ay have » It will be time enough to determine what degree of economy has} what benefit has resulted from that expenditure, and I shall be

oT. et on the subject of the paragraph before us. Notwithstanding contribute towards t eit support, - ¢ different istricts, to been exercised in framing the estimates when they shall have been | obliged for the information of what good they expect to accrue from it?

Serna FE ASSEMB LY ' the remarks of the hon. member, Mr. Hensley, 1 cannot think addition to the salaries paid by Government, I think the | submitted to us. Had the address stated that the House were glad| The Bill for incorporating the Roman Catholic Bishop of Char-

HOUSE OF wD " that the Committee has exceeded their province by the allu- only way to get out of the difliculty will be by kuockiug the j to hear that the estimates had been so prepared, or that they hoped | lottetown has, also, it seems been disallowed, and I ask why a Bill

Debate an the Address in answer to His Excellency’s Speech continued. Hon. Mr. MeAU LAY—JI do not know, Mr. Chairman,

what impression the leader and members of the Opposition | t tuat their long speeches will make on the minds of |

Sagneple of this Colony. If they have been uttered in the hope of inducing a change in the Government, I ean only say that, in my opinion, such anticipations will never be realized, for the only conclusion to which I can bring my mind is, that there has been a prospective saving, in the three years during which the present Government has been in power, of

2 . » a) “mn } at least £20,000. ‘The inference drawn by the hon. member |

for the city, Mr. Beer, that the debt would have been in- creased by that amount, had the late Government retained office, was a a perfect!y correct and legitimate deduction trom

'sion to the large sum required for the purposes of education, | College into a cocked hat.

ae bearing an undue proportion to the resources of the Colony. |

Hon. Mr. THORNTON—I do not wish to protract this

The Committee deemed it their duty to bring the subject |debate, Mr. Chairman, by any lengthy observations of mine, OPE—W prominently before the, notice of the country, for it isevident but I must say that it is somewhat singular that while the | ous embarrassments to the trade of this Colony, we are glad to find; Hon. Mr. WILELAN—As usual the goverument tells us to wait;

they had been, it would not be so objectionable ; but we are called | of this uature, should not have received the sanction of Her Majesty ? upon to declare our satisfaction at knowing what we have no means |The only reason I can imagine is that sufficient information on this | at all of knowing. The paragraph goes on to state that “although subject has not been farnished by the law officers of the Crown. | the disturbed condition of a neighboring people has oceasioued seri-| Hoa. Mr. POPE—Wait till you see the despatches.

| that there has been no remarkable decrease in the Revenue of the but, sir, this is the proper time to ask for information, as the subject ; »” . J

that additional taxation must be the result of the continnance speech merely expresses regret that the revenue bas not been of the present system. ‘The Government has only beea in| commensurate with the expenditure—while it contains not power three years, and they find the revenue inadequate to| one word on the subject of iiducation, the address says that the expenditure, by reason of the cost of education. I am/|in view of the large sums appropriated for Kdueation it is

aware, Sir, that the present scheme of education is generally |

tion before the public, in order that,at the next general ¢lec- | the address as an excuse for the Government diminishing the tion, the people may express their opinion on it in copnection | number of schools or the salaries of the teachers, or whether jwith its bearing upon the finances of the Colony. I: is, in) it is intended as an anticipatory’ jgstification of future taxa- | my Opinicy, not to be expected that the Government should| tion, The paragraph would have been qu'te proper if His

their antecedents. © They.may think it a calamity that the ;now propose a tax of some £10,000 for this service. Such) Excellency had referred to the subject in the speech. Al-

country should not have an additio to its debt of £20,000. Bat, Sir, the chief complaint is that they have notthe offices. ‘They number in their ranks an ex Attorney General, who 1 ments the loss of £350 @ year, and an ex Provincial Secre- tary, who bewails the loss of a similar amount, and he ex- claims that it is a great calamity that there is no Provincial Seeretary on the floor of this House. There is also, Sir, an ex Queen’s Printer, who cries out, “ Great is the Diana of the Ephesians,” since his craft is not merely in danger, but js gone. ‘They complain that this debate bas drifted into a discussion of the finaacial condition of the Island. Why then, Sir, did they introduce that subject? They are cudea- voring to make political capital out of that from which they cannot extract it. Sir, the eyes of the country are open, and the ears of the country ate open, and no amount of talk can subvert the consciousness that the Opposition are in the wrong. Therefore, it is, Mr. Chairman, that | say there is no use of prolonging this debate ; we had better bring it toa Glose av onee, and then express our sympathy for Her Ma- jesty in her sad bereavement.

Hon. Mr. LONGWORTH—TI rise, Mr. Chairman, mere- ly to reply to some of the statements which fell from the hon. leader of the Opposition,!ast evening, and from the hon. member, Mr. Hensley, this morning. I was surprised at the arguments of the laster gentleman. He censured the Government for not having propounded some scheme by which to provide for the drain upon the revenue for education- al purposes, and be twitted us with not baving kept the ex- penditure within the revenue. I ask, Sir, did the late Go- verument do so? Yesterday when I argued that it was the duty of the Jate Government to bave provided some measures which would have met the growing demands on the public funds, which, they miyht have foreseen, wou'd arise from the

|procecding before public opinion has been elicited, would) though we have been told that the paragraph before us was damage the Government materially. As the hon. member, not dictated by the Government, it is not wulikely that some Mr. Longworth, stated, adequate provision for its mainten-| of the Committee on the address may have been instructed ance should have been made when the system was introduced. to insert something of the kind. I have heard no complaints New school districts have been formed, and it would be no/| from the people of the grant for Education ; but, Sir, [ have matter of astonishmentif the cost should have increased at the heard many with reference to appropriations for other pur- rate of £1000 a a year. In a few years we may probably | poses. I last year supported the grant for the Normal heve to pay £20,000 a year if things are allowed to goon | School and Prince of Wales College, and my constituents as at present. The strictest scrutiny of the public accounts | have manifested no disapproval of my conduct. 1 would ask for the past year will show no lavish expenditure on the part! the hon. member for Tryon, who has expressed such a strong of the Government. They have had to incur some extraordi- | objection to taxation,if he voted for the increased ad valorem pary ¢x uch, for instance, as those connected with|duty. It was stated that a portion of the charge of Mduca- the visic of the Prince of Wales, the approaching industrial | tion was to be defrayed from the proceeds of that increase. exhibition, the College, &e. With reference to the exhibi-| I have no reluctance to support moderate increase m the tion, I must say that 1 think it would have been better had | tariff for the purposes of Education, even if my constituents the Government last Session asked the House for a grant; but | should reject me in consequenceef my having done so. If they did the next best thing they could in advancing money | the Governmeut deem it necessary or expedient to increase for the collection and transmission of the various articles | the taxes they should do so fairly and openly, but when it is which the Island could furnish for Exhibition. I may, in| not asked for by the Lieut. Govprnor or the Government,

not altered in any way; the original draft was, of course, | sideration of the Committee? Bat, Sir, L suppose we shall submitted to the embers of the majority, as it now stands, | know something more than we d@at present on that subject and it met their approval. | when the public accounts come before us.

Mr, BRER—The hon. Leader of the Opposition stated! Hon. Mr. KELLY—Mr. Chairman, as so much has been that the present Government came into power pledged to do| said on Education in this debateyand as hon. members of bectér than their predecessors had done. I maintain, Mr./the Government assert that we on this side ought to be Chairman, that they have done so. When they came into | grateful to them for the improvements which they have in- office there was a tremendous leakage; there had been an/corporated into the system, I rise, not so such for the pur- ‘annual excess of expenditure of £9000 a year for the last! pose of censuring them for extravagance as of givivg them three years of the late Government, and they had no lands ‘eredit for conduct of an opposite character, but whether we purchased. Now, Sir, the present Government, exclusively | have much cause for thankfulaess remains to be seca, Ina of the lands they have bought, have stopped about £5000 aj portion of the district which 1 have the honor to represent, year of that leak, that is, if they had not purchased the lands; and, L may say, in my own imusediate neighborbood. (Dro-

impossible to keep withia the limits of the reveuue. Now, | approved of by the people, and it is proper to bring the ques-| Sir, it is not for me to say whether this has beea inserted in

conglasion, state that the clause before the Committee was | why is the clause introduced inte the paragraph under con- |

| past year.” I have no reason, Sir, to belicve that any very extra- jordinary embarrassments in our trade occurred during last year, aud many agree with me in the opinion, that the political convul is In the States in ‘ree injuriously. The staple exports ef the Island have command- | ed good prices—-in fact, I believe, that they never brought better returns to the producer—that the prices for all kinds of agricultural produce | were, last year, as high as they have ever been. We are told, in the

| Skt ive not, to any great extent, allected our com-

}same paragraph of the spec ch, that there has been no remarkable de- |

| crease in the revenue of last year—and by the address we are called } upon to attirm that statement. As we are, at present, uninformedas ; to the amount of the alleged decrease, and as we have no means of j arriving at the degres of dimunition to which the majority may see fit to apply the term, “ remarkable,” Lam disposed to withhold my

examining the accounts of last year. Meanwhile, I maintain that it is premature and absurd to bind this House to the expression of any such opinion. ‘To the last part of the paragraph to which I am re- ferring, I most decidedly object, as not being 2 proper answer te the particular part of the speech to which it is intended as a reply. The cost of Education is, in the address, brought forward as the reason why the public expenditure has not been confined to the limits ef the public income. If, Mr. Chalrman, the Government were of that opinion, the declaration should have been made in the speech, and a reference to it in the address would have been quite legitimate. But, as it is, I contend that the Committee are going quite beyond the proper and customary mode, by inserting in their reply matter to which the speech contained not the slightest reference. The hon. mernber, Mr. Longworth, stated yesterday that the Government had the right to frame the speech and the address as they pleased. Sir, I admit that right to the fullest extent; but I elair) for myself and others an equal right, when it is attempted to pla’ \this branch of the Legislature iu an absurd and ridiculous situat «, to shew that absurdity; and when I see that it is sought te place this House in a false position, I shall expose the design to the utmost of my powers. Aud what is the justification advanced tor the introduction of the subject of education into the address? It is, forseeth, that the acts of a previous administration had created embarrassment to the pre- sent Government; but that assertion is utterly inconsistent with the subsequent allegation, that the only alteration which they effected was an increase of five pounds in the salaries of the teachers—a mat- ter of so trival importance that it is unworthy of mention.

Hon. Mr. LONGWORTII—I beg to correct the hon. member. The Education Act has been materially altered in many respects. Its framework has been almost entirely reconstructed, and it has been rendered comparatively perfect.

common sense, why, in justice to his Government aud his party, does not the hon. member inform us of the particular improvements! Te dwelt at length upon the subject of the increase in the salaries ; why could he not have mentioned some of the other improvements his go- vernment had effected? I call npon him now to specify them.

Hon. Mr. LONGWORTH—The hon. member has either ausun- derstood, or willingly misrepresents me. I merely referred to the addition ef £5 to the salaries of the Teachers, to show that it had

assent to the proposition, until we shall have had au opportunity of

| is referred to in the speech, Again, sir, what has become of the j Bill for making the Legislative Council elective? In days not far |remote, the Counei), sitting under the same constitution as the | present, were designated as a set of old women, and no measure of | ridicule or abuse of them was spared. Yet we are told by the very | party who denounced the constitution of that body that the lunperial | Government has not consented to change it. An hon. member, high |in the Government, stated, last year, that be did not think that the | British Government would confirm the act. That has alwovs been my own opinion. The Government has always boasted of their in- jiluence at the Colonial Office—that measurcs of their origination | would reeeive the sanction of the Sovereign, yet here we find ne } less than three of their Bills gone the way of waste paper, aud one of these was the principal plank in their political platform. I have no intention of moving any amendment to the paragraph, my only vbjection to it being that it is not sufficiently explicit. ifon. Col. GRAY—The Speech states that the despatches relating to the non-sanction ef the Bills, referred to by the hou. member,jwill be laid before the House, and members will, from them, get the rea- sons for the cause the Imperial Goverament has seen fit to adopt with regard to them. As to the Elective Council Bill, it is trne that it has not as yet received the Royo! assent; but, when it is eensider- ed that an Act passed two years ago which affected our relations with a foreign State was only received here a day or two . it is net matter of surprise that a measure having so important a bearing upon our constitution should be subjected toa thorough investigation jby the Imperial authorities. I, Sir, nope to see the o y when it will be unnecessary to send to England for confirmation of any acts which our Legislature may pass. 1 trust too see an independent British America. If such should arise there will be no necessity of sending our Bills across the Atlantic previously te their becoming the law of the land. With reference to the Elective Council Bill, it has not | been adverted to in any despateh as yet received ; but whenever any | communication on the subject shall arrive, it shall be laid before the | House, if in Session, as soon as possible. With respect to the Act | for organizing the Velunteers,which has not reecived the Royal al- | lowanee, it will probably be in the recollection of hon. members that the hon. leader of the opposition stated that there was no difference | between the qmilitia and the volunteer toree. When I dissented froma that opinion I was over-ruled. was told that J knew nothing about | the matter, my military experience went for nothing, and I had to | Submit to those who entertained the opposite opinion, But, Sir, the | Commander-in-Chief and the Secretary of State for the Colonies {have decided that the hon. leader of the opposition was wrong— (laughter) and the latter has sent to the Government suggestions on | the lipe of distinetion to be drawn. The Bill to incorporate the Re-

Hon. Mr. WHELAN—I/ such be the case; why, in the name of |man Catholic Bishop of Charlottetown, having been drawn by my

hon. colleague im the Government (Mr. Longworth), he can state the reasons for which it has not been allowed.

Tion. Mr. COLES—I thank the honorable member for the com- pliment he has paid me, in stating that my opinion had been adopted in framing the Volunteer Act, but, Sir, what I said was that we al ready had on our Statute Book an act on the subject, by which any body of militia could be enrolled as Volunteers. “I thought and still think that our old act is preferable te the new. By the former the

: . hey would not have execeded the revenue more thin about | more Settlement) the number of householders is between 40

pan ; che: ay ‘ trad sted, - y . J ; | i ; : .

ae my “ 2 pene ey a aeney Lae ee . | £4000 a year. They are not liable to the charge of 2xtrava-|and 50. A primary school has been in eperation there for |

~ - hom 2 ah a “Wh * om line of distinetion | 8*2°*- On the contrary, [ think, they tave been almost too | several years, the teacher of which, a female, received from |

to be ih e - Pas mF ‘economical, 1 had almost said niggardly. When the hon.! the legislature an annual grant of some £18 or £20. This | ° rawn?

uot materially increased the expense, but, that, on the contrary, it | militia were liable to be called into service at any time, whereas the had effected a dimunition of cost, amounting to £620 2s. 1d. I) volanteers are liable to be called out only in case of invasion. The did not adduce this fact, as at all affecting the argument on the géne- | speech specifies three acts as not assented to, and says that des ral question. If the hon. member will take the trouble to compare patches relative to two ef them will be laid before the House. That the several acts, to which reference Las been made, he will be satis- j Seems to imply that despatches on the Elective Council Bill have

Leader of the Opposition eensures the Government for having} school gave satisfaction to the people and was progressing | 5.4 of the truth of my remarks.

Hoa. Mr. HENSLEY —The hon. member has misunder- | inerensed the pay of the schoolmastera,he should bear in mind | favourably until last Session, when the usual grant to the| Hon. Mr. WHELAN—The explanation is worthy of the speech stood me. What [ said was that when the Government ad} thot that measure was approved of by the members of his! teacher was under consideration, We were then told by the)

mitied that the expenditure was in excess of the revenue, it | ow, party. ‘The hon. member Mr. Wightman expressed | was their duty to propose some remedial measure.

sent, it is difficult, if not impossible, to equalize expenditure | that so far from that measure having entailed additional costs |

and revenue. The Act apon our Statute book binds us to, apon the Colony, ir has operated as a saving, as several of |

= the system ; cost What it may, it must be aaiatained | the old teachers did not present themselves to the Board | fat aut + .

. . } Hon. Mr. Longworth and other members of the Government |

|hiwself very strovgly on the subject, and charseterized the} that no further graut would be made to schools of that de- |), Hoo. Mr. LONG WORTH—As the ease stands at pre-| former style of teachers as a disgrace. But, Sir, it appears! seription—that every teacher must be properly qualified | policy, t

according to the requisitions of the statute, all of the provi-| sions of which must be complied with before a teacher could | receive a peuny of public money! “Now, Sir, in consequence |

delivered by the hon. member yesterday. Itis possible that 1 may

not have understood the hon. member’s meaning, and probably many |

others are in the same situation. Dut, Mr. Chairman, I ask, if 1t is coming ina member of Goyermment, when attacked upon their » reler their assailant to a comparison of statutes ?

llon, Mr. LONGWORTH~—The Government are quite prepared to defend and justify the act they have passed.

Hon. Mr. WHELAN—The Government are quite willing en all oceasions to deal with the future, insiead of scrutinizing the events

AMogereextircinatten. The conseqwenee Las been that eouie fof that “declaration fromememts of she?Govortment, the! oy the ja Whenever any qietinn iyyput, whieh they.

a“ Hon. Mr. COLES—The Civil List is settled by Statute. |.£600 a year have been saved. When we consider this fact, | lon. Mr. LONGWORTH—The Civil List is charged on | ja connection with the higher qualitications of the teachers, |

the general revenues of the Colony, while education was pro-| I consider that the Government are entitled to commendation

vided for by a special Act imposing a particular tax. It is | rather than censure.

not the duty of this Government to lay on taxes to meet} Mr, SINCLALR—Mr. Chairman, I did not expect that

charges which the late Government should have provided for |a discussion of this nature would have arisen, for L could see

by anticipation. The leader of the Opposition asked. who |nothing in the speech, which was so cautiously worded, that ever heard of a law imposing taxes for 20 years to come ?| it said nothing of the past nor alluded to the prospects ot

Why, Mr. Chairman, it would be quite proper to do so, and| the future. Sir, it appears to me that the sbip of state is

the hon. gentleman should have provided for the evil to come | not sailing before a favorable gale—that there are no indica. |

—he ought to have provided the means of support for the | tions of @ prosperous voyage. Notwithstanding the vaunted

system, contemporaneous and co-existent with its progressive | predictions of their competency to take the helm and their

expansion. He might have brought io snch a law to last| s<ill in navigation, we find them now, after three years, still | for « certain number of years, and it could be amended as | buffeting with the storm and ¢rifting on to a lee shore. In-| circumstances might require. The hon. member, Mr. Hens- | stead of manfully beating off they are now throwing out their

ley, suid that the Goverbment should raise a revenue ade- quate to the waats of the public service. ‘The late Govern-

‘anchors in the hopes of being able able to ride out the gale | ‘until the next general election. IL think that they should,

services of the teacher were necessarily discontinued. But} ihe people. appreciating the bencfits of Education for their |

‘an = eo > e } children, had a plan of the district prepared, shewing the;

‘situation of the roads and a list of the number of houses and |

of the children, made out by a competent person and for- | warded to the Board of Education, with a petition praying | that body to sanction the school. After the application had | been before the Board from April till November, a magis- | trate was appointed, as the law directs, to report to the | Board, Qu the receipt of his report thevestablishment of; the school was sanctioned and its immediate operation was | approved of. But,Mr. Chairman, when the people set about | the erection of their schoolhouse, they were informed that | the Government refused to confirm the action of the Board | of Education, alleging as a reason that there were no funds for the erection of additional schools, Now, Sir, I deny that this was to be considered as an additional school ; it was but

went did not do so; their expenditure beyond the revenue | willingly withdraw the charge they made against the late 'a renewal of one which had previously existed. Although

during the last three years of their tenure of office was greater than that of the preseat for the same period of time. We have bought two estates, and the costs of both are brought into our accounts. With reference to the hon. member's objection to the reference in the Address to the elucatioaa! system, as at present constituted, I think that it will be wise in the House to adopt it, as it isour great, in fact, I may say, the great cause of the difference between our revenue aud our expenditure. Other items of expendi- ture can be cut down, but this charge is of a different cha- racter. ‘f 1¢ law authorises its extension, almost indefinitely,

| Government of having ruined the coustry by their extrava-| 'gance. One member of the Government honorably admitted | ‘that the heavy expense incurred by the late Government in keeping Government House in repair, was absolutely neces- | ‘sary; and [ think, Sir, that if his colleagues would act with ‘equal frankness and candor, their consciences would probably | ‘be easier. ‘Che Liberals were in power eight years. When) ‘they took offlee they found the country £22,000 in debt. | /They expended vast sums on Education,they constructed im- | ‘portant public works, they expended annually on roads and ‘bridges amounts far larger than the present Government has

and renders imperative the payment of tie expense. I may/ done, yet when they retired from office they left the Colony |

state, Mr. Chairman, that the reference in the Address to edu- cation emanated solely from the mind of the gentleman who prepared it, and in my opinion he acted wisely in inserting it.

Neitber the Government nor any membcr of it suggested to |

that hon. member (Mr. Davies} the propriety of making the allusion, but, Sir, the Government have not the slightest hesitation in endorsing the statement to its fullest extent, and the hon, member 1s entitled to credit for having brought the question so promineatly forward. I was amused Jast evening at the assertion of the hon. leader of the Opposition to the effect that the Government had added to the expense of education by increasing the salaries of shoolmasters. Sir, we rendered it incumbent 00 teachers to go before the Board of Education, and submit to examination,to test how far they were qualified for the proper discharge of the important duties confided to them. Our object was to obtain the ser-

| with an addition to its debt of only £8000. In three years| ithe present Government has increased the public debt about | | £27,000. For that [ would not blame them so much, if it | were not for their loud professions of economy. It will not do for them now, when the debt has become so great, and by | their own admission is likely to increase, to say that they will wait until the people shall tell them what they are to do. Sir, they came into power on the strength of allegations against their opponents and promises of great benefits to re- sult from their porsession of the Government. They de- nounced the late Government for extravagance ; they charged them with lavishing the public money upon themselves and their supporters, and pledged themselves to equalize the re- venue and expenditure. How have they redeemed those pledges? The hon. member for Charlottetown certainly gave a strange reason for the praise he bestowed on the pre-

vices of competent instructors, and our course has, L am

sent Government for their alleged economy, when he said

happy to say, been productive of a great deal of good. It that if the Liberals had been in power during the last three | appears that a large proportion of the candidates passed the years the country would have been £20,000 more in debt | Board. Ic the year 1860, the sum paid for the salaries of |than it is. How he can prove that assertion 1 am at a loss | school teachers, was £14,396 63 6d, and in refutation of the| to know. I am surprised, Mr. Chairman, that the Kducation | charge preferred against the Government by the hon. leader | Act should be held up as an exeuse for all the debt of the|

the inhabitants of Dromore Settlement have got no school, nor is there any in the vicinity, they have to pay their tax

pepe ane honoree: Say Seeman. Spite Which that Ande Seleasiomte the -Bill-to reader slo Legislative Coupgil glapting. troublesome or Inconvenient to answer, they fell us to wait unti ve He took occasion to say that > present Government den oct

proper time shall arrive for discussing the particular subjeet.. They have promised that on some future occasion they will give explana- tions on the subject of Education—the same promise hes been made with reference to other matters. I am willing to wait a reasonable time; but there are limits beyond which patience ceases to be a vir-

a} tue; and, notwithstanding the assertions of the Government to the |

contrary, the great bulk of the people begin to think that the time for action has nearly arrived, ‘The hon. member asserts thatthe late Government was remiss iu not having, at their inauguration of the system of Education, provided funds adequate for the present cost of it. This is truly a strange charge to emanate from a Government of three years’ standing. ‘They obtained power on their declaration that everything was going to ruin, and that they would remedy every grievance ; yet now after having the seals of office for three years,

having for that period absolute control over the public funds, they P

say that we, not they, are censurable, The late Government so ma-

naged the tinances of the Colony, that they found no difficulty in de-

fraying the charges for Education. When the Government found that those charges bore undue proportion to the state of the Revenue, was it their duty to let three years elapse without stirring in the matter, and then blame their predecessors? Had they complained in 1859, their complaint would have been justifiable, and a remedy

| ought and should then have been provided. 1 will not anticipate

other questions, which will arise during the consideration of the ad-

of six shillings and eight pence for every hundred acres of | dress; but I did not wish to vote for the amendment without having Six 8 gs: ;

land they hold, besides their proportion of all other taxes of the Island. Under these circumstances, Mr. Chairman, as

[ do not think my constitucu!s owe the Government much | hon. member. He says that in assenting to the passage having re- gratitude for what they have dove for them in the matter of | fcrence to the preparation of the estunates, the House would be 7. . oe z » I } | blindly affirming what they have no means of knowing Now, mur, | Edueation, it is my intention tu vote for the amendment. a ; 4 : : oo me . ae: the City, Mt. Beer, | the address does not say that the estimates have been prepared with Hon, Mr. COLES—The hon. member for t - ty, MP. Hever, ) | due regard to economy; but that we are glad to learn that they stats (t that the late Government hind expended ae a year fo live been so prepared, Phe language is plain and intelligible, and ‘ i revenne , he last three vVears, al > é he same } : * 4s — . than uly oo ese the iast i daar aden a . the oe | L must congratulate the hon. member on the distinguished position he sg> Mitte iat . "pare "? . us l G ¢ ntry } . : \ é . 1 . time adinitted that the preseut Government bas run the County | oocupies of standing alone against the twenty-nine other members of

some £27,000 in debt since they have been in power.

Mr. BEER—I showed that the Government had paid £16,000 for land, while their predecessors had purchesed none in the period referred to.

Hon- Mr. COLES—In 1857 we paid £2550 for land, besides |

L1200 for agriculture. ‘To this latter interest the Government has contributed nothing. They have certainly practised economy with reference to reads and bridges ; they spent no more than some L4000 or L5000 a yeer on that service, while we annually gave about L9000 towards it, and what they saved from the road aud bridge service they spent in other ways, not so essentially important. It might be- come them to talk of economy, if they could shew that they had di- minished the debt, and when the hon. metaber talks of their having stopped the great leak, as he ealled it, 1 want to to know, how it was stopped, if not at the expense of the roads and bridges.

Mr. BEER—I[f the Selkirk Estate and Lot 54 are nothing—if they are merely myths—then I admit that there has been no saving.

Hon. Mr. COLES—In 1855, the late Government spent in repairs of Government House, and the purchase of a piece ot ground in the neighborhood, L1816. The Provincial Building cost us about L1200 in two years. We gave L1216 for agriculture. In 1857, we paid £2550 for the purehase of public lands. The hon. member trom Tryon, Mr. Howat, when he says that he is so strongly opposed to taxation, furgets that he voted for the increase of 1f per ceut to the

| tarilf.

|

Mr. HOWAT—I rise to correct the hon. member.” I never voted for that measure, and I defy him to prove that I did so.

Hon. Mr. COLES—Then he must have voted against his party. |

The hon. member, Mr. Davies, said that the Government have been

| first stated my reasons, Hon. Mr. LONGWORTH—Mr. Chairman, T have been surprised }at the objections to the paragraph which lave been advanced by the

{the House, not one of whom, Lam contident, would put the same | construction on the passage that he has. The second objection he has taken is equally watenable. He devies that the disturbed cou- | dition of the neighboring States has produced embarrassment to our trade. In this assertion 1 was glad to find that he was not support- ed by the leader, or other members of his party. It has been left to him, and him alone, to deny the truth of the statement in the address, and notwithstanding his assertiou that many coincide with him in his opinion, I think he will be left in the exclusive possession of it.

Hon. Mr. WHELAN—The hon. member misunderstood me. I said that no serious embarrassment had resulted to our trade, and I based my opinion on the tact that Ligh prices had been obtained for our articles of export.

Hon. Mr. LONGWORTH—A reterence to the records of the Bank will show the hon. member that very serious embarrassments indeed have arisen from the derangement in business, caused by the unset- tled state of affairs in the States; and it is no matter of surprise that such should be the case, when the importance and extent of our commercial relations with them is considered. ‘The third objection he adduced is on a par with those to which [ have referred. He | said that the address exceeded the legitimate bounds of a document of such nature, as it referred to a subject not alluded to in the speech. I tell that hon. member, that as the representatives of a free people, we have a right to refer to what we please. If the hon. member thinks otherwise, he is pinning his faith upon the obsolete practices of old despotic dynasties, which have long since passed away.

Hon. Mr. WHLELAN—I did not deny the abstract right. I merely

| said that as the subject of Education had not been touched upon in , j

of the Oppusitiou to the effect that our addition to their sa- Colony. The Government admits thag the scheme was a! so short a time in office that it was not fair to expect that they should | the speech, it should not appear in the address.

laries increased the workiug expense of the system, he will| good one, yet, in the same breath in which they say that, find by an inspection of the accounts that in 1861, the amount | they blame their predecessors for not having, years ago, pro- | paid for salaries was but £13,776 3s Td—we, therefore, | vided means to maiutain a system which they take to them- effected a saving of £620 2s 1d, in cash, bsides giving to the | selves the credit of having perfected. Under the late Go- country the benefit of the services of a superior class of men. | yerament the revenue increased sufficiently to meet the in- I have thus shown, Sir, that so far from the charge against | creasing demands for Nducation ; and if the present Govern-

the Government, preferred by the leader, of the Opposition | ment have by extending the operation of the system, which | but little time in the observations J shall make; and I must preface |

being true, that we have not only raised the standard of the js, I presume, what they mean when they say that they have £620 2s 11d. Those facts will, I think, Mr. Chairman, go provide the means of meeting the extra charge,but they now |

to the best interests of the peop!e.

| they ever intended to do auyth

have remedied the financial state of the country by this time. Dut,

Hon. Mr. LONGWORTH—The House is perfectly justifiable in

| eae received but will not be submitted. Progress was reported. Turspay Arrernoon, Feb. 25, Hon. Mr. LONGWORTH—I do not think it is neces- sary, Mr. Chairman, to say much in reference to the para- graph under consideration. ‘The hon. member for the seecnd | district of King’s County, however, expressed himself desir- |Ous to obtain some information respecting the Bills of last | Session that have not received the royai allowance. On're-

| possess that influence at the Uolonial Office of which they ‘boasted. I, as a member of the Government, am not so vain as to lay elaim to any superior influence at that office. But we know it is reported that a certain hon. member of the Opposition stated, at the time of the agitation for Responsi- ible Government, that wheu that system was introduced, it | would be unnecessary to have Acts passed with 2 suspending | clause.

Hlon. Mr. COLES—That is not correct.

Hon. Mr. LONGWORTH—It was reported in the news- apers, and we never heard it contradicted. Hon. Mr. COLES—lIt was contradicted.

| Hon. Mr. LONGWORTH—We canuot expect to be in- ‘dependent of the Home Government, but must always sub- mit our measures to their inspection. And it is not to be wondered at that they should take some time to consider a Lill of such importance as one to alter the constitution of the Legislative Council. IL peed not advert to the Volunteer ' Bill, as the hon. leader of the Goverument has already re- | plied to the remarks of the hon. member for King’s County. The objections of the Colonial Minister to the Biil are very trifling indeed. As it was passed without a suspending clause, |it went into operation as soon as it received the signature of the Licut. Governor ; but the Bill carried through by tho ‘late Government for organizing a militia foree had a suspend- ‘ing clause, and, therelere, they had no warraut to act upon it until it reeeived the royal assent. With respect to the