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132

THE EXAMINER.

=r were 80 positive and unequivocal, that I could not well misunderstand. [shall therefore take the liberty of setting Your Excellency right, and of showing that your own recollection is not the most accurate.

Your Excellency appears to have forgotten, that, on my saying “I did not consider 1 was opposing the Go- vernment by opposing the Solicitor General,” I gave my reason for so thinking, which was, that the appoint- raent of the Solicitor General was not anactof the Go- yernment—that the Council was not consulted in refer- ence to it—and that it was altogether your own act. When Your Excellency informed me, immediately after, that Mr. Palmer was to be reinstated in the Council in the place of Mr. Warburton, and urged this as another reason why I should not oppose the former gentleman, you will remember I stated, that members of the Go- vernment had opposed me at my Election after accept- ing the office of Executive Councillor—that they had not been caljed on to resign--and that from the answer which I received from the Colonial Minister to my Me- morial, complaining of their conduct, it appeared that he could not interfere to prevent such opposition, in the absence of Responsible Government; and that, there- fore, I thought I had a right to use my own discretion in supporting or opposing a Government Officer. Your Excellency then said, you expected that I, as one of the Executive, would not advocate the question of Responsible Government, for if { did you said you would have to cal] upon Her Majesty’s Ministers to remove ime from the Council, when I replied, that it was not likely there would be much about Responsible Govern- ment during the time of this House of Assembly. I admit that Your Excellency communicated to me, in strict confidence, the views entertained upon this sub- ject by Her Majesty’s Ministers, which are, as far as | am concerned, as secret as when they were first made known to me; but how can your Excellency so strange- ly forget our conversation upon this point, as to say, you “did not say one word to me as to my either sup- porting or opposing Responsible Government’? 1 must be permitted to say that your Exeeliency’s want of recollection in reference te this matter appears to be very extraordinary, and I beg leave to refresh your me- mory by quoting an observation which you used at the

* time, namely, you “could not think of a member of the

Executive Council continuing to hold his seat and op- posing the views of the Colonial and Imperial Govern- ments on a question of such importance,” and advised me to consult with Messrs. Hensley and Holl on the subject.

Your Excelleney’s recital of the conversation at the recond interview is also incorrect. When you request- ed me to resign, in the presence of Mr. Haviland, whom you summoned from an adjoining room, I re- marked, I suppose it is on account of my taking part at the Election against Mr. Palmer, and nbt because I am in favour of Responsible Government, as that will be an after consideration. Your Excellency replied in the affirmative. [then again observed that I would not r°sion, (for I thought you wished it immediately )—thatif { had, however, consulted my own feelings on the mat- ter, I should have resigned before then, but that my po- litical friends earnestly advised me against taking such astep. Your Excetlency then said you would have to suspend me; upon hearing which I took my hat, and enid, [ suppose £ am now to consider myself suspended ? You replied, No, I shall take my pleasure about that; and not in my presence did you say that you would first “consult my colleagues.” Atthesecond interview Mr. Haviland was not caltled in until you had ascertained from me my determination to oppose Mr. Palmer, and having stated that since our first interview you found a Despatch enabling you to suspend me without first communicating with the Home Government, you wished to tell me this in the presence of Mr, Haviland, so that I should not think you had pursued a course different from that you had informed me of in our first interview.

I should not have deemed it necessary to enter into these dry details had your Excellency not attempted to. give an undue colouring to the conversations which | had the honour of holding with you on the subject of my Opposition to Mr. Palmer. It was not from that op- position I felt it to be my duty to resign, after allowing you nine days to put your threats into execution, but hecause it appeared to me to be the determination of Your Excellency to dictate to your Council instead of taking their advice.

I have the honour to be, Sir,

Your Excellency’s most obedient servant,

GEORGE COLES.

mittee A

ee vy

CHARLOTTETOWN, MONDAY, DECEMBER Ih, 1848.

SUPERCEDURE OF MR, WARBURTON.

We cannot say that we have been surprised by the an-|of the principles of Responsible Government, and that

nouncement of Mr. Palmer's appointinent to a seat at the Board of Executive Council, in the place of Mr.

Warburton, for we expeeted this event nearly at the) principle. tine Sir Donald Campbell assumed the reins of Govern-| but it is not true. Mr. Warburton has, in fact, been re-

iment in this Island. We saw enough to convince us that though His Excellency came amongst us under the

~ | Was not sustained by a majority in the Assembly—that

|

|

to have vacated his place in the Assembly. What

Sa aa - a.

Club in London, he was likely to evince but little sym- pathy in the progress of Reform principles in this Co- lony. We thought, however, it would not be just to express our doubts and suspicions too prematurely. We were willing to give him a fair trial, and allow him full time to develope the policy of his Administration before we expressed an opinion upon it. Sir Donald Campbell has had ample time for this, and has most unequivocally declared himself. We feel that it is now our duty to speak out, and we shall do so at any risk, and without any reference to personal sacrifices we may incur. We believe that His Excellency has been anxious to con- ciliate political parties in this Island—to bury old feuds, and restore harmony to a disquieted community ; but we felt convinced that His Excellency formed an erroneous estimate of the character of the people amongst whom he has been thrown, when he appeared to think that such a reconciliation could be brought about by fair words only. The trick was stale—it might serve for a while, and has served, but it is right that His Excellency should know that itcan serve no longer. We will give any man credit for good intentions when he declares them; but when his acts proclaim a different story from his professions, we can only give him credit for insin- cerity.

But we ask where was the necessity for keeping this appointment of Mr. Palmer so long a secret? and why was it made known just at the moment that that gentle- man was mounting the Hustings? Sir Donald Camp- bell was in possession of Earl Grey’s “confidential Despatch,” in answer to his recommendation that Mr. Palmer should be reinstated in the Council, sometime previously to the commencement of the Election, and we believe the public would have heard nothing of it at the time they did, if Sir Donald Campbell had not had an object to serve in communicating the informa- mation. ‘This object appears to have been to deter Mr. Coles from opposing Mr. Palmer, on the ground of his being an Executive Councillor. His Excellency would no doubt have us believe that he is anxious for members of the Government to live in harmony together. How well he carries out his views by reinstating Mr. Pal- mer! Does His Excellency not know that the Solici- tor General has been the most flagrant violator of the principle which he has thought to put in operation against Mr. Coles. Mr. Palmer plotted for the removal of the late Governor while he was his swern adviser, and only resigned on the condition, that if the Queen considered it incompatible for him to hold a seat in Council while he opposed the Head of the Government, he would retire. Since his retirement he has taken

Hensley, Holl and Coles, members of the Government ; and on the day he was gazetted a member of the Coun- cil in the room of Mr. Warburton, he attacked the cha- racter of Mr. Hensley in the most virulent manner. Did His Excellency suppose, then, that Mr. Hensley could act in concert with this gentleman in the Government? Would it not seem, indeed, that Mr. Palmer’s reinstate- ment was designed to drive Mr. Hensley from the Coun- cil, apd every other member of the Board who had be- come the object of his virulence ?

With respect to Mr. Warburton, we do not hesitate tosay that he has been badly used in this transaction. Provisionally appointed to the Council by the late Go- vernor, he was expelled from his seat in the Assembly. [t was left to Sir Donald to continue him in the Coun- cil or recommend his removal. For a long time he did not say that he would do either. Mr. Warburton was kept in suspense—was obliged to return to his consti- tuents—was defeated, and in five months after we find him turned from that seat in the Council which was held

,

fault had Sir Donald Campbell with Mr. Warburton? Neither unfitness nor dereliction of duty can be charged against him. His Excellency’s advocates will, perhaps, tell us, that Mr. Warburton was removed because he

in removing him His Excellency was carrying out one Mr. Warburton’s party should not complain of his re-

moval whilst they profess themselves adherents of the This line of argument may be plausible,

every opportunity to calumniate and assail Messrs.{

ee, quite sure that the honovrable gentleman himself will bear us out in this assertion.

If it were the intention of the Lieut. Governor to jz. troduce the new System, why did he not acquaint the Legislature with the fact—why not intimate it to Mr. Warburton—why not intimate it to Mr. Coles—why not make it known to all his Council, and call upon those who were in favour of it to resign their posts? No— His Excellency, we regret to have to say, rejected the straight-forward mode of proceedure, and adopted a crooked policy. Mr. Warburton was to be sacrificed because he was in favour of Responsible Government, and his sacrifice was to be justified on the ground of Responsibility. |

The anti-Responsible Government Party complained loudly and bitterly of Sir H. V. Huntley for appointing to the Councils gentlemen residing in and about Char- _ lottetown. Sir Donald Campbell has done the very thing which was magnified into a great crime againet Sir Henry ; and instead of complaint being made on this ground, we find the enemies of the late Governor, who have become the sycophants of the present one, dealing in panegyric and applause! Was there ever such miserable inconsistency and blundering practised upon a people ?

But the worst feature of all is the delay and secrecy His Excellency has observed in superceding Mr. War- burton. If he meant from the first, as we believe he did, to supercede that gentleman, why not have done so before his seat was challenged in the Ae- sembly? Why not have communieated his views on this subject to his Executive? He privately sends a Despatch to the Colonial Minister—he receives “a confidential Despatch” in return, approving his recom- mendation of Mr. Palmer—he keeps it in his desk until that gentleman is before his constituents—he then sends it forth to cheer the hearts of those who have given pledges of support to. the Solicitor General at his Elec- tion, and to silence the opposition of Mr. Coles.

We are sorry that we have thus freely to express our opinions of His Excellency’s proceedings in this mat- ter; but did we not do so, we should ill discharge the duties of a public journalist, and ill requite the conf- dence reposed in us by that political party whose views it has hitherto been our business and pleasure to enun- ciate.

And now say, Nova Scotians, New Brunswickers, Canadians, Men of Newfoundland! please to say, will you not be proud when such a gentleman is called from presiding over our matters to preside over yours? Won't you be proud? Glad? Won't you petition for it? Alas for the overweening fool who comes to North

America, and thinks he is by prescriptive right the best

man in it! He has by that very belief cast overboard the ballast of common sense and common decency, and he will infallibly be stranded on the shoals of misma- nagement, disgust, public abhorrence, and general re- vulsion—and small regret ; but with him he wil! drown many a good fellow, who surrenders his own common sense and his own sound judgment to the clannish prin- ciple which so often saved the Scotch and so often lost them. It is the old adage: “Gang up. decently, and be hanged quietly, and dinna anger the gude Laird.”

THE ELECTION.

Tur Job has been completed! The Oligarchy has tri- umphed! At five o’clock on Tuesday evening Mr. Pulmer was declared to have a majority of more than hundred votes. The rejoicing was, of course, loud and long; but if it were reflected by what means and in- fluences the victory was won, there would be little cause for glorification! About three fourths of the Electors were polted—there were were many who positively pro- mised to vote for Mr. Lord who voted for his opponent —many who promised not to vote at all likewise votec for the Solicitor General. Would these people have shown such a base betrayal of trust, unless they had been influenced by fear or favour ? Certainly not. | may be fairly supposed that the most disreputable means were resorted to for the purpose of inducing those per- sons to deceive Mr. Lord. But for their promises he would never have commenced the contest—but for their treachery he would not have been defeated. He has

moved because he was in favour of Responsible Go-| vernment, and not because his continuance in the Coun-!

been scandalously, infamously betrayed ; and the Soli- licitor General has the honour of representing, amongs:

guise ofag English Whig, and 9 member of the Reform|cil was incoypatible with the new System; and we are| others, a large body of plodge-breakers,