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THIS 1S ‘TRUE LIBERTY, WHEN FREEBORN MEN—HAVING TO ADVISE THE PUBLIC, MAY SPEAK FREE.” —Evrrewes.

CHARLOTTETOWN, P. E. ISLAND, MONDAY, MAY 8, 1848.

aracy suo

Vou. 1] [No. 40.

£18 LBEISLALTRS.

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‘under the auspices of the Lieutenant Governor and the | ped to this date have liberty to go. Or, That every in- ____.. |Proprietors, would greatly aid in alleviating the prevail-'dividual who may, previous to the proclamation, have ‘ing distress—it would be seen that the extreme mea-jshipped grain, shall be indemnified, on proving to this ‘sure then contemplated was altogether uncalled for. House that he has sold any of the Oats and Potatoes The hon. member for Charlottetown (Mr. F. Longworth) under 2s, 9d per bushel. had justly observed, that if an Embargo were laid, it) Mr. Haviland said, all parties admit that distress to 4 would be ridiculous to suppose that strangers would very great extent prevails throughout the Island, but of

House of Assembly. Wepnespay, Apri 12. ‘trade with this Island.

THE EMBARGO QUESTION. (Continued.)

Dr. Conroy said, all interests ought to be considered ; and, when the House, at an early period of the Session, | placed an Embargo on Potatoes, it was from the con-| viction they felt that the short crop of last year render- ed the step necessary. ‘I'he majority of the House who

He (the Speaker) fully agreed

what use was it to prevent the exportation of grain

the merchants by this measure, the Government should} distress, were wholly unable to purchase it. This fact afford them relief. He did not wish to be misunder-jled him to express his concurrence in the resolution stood in reference to this matter. He had no desire to, offered by Mr. D. McLean—for if the people be put in put the country further in debt; but although it was his possession of the means, there would be no difficulty intention to support the motion for an addition of 1000/.| about their obtaining seed, and the necessity for an em-

to the Road appropriations, he believed it was highly | bargo would be entirely obviated.

with him (Mr. Longworth) that if loss be entailed upon. when the poor people, who were suffering under that

ought to be the best judges of the wants of the people,|necessary to meet the distress of the country. [The

Mr. Macintosh was induced to vote for the embargo,

considered it higly expedient to keep sufficient for seed | Speaker, in conclusion, spoke of the necessity of com-|because he thought it would be the only practicable in the Island ; but the Bill was thrown out in the other | pelling the proprietors to contribute towards the relief relief to the suffering of the poor. He did not believe end, and the opinions of the House of Assembly, as was of their tenantry.] ‘that if the Road appropriations were increased to 50001. often the case, set at nought. The members of that) Mr. Thornton was in favour of an Embargo, because the country would reap as much benefit as it would from House were designated wise-acres, and the root itself! he believed such a measure, at the present crisis, to be|an embargo, because if you allow the grain to go did not escape from depreciation by those greatest wise-| absolutely necessary. He had good reasons to think)away, what public benefit do you accomplish by putting acres of al] the world, one of whom said: had he the there was very little grain in the country to spare. In-| money into the pockets of the poor people for the ex- last Potatoe in his hand he would take especial care to deed, he did not think there were 20,000 bushels to| press purpose of buying it. It was with very much re- prevent its cultivation. The question of an Embar- | export altogether; and these were wanted in the country,'luctance he (Mr. McIntosh) advocated this measure. go upon Potatoes having been decided that Session, it|if not for food, for seed. ‘The peovle in the neighbour-| But he had given it due consideration, and he was con- could not be brought on again. At or about theling Colonies were as badly off as ourselves; and nojvinced it would be the only effectual check to the cala-

same time, the sense of the House was also taken rela-|sooner would our ports be open, than they would sweep mity which pressed upon the country.

tive to Oats; and a large majority decided against an embargo. ‘That very decision was a guarantee to the public, who felt certain that they might carry on their business operations with safety. They felt them- selyes secured by what had passed within the walls of the Assembly ; but he was sorry to say, that he feared’ they would have to complain, and their complaint would be nothing less than that the House of Assembly had deceived them—they had absolutely forbidden them to pay their debts when they were prepared to do so, and had prevented them from obtaining their fresh supplies of Merchandise. Within the memory of those present, there never was atime when so much distress existed as at that time, and yet persons were so unfeeling that they were pressing their poor debtors to an unusual ex- tent. The Office of the Clerk to the Small Debts Court, was beseiged with applications for Summonses, and) hundreds had been issued at atime when the cry of; destitution and distress was continually ringing in their ears. Would to God, that they could place an Embar- go on the Small Debts Courts, and those unfeeling Cre- ditors, who displayed 2 total disregard to al] charitable feeling. He was pleased to say, the Proprietors had not, toany extent, followed so bad an example. He was persuaded that nothing less than war or general starva- tion could justify the principle, or the putting into prac- tice such a measure as the one they were then con- sidering. It would be much better to put their hands into the public purse than perpetrate so glaring an in- justice to the Merchants. It behoved the Committee to reinember that, when the smallest insect is trodden on, it experiences as much painas when a giant dies. Let them force contributions, let them mortgage the re- venue, and such a step he thought far preferrable to the measure of embargo, which, if carried cut, would, for a time, crush trade, and what for? He feared, as the hon. | Speaker had justly observed, to uphold many indolent | and unworthy persons. Should the Committee adopt the measure, they ought to justify themselvez by provid-| ing for, and indemnifying, those who would otherwise | suffer, and upon no other grounds should it have his oF

rt.

Mr. D. Maclean said, the hon. member who had just | sat down had spoken very much to the purpose, and his ideas on the impolicy ofthe principle of interfering with trade, in the iniquitious mode then contemplated, were most decidedly his (Mr. D. M‘L.’s)own. He hoped things were not so bad as some represented them. Mr. Wightman’s correspondence, in particular, he view- ed with suspicion, remembering, as he well did, that gentleman’s action, when a Member of the House, upon a similar occasion. He felt bound to oppose a measure that would sacrifice individuals, and would prefer an ad- dition to the present sum appropriated by the House for Roads and Bridges. The hon. Member concluded by moving that an additional 1000/. be appropriated, to be applied to the Road Service.

The hon. Speaker would support the amendment sub- mitted by Mr. McLean, because he had sooner do any- thing than break faith with the public. At the same time he would suggest, that the Committee were out of order in taking up the question at all—it having been already discussed and disposed of in the present Ses- sion. When it was considered that the large sum of £3,900, appropriated for Roads and Bridges, was to be made available for the relief of the poor, and that the

handsome collection recently raised at a public meeting

our shores of the grain, or raise the price to a very high figure. He did not agree with Mr. M‘Lean’s resolution. What was the use of supplying the poor with money, if the grain were allowed to go out of the country? The Legislature of Nova Scotia—which could afford to pay 10/. to our 1/.—would provide for its poor, and the con- sequence would be, they would come hither, and raise the price so high, that the 1,0001. would go a very little way. But if the produce were not in the country, we could not supply ourselves elsewhere—we could not get potatoes abroad, we could not get oats abroad. And where was the use of money, if seed could not be pro- cured with it to sow the land? Some hon. members seemed to think lightly of the reports of poverty and distress which came to their ears. He was afraid such reports were but too well founded. They had already heard of several infractions of the Law—mills had been broken into; and the evils which produced such a state of things was every day increasing. The House was now imperatively called upon to act with firmness and decision ; and, though he felt for those who might suffer loss by such a measure es this, yet there were times when strict justice must yield to expediency, and the few

must suffer in preference tothe many.

Mr. Rae considered it extremely awkward to impose an Embargo at so late a period in the Session, and at a season when some vessels had taken in their cargoes— when dealers had made nearly the whole of their pur- chases. There was a still more formidable obstacle in the way. Early inthe Session the House passed an Embargo on Potatoes; and then it was asked, whether it should be laid on Oats also? But only three Mem- bers said that they thought that advisable, but made no motion; and the others scouted the idea. But to such

procedure and declaration the Assembly virtually put) ‘their seal, confirming every purchase of grain subse- oe without some degree of warmth, that the Report in

quently made for exportation. Yet al! this, it seems, must now be overthrown. Well, necessity has no law. But why was not this necessity explained in time?

Mr. Clark had long since given this subject full consideration, and the more he thought of it, the more he was inclined to regard with disapprobation and dis- trust the policy of imposing restrictions upon trade for any purpose, Besides, he could not vote for an embar- go in the face of a pledge already given by the House that no such measure would be adopted,—and also in direct violation of a standing rule of the House, which prohibits the discussion twice in one Session of the same question. ‘The Legislature should keep faith with the commercial public, let the consequences be what they may—otherwise, al] confidence would be lost in us, and much evil would result to the colony. It should be borne in mind, that the principal branch of trade in this Island—viz. ship-building—was fast declining, and that ere long agriculture will bz the only resource of our po- pulation. Would it be wise or expedient, then, to close our ports, and risk the destruction of our only trade by fettering it? He thought it would not, and he would therefore rather support the amendment than Mr. Cole’s resolution, even though an increase of taxation might ‘be found necessary to make up the amount intended to be appropriated by the amendment.

Satuxpay, April 22. HOUSE IN COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY.

GREEN'S WHARF, BEDEQUE.

Mr. Fraser submitted the following Resolution :—

Resolved, That the sum of £19 be granted, to defray the balance of a Contract for erecting a Slip, and making certain repairs—performed last Summer, on Green’s Warf, Bedeque.

Mr. .V. Conroy took this opportunity to complain, and

the Advertiser was calculated to injure him in the es- timation of his constituents; because, although the Re- ‘port, so far as it went, was sufficiently correct, it made

Why did not members from districts which were so|no reference to, or mention of, whathad been stated by

destitute, come forward earlier? The state of the crop could be estimated in December, when threshing had been some time in operation. Why did not the magis- trates throughout the country report to the Executive that there was an insufficiency of grain? After the

|example of 1846, neither the Executive nor the Magis-

tracy, nor yet the Members of this House were altogether free from this responsibility. But as the inhabitants must have bread and seed, puc on an embargo; and, since we must violate private right by our proce- dure this Session, let us give compensation to the parties we injure. Either buy their grain and potatoes, or let them sell it, and, if they do not get a price sufficient to remunerate them for what they paid, and their trouble, make the difference up next Session. Pledge the Legislature to that much equity. There has beena cry for bounties for tie encouragement of trade, a bounty for the exportation of codfish, &c. Now, here is a trade in full operation, which, in amount, exceeds a hundred times the export of fish, and equals what the most san- guine hope expects; and yet, by repeatedly tampering with it, you threaten to destroy it. If you will not com- pensate vessels deprived of freights, yet, at least, com- pensate those who have bought grain, and especially those who, by the enactment of this House, may be com- pelled to unload their cargoes. He would, therefore, move the following amendments :—That all grain ship-

him, on a previous occasion, with reference to the sub- ject. Had the previous Debate been published, he would have had nothing to complain of; but he thought it was most unfair, most unjust, that any thing like er- parle statements of debates or discussions occurring in the House, should, through any newspaper, be given to the public; whether such statements might be fur- nished by a Reporter or a member of the House. At the time Mr. Fraser made the statement afterwards published in the Advertiser, he (Mr. C.) did not think it worth while to contradict him, as he had done soa day or two previous. Another feature of unfairness was also observable in the fact, that although the hon. mem- ber (Mr. Fraser) had attacked his colleague (Mr. Rae) as well as himself, yet no mention was made of it in the Report of which he complained. oe

The Hon. Speaker, and other hon. members, joined with Mr. Conroy, in astrong condemnation of so unfair a mode of reporting, by means of which the most faith- ful Representative might very easily be made to appear as the betrayer of his constituents’ rights.

Mr. Fraser—The hon. member, (Mr. N. Conroy) seemed to be very sensitive on the subject of newspaper reports, as affecting himself; but he (Mr. F.) would ad- vise the hon. member, i he ora to steer tay wpa to act consistently, and upon bap es of justice. That he (Mr. F.) maintained, that the hon. member (Mr.

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