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n If the question } ed to the peuple at the } » ut the Pro he establishment of denomin He believed e Catholic members was & grant schools in the crty.

Lae

p's : i

rt said he would briefly stat

for opposing the prayer ol the | ; : . . with respec it is the duty of the State to/

e but the end of government is spiritual, The city of New| ' n the theatre of a great con- |

aps er

uchion,

year a Committee was lis Chureh to cont e

i \

i i aol The New York, m ul ? ent t r children punishment, : d by the i :

ylic laity, and by many

rr : » enjoys the st ; tunit of knowing, say that | York are not |

.e denominational n than the Vicar }

great

gone sO far as

, : ; }

to } : wwe ‘ » Pay sHial scnoois

i common

sat | nad ean be done York, th good results

schools. in New be | it appears that the | who come here think | have to submit toan ex- our Board of Examiners. law, we must respect the that it is carried out. Cathos t the best pro fof the efli- shoo! the results 4 _ no doubt, but our Public | : tem may be made much more eu i Li @ t present. But the | te are separate insti | its own sphere. As pect herself, so the ‘self, The Christian York have submitted laws, and have taken sular system. ‘They | i the question of books, | i prescribed by the | instruction He (Mr. | or weeding out any book vith the religious principles of | Catholics here, he thought, » good example set by the | vy York. In the school we who were Catholics or

A person, of course, sack his children the relis | it it is quite a different |

e

may

1S are

at ‘ i Zo

: bu

sks money of the State to |

Ontario there is a continual

shool system. Out of 70,000

iren, only about 20,000 are

ish Schools. The denomin-

1 does not work well either

or Guebec. Instead of building

1 schools, we had put our heads

r dollars together, and built good

ilar schools, we should Haye had no} bickerings now. He could not conceive | ular and religious education

ibe imparted in the one school. It

now both sec

oer

mie were as

iin all its bearings, he thought the free

ti to the peo} le of this province, and that it wanted the | wo {in the

| 4 i io oDeing tae case,

= vince would | the resolution.

tate | «

lever against him, and in opposition to his |

| they

yf the present aay, ITe could not see that | he system had degenerated to such an exs u represented by some hon. | rn i rere was an urgent necessity improvementin some respects. Our peos well edueated as those of any rt of the world, and there were few fami- to be found, the members of which y»uid not read and write, and where the veekly newspaper was not seen, This was ob the case iv all parts of the Dominion, ‘even in many other professedly enlight- Looking at the questicn

nt as had bee

bub t

ned vutries,

chool system had proved of great benefit future, as in the past, prove way suited to our requirements. ha could not support

L. fH. Davies would not have spoken | matter before the Committee, were | the hon. member for Sum. | . Pope} had persisted, in the | e of his remarks, in misrepresenting of the Minister of the Interior, to the education question. if all the hon. members’ statements were |

reliable in reference to other matters |

us those he had just made, no reliance | whatever could be placed on them. The | | member was well aware that the Minister of the Interior did not vote in

! petitioning Uer Majesty the en to interfere with the school system t sent in operation in New Brunswick. he resolution proposed by Mr. \cKenzie, znd supported by sir. Laird and a majority of the House of Commons, simply affirmed the great principle that there should be no interference by the Dominion with the powers reserved to the several Provinces at the time they went into Confederation. To that resolution Mr. Cauchon moved the | addition of arider, expressing regret that the hope expressd in the resolution passed

|} some of } wants of the present day

; struction of the youth of the province, It is | eviclomt that the only instruction that ean be | paid for by the state is upon subjects upon | which all are agreed. The dogmas of any Cliureh are the peculiar property of that Church, and are, to a greater or less degree. olfensive to the members of all other Churches, | and it was right in the Legislature, when it | established a system of Education on this | Island, notto compel any man to assist in disseminating a a religion which he could not conscieniiously support. The system which was established was just and reason- able, and, at the tirae, met with the approval ofmen ofallcreeds. If the members of any denomination wish to teach their children their own peculiar retigious tenets, what is more reasonable than to require that they should do so al their own expense, and not seek the co-operation of those who differ from them on matters of religion. We live in a country where the fullest liberty of conscience js obtained. Every man in it can worship his Ged in peace under his own vine and under his own fig-tree, none making him afraid. Hecan teach his children, if he pleases, the doctrines of his Church, and the law does not interfere with him in any way This happy state of things he wished to see perpetuated. Our present system of edu- cation was a very good one. It was fair and impartial, as it placed all classes on an equal footing, but it needed amendment in its details. in order to meet the The religious difficulty, he was free lo confess, was great, but he did not believe it to be insur- mountable, lf the teachers of the Roman Catholic Schools in Charlottetown | would consent to take the course pursued by the teachers of Roman Catholic Schocls in other places, the obstacles which now appear so great would disappear. The system of | education in Nova Scotia resembled ia all its principal features, the system to force on this Isiand, still there was no religious difficulty in that province. Yet there were Catholic schools in Halifax. The Christian Brothers

stands ignores totally, all the benefits gained by means of the Civil List Bill ; | made in the Island.

some

——— — |probatly be the most important ever

Therefore, he thought

and he, (Mr. B. Davies) for his part, could | the Government should submit the name of

not support it toe Legislature had never admitted that the proprietors had a right to the lands. He believed they hid no right to them; and he maintained that it was useless to expect to gét the assent of the Governor General to a compulsory measure, Unless the assent were asked on

the ground that the proprietors were not |

the lawful owner; of the soil. The com, pu'sory measure passed last year was called a ‘Communist Bill’ Now we must show that this Bill is »ot a Communist Bill—is not founded on Socialistic principles—or it will never receive the assent of the Govern-~ or General, “LO, Ti POOR INDIAN,”

Dr. Jenkiudfimesenter a petition from the Indians of ‘Jorell representing that the late Charles Worrell, Esq., had given them 204 acres of land; that the land had been taken from them; that in lieu thereof they had received from the Gov- ernment a plot of land—99 acres of which is a perfect barren. They asked for justice in the premises.

Hon. Mr. Haviland said the petition should have coms through the Lieutenant Governor in Council. It would then rest with the Government either to give the Indians land or 1oney.

The petition was not received.

Mr. amend the County Court Act,

Mr. Brecken submitted a bill relative to intestates.

Tugspay, April 20. MI: CELLANEOUS.

Mr. Pope submitted a bill to enable Isaac Knight, Souris, to take the additional name fo‘ John.’

Mr. Pope also submitted a bill to enable

. . > ‘ . . ae hte j ’ ~. ia during the session of 1872, that the School | there, he understood, submitted to the re-| the Sheriff of King’s County to convey

Act of New Brunswick should be modified, | so as to remove all cause of complaint, had | not been realized, Mr. Laird voted directly against that rider. It was carried, how-

vote, tasked on to the McKenzie resolu- tion. He[Mr. D.) did not see any good | that couid arise from the wilful misres presentation of the hon, member, in refer- ence to this matter, and could assure him | that he (Mr. D.} did not intend to go to |

| the trouble, time after time, of exposing |

them. The hon. member himself says | that he never deceived anyone,

even His Lordship the Roman ‘atholic | Bishop, on this education question. | If the hon.

strictly correct, with reference to the

quirements of the laws, and if they did so there, why could not those of the same Order | act in a similar manner here, and thus pro- | cure for the Catholics of Charlottetown, all the advantages that could be derived from our educational laws? But when they came here and said : “« We owe our allegiance to a foreign power, and will not recognize your laws ; yet we demand a portion of your pub- } lic money for the support of our schools,”’ he (Mr. D.) could notcomply with their request, anda very large majority of the people of this Island could not and would aot grant such demands. With reference to the pro-

not posa! that the schoo) difficulty be met by the

abolition of the Prince of Wales College, he, for one, would not agree to it. That insti-

member's explanations were | tution was doing good work, as the Report,

lately laid on the table, proves. In it were

10,000 telegram, where did the $5,000 | instructed, in the higher branches of learn-

which were handed over to the Bishop | come from ? The hon, member had assert~ ed that, during his absence on the last |

| delegation to Ottawa, the members of tke }

Opposition here had made overtures to| members of his party on this education | question. He [Mr. D.] denied this as- | sertion, point-blank. Hon. members of the Opposition had always on this ques- tion pursued had acted upon principle. They had never resorted to trickery of any kind in

ing, not only the children of wealthy parents in and around Charlottetown, but the sons of farmers over the length and breadth of this Island. Through the advantages afforued him in that College, the poor man’s son had a chance to rise to situations of responsibility and wealth, and be in a position to compete,

} successfully, too, with the rich man’s sgn.

|The sons of the wealth woulu be educated whether the Prince of Wales College was in

ni alah aie a | wh Pate ep a straightforward course, and | gyictence or not; but if that institution were

abolished, there was no piace in the Province where the sons of poor parents could receive

in order to obtain the reins of power. | more than a mere elementary education.

Their firm reference

been the means of keeping them in Ops}

position, and might possibly be the means of keeping them there for years to come, The hon. member charged sition with deceiving the people whom represent, as if the latter did not entertain the same views in reference to this question as the men who represent them in the House of Assembly. The hon. member insinuated that the Opposis tion were rotten on this question, although

| he was perfectly aware that they had been

tested in the severest manner, and had invariably stood firm in their principles. A good deal had been said about secret negociations on the School Bill, and it was a singularly strange fact that the hon.

for Summerside had | : : the hon. members of the Oppos | that he (Mr. D.) probably thought Catholics

adherence to principle, in The best educated of our young men, would to the education question, had always take the highest positions, and they

should all have the opportunity to attain te them, if they chose to avail themselves of the advantages within thejrreach. The hon. | junior member for Georgetown had stated,

| bad as well as their system. That hon. | member, in making that assertion, could not | have gone further from the truth. His teach.

er, Mr. John Kenny, whom he would always | remember with the highest esteem and the deepest gratitude, was a Catholic. Many of his school-mates, with whom he had formed friendships which would only end with life itse!f, were Catholics ; and he entertained the very greatest respect for his Catholic fellow- But he regretted that they had

1 | | |; countrymen, ‘ : | come to this House as supplicants. When they did so, they placed themselves in a false

| position. He was sorry that anything had

etter to do one thing well than | Attorney General always appeared to be} been said in this debate te engender bad

If we meet this question in the

f fairp'ay, and consider it in a rea » manuer, the differences between ; and Protestants may be settled | v York. ) A. J. MeDonald had not changed | pinion since last year. !n other Pros | inces, Protestants had voted public money | to sectarian schools, and yet they did not | think they were doing violence to their | consciences. .Why might not Protestants | do the same here? He hoped and be-~| ed Protestants would change their opin< | in respect to this question. , Denomin- | chools in the city are a iixed fact ;

be sustained even though aid is

iiey

ions

btained from the State. Why not} i s justice? That was all they w teral o tout nd . re ue Z ire (x« V i ne wee k 1 to r rea a , v9 “h aot T E i emen expressed his opinions | e the Committee when e lust session, and |}

had listened attentively

io a the iment

on. mem who aad spoken upon the | su ct, and was glad to be able te say that } the debate had been conducted with moder. | AL t ihe 8 pec ches had been haracterized by candor and honesty. The |

eech made by the hon. member for | Strat! n was able and convincing, and |} » completely covered the whole ground that no i r remarks were necessary, to

show } ular

; Province. He freely ack- it the petition before Com-

mittee, ng for a grant from the Public |

o

Funds, in | of the schools established by | t! nan Catholic Bishop, and signed by | entitled to}

could not, in justice |

of granting the prayer of that | f t earnestness and sincerity | t | the remarks made by the |

Bn i ind Catholies, was

lignish, (Mr.Conroy) but |

» with him in many of his |

r. R ) did not believe

ent lamentable condition of |

owing to the working of | em of Education. The fact | n had

why tho hoolshad degenerated, and | had fallen into their present conditioa. It |

| by some hon, members, |

| House had treated

thing » that time, to | 1 to change his sentimentsin re- |

ts brought forward by |

* system of Education | ito the requirements of the |

been made in the! he erection of proper school | hought, the chief reason |

’

present when these negociations were going on. His honor knew something

about the position occupied by the Op- position with reference to this matter. and

rights and themselves. When they had the power, in days gone by, they did so, but while giving them equal rights and privileges with themselves, they would never surren- der for the sake of place or power, prin- ciples which they believe to be just. and right, and by the light of which they had hitherto acted. If by holding firmly to a principle by which they had politically suffered, why should they be taunted with inconsistency in reference to it? Such treatment was very unfair. As to the question whether or not the hon. member for Summerside had deceived Bishop Mes Intyre, that was a matter between thems If Catholics chose to accept the

ives.

| word of the hon. member in preference to | their Bishop, it was no matter of his {Mr D's].

Perhaps they might prefer the hon. members statement and ignore that of their Bishop. He[{Mr. )D.] thought sufficient evidence had been given this evening to show that certain Catholic members of the the question under consideration from a mere party stand point. They had made it a mere political engine. The hon. member for East Point {Mr. McEachen] would not, he says, join the Opposition, even if they acceeded to to the prayer of the petition, now before the Committee, to its fullest extent. Although, says the hon. member, the Go- vernmen will not give me what | want, and although Catholic children may possibly go to perdition in consequence of their refusal, still I will continue to support them and hold on to my office! To pass a law in reference to the question of education, in opposition to the well understood wishes of the people would be sheer nonsense and folly. Even if such a law were carried out to-night, and enforced during the next twelve months, against the wishes of the majority of the people of this Island, when the day of reckoning came it would be a terrible reckoning for those members who violated their pledges and sold their cons stituents. Any system of education oppos. ed to the wishes of the people cou!d not stand long, and the men who intro- duced it must, eventuaily, go to the wall. When a petition was laid before that hon. house, signed by 9000 Catholics, it placed the education question in an entirely dif- ferent position from that which it formerly occupied when the demand for a portion of the public school fund was merely made by Bishop McIntyre himself. In the petition the wishes of a large number of the people were expressed in unmistakable language, which tie House was bound to respect. According to the opinions of the hon. mem-

tit the denorninational system suited Char. | ber for Summerside, as expressed by him

very well, but that it would hot | in the country districts. If that ‘ ‘ ibsolutely necessary tc the} Catholics of Chariottetown, why should the | Catholics of the country districts be denied | the privilege of having similar schools? It | would be extremely unfair to give the Ca- tholics of Charlottetown advantages which were deni d those belonging to the country district lle was strongly of opinion that | be denominational system would be found | ; n impracticable one, and ill<suited » the wants of the people of this Island. if denominational schools were once estab- lished in the City, it would soon be found necessary to place all parts of the country on a similar footing, with respect to this | matter, as it would not do to establish a| ectional system. If grants were given |

me denomination for the support of its

s,all other denominations could justly

laim similar aid from the Legislature, and

the consequence would be, that contention apd strife would arise between the differ. ent sects. In New Brunswick and Nova Scotia the great majority of the people con- tended very strongly for secular schools, and aithough the denominational system was establ shed by law in Ontario, a large majority.o! the population took advantage ot the pub ic schools conducted on the non- sectarian system. No hon. member had pointed outa single country where denomi» national schools hed been a success, but numerous instances had been shown where hey hat tena complete failure. AltLoagh some nad Jreely condemned our free school system, they bad not given 4 single~ proof thet the sectarian system had give mn satise ‘ n in any part of the world. Taking ota into consideration, and giv.

ing every argument that had been adduced a of the den minationsl system full weight, be did not think that bon. House wouid be justified in making the proposed change in our present system of education. All that was required in order to render our free school system suitable in every way to the wants of the people, was to amend the School Act, for the purpose of making its provisions more suitable to the wants

| in the course of his remarks, the Legislature

of this province was now forcing down the throats of Catholics a system of education in which they did not conscientiously be- lieve, and compelling them to pay a tax to supportit. This was not correct. — Our present secular system of education was ins troduced and established by the consent of the Catholics of this Island, through their late Bishop MacDonald, and by leading Catholic statesmen, who have long since gone to their long home, and who, on the oor of the tlouse of Assembly, advocated that system in eloquent terms. If Cathos lics had since changed their minds in refe- rence to this matter, they should not come to that House and say that the system had been forced upon them agaiust their con- sent, Ifthe question be one of conscience, its principles would apply to country places as well as lo thetowx. The people in the school districts in the country had conscience as well as those in the city, and if the present system violated the conscience of the Catholic merchants or artizans in the cily, it violated also that of the Catholic farmer in the country. Yet some Catholic members who advocated the prayer of the petition on the ground that the question was one of conscience, were in favor of applying the sectarian system to the city and ex- cluding it from the country. Itis necessary, they say, to teach the dogmas of the Church to the children in the city and withald it fromm those in the country. In discussing this delicate branch of the subject, it must be borne in mind that Protestants had consciences as well as their Roman Catholic lellow-subjects, and that their convictions on the School Question were ent tled to consideration. They helieved that it was unfuir to appropziate the money which they paid as taxes for the purpose of proprogating a system of religion in which they do not believe, and in teaching a theory in which they have no faith. But. leaving mere theories, and taking a practical view of the question, we know that we are in a mixed community, In such a community men must respeet each other's opinions, and even show a certain consideration for each others’ prejudices, The state applies a certain

of the public revenue to provide for the ins

privileges they claimed ior |

| feeling between Catholics and Protestants. | The language used by the hon. member from | East Point, in the last night's debate was | caleulated to produce that result. That

lwas well aware that they were always | gentleman had expressed himselfin a manner willing to extend to Catholics the same |

insulting, in the highest degree, to every

Protestant, He had spoken in the most of-

fensive manner of the version of the Holy

Scriptures held in reverence by all true Pro-

testants. He had stigmatized that Holy Book

| as & corrupt version of the Sacred Scriptures.

This was not the spirit in which to come to that House to ask for aid to demominational

schools. When that hon. member went out of his way to attack a Protestant clergyman—a

man in every way superior te himself—

he made a great mistake. He would

guarantee that the hon. gentlemen, although

condemning the Rev. H. W, Beecher in the sirongest language, had never heard him

speak or read his lectures or sermons.

If any man im America had written and

spoken and labored for the elevation of the masses of the people of his native land, that man was Henry Ward Beecher.

It is true heis now upon his trial, charged witb a criminal offence of an atrocious char-

acter. But, Mr. Speaker, by whom are these charges preferred? By men and women whose lives and pirneiples are alike revolts ing. The charges, in my opinion, are false, and Henry Ward Beecher will emerge from

the cloud now shrouding his fair fame, like gold thrice retined and purified in the fire. But, Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's ideas of British justice and fair play seems to be to condemn one of the highest and purests minded men of the age without a hearing or a trial. God forbid that I should fellow this exs ample. In my heart I hold Mr. Beecher in- nocent, and if, unfcriunately, my conviction should prove wrong, the cause of religion generally will have received a terrible shock. The hon. member from East Point read his- tory, like contemporary events, backwards and upside down. He has had the hardi- hood to assert that the denominational sys- tem of education had proved a biessing to the countries that enjoyed it. Does history bear him out? Did it prove a blessing to ltaly? That country for centuries has revel- led in the enjoyment of the system he delights to honor with his lips, and the result has been national debasement and dishonor. But now she has been ridding herself of that system. Her people are becoming educaied, and she herself, that country so blessed by nature, and so renowned in history, is now rising from her lethargy, and, like a giant refreshed with wine, is taking her proper position amongst the nations of the earth.

If the hon. member would read the report of Mr, Baxter, a member of the British House of Commons, he would find that Italy had

made more progress during the las¢ ten or fifleen years than she had done for nearly a century previously. Spain and Mexico had

also been referred to as countries possessing the much prized system of sectarian educas tion. They had itin its purity, and the re- sults were certainly not such as to offer any

good argument for the infreduction of that system here. Compare these countries with

those where the blessings of free education

are enjoyed by the people. That system is

one which recognizes no improper class diss tinctions. Its good results permeate the

mass ofthe peoples educated under it, and

elevates them into a higher and nobler plane ofintelligence. The improvements of science

are made known to, and enjoyed by large masses of people, who otherwise would have

died in ignorance of, and without the advans

tages that flow from these improvements.

Space and time have both been brought un-

der man’s subjection, and are annihiliated at

his will. Inthe United States the people are

becoming educated in every corner of that

great land, and are rising to a sphere of in-

lelligence and knowledge hardly ever before

witnessed. The wildernesses have been

made to blossom as the rose, and knowledge

is blessing with her fruits the peoples that

had the sense to take her to their bosom.

Looking at tlis grand national progress and

en:ightenment, | feel justified in repeatix.g the

werds of England’s greatest orator, when | he said, in surveying the marvellous advance | of science and her handmaids, «1 almost

seem to hear the echo of that Almighty voice

that once rolled over the primeval chaos, says

ing, ‘ Let there be light.’ ”

Monpay April 19. THE LAND QUESTION.

On the motion to go into Committee of the Whole to consider the Land Purchase Act, 1874—

Mr. B. Davies said the Land Question is a question between the public and the proprietors. For his part, he could not endorse the policy of the Government, as embodied in the Bill. He could not sup~ port the measure unless a provision were introduced by which the arbitrators would be authorized and empowered to ventilate the titles of proprietors— to investigate into the original grants, and to ascertain whether or not the quit rents had been paid, and all the requirements of the grants complied with, If the Government would vest in the arbitrators like powers with those vested in the Royal Commissioners a few years ago, then he would go with them and support the Bill, The Bjll as it now

prisoners on the railway through that part of Queen’s County over which ‘the line between Georgetown and Souris is laid.

House in Committee considered the bill to disestablish the Church of England in this Island. After some discussion the Speaker took the Chair.

Mr. Campbell] said the correspondence of the proprietors is in many particulars untrue. In his opinion, the Absentee Proprietors were the greatest drawback to the prosperity o/ the Island, for they annus ally drain it of a large amount of money. In the Minute of Council, which would be sent to Ottawa, he thought the Governor General should be shown the peculiar diffi, culties the tenantry have had to contend with

should, he thought lie with the” Legisla.~ ture—not with te Government.

Mr. Pope said he did not care much for the bill; and he very much questioned whether the Hon. Attorney General — who introduced it—believed init. He alluded to the following wotation from one of the letters of Lady Gecrgina Fane on the subs ject ot the compulsory measure passed last year :—

“ When the delegates, one of whom was Mr. James Pope, returned from Canada to Prince Edward island. they announced to the people of Prince Edward Island that the Government of Canada had promised to pass an Act compelling the proprietors to sell their estates. [ was at that time, with other proprietors, petitioning Lord Kimberly, then Her Majesty’s Colonial Minister, against the Tenants’ Compensa- tion Act, an unjust and tyrannical Aot, for which there was not in Prince Edward Is land the shadow of an excuse.

‘| had related to him facts within my own experience that proved the truth of my assertion, that the proprietors in the Island were in need of protection, and not the tenants, many of whom are wealthy men: some are members of the House cf -Assembly, and some (as Mr. James Pope who, himself, had been a tenant of mine) are members of the Government.

« | informed Lord Kimberly of the states ments made by Mr. James Pope and the other delegates, and entreated that Her Majesty’s Government would not throw us helpless into the power of persons who avowed their intention to rob us.

The delegates neither knew nor said anys thing about the Compulsory Land Bill when they returned from Canada. He was not in the Legislature when the bill was passed, and her Ladyship had been misinformed, for no such representation as she had al- luded to had ever been made by him. With reference to the question before the House he would do anything reasonable to abolish the Leasehold System. But, not- withstanding that he wanted to give the Government all the help in his power, he could not go for the bill. It was, he thought, rather calculated to retard than promote the prosperity of the country. It cannot be justified. [t is founded on a wrong principle. He would support almost any measure sooner than this. if the pro- prietors refused to sell, voluntarily, on fair and reasonable terms, the Legislature would, he thought, be justified in harrass- ing them in every way. But, suppose the bill should pass, does any one believe that the land will be obtained as cheaply as under the Fifteen Years’ Purchase Act? No. No tenant will obtain the fee simple of his farm for less than twenty years pur- chase. ‘The bill, if it does pass, will only end in dissatisfaction and disappointment, But give the Government power to expend the +800,000 in the purchase of lands; and let them use their best endeavors to get all

the estates they can at fair prices. Mr, Holland’s proposition is not a bs? one. If it were carried out, the estates «culd be had at about 14 years purchase ; the pros prietor would receive an araount for his land, the interest of which, at 5 per cent, would yield as much revenue as the rents of the estates; and they would be in a far better position than they are now. [If they would not come to reasonable terms lawful means might be taken to make them. These lands are becoming valuable, not through any effort of their own, for they have never made any, but through the ex~ ertions of the people, and the public ims provements which have been made. And the proprietors might very fairly be taxed to maintain those improvements which make their estates valuable. He (Mr. Pope) had owned half of township 27. It was as valuable an estate for its size as there is on the Island, Every dollar of back rent could be collected. Yet he had sold it to the Government for ten years’ purchase. He would not ask others to make as great asacrifice; but he thought they should submit to fair terms. If they would not, then a tax which would harrass them should be placed upon their lands.

Mr. L. H. Davies thought reasons should be set forth—either in the preamble of the bill or in the minute of Council, which would accompany it to Ottawa—why the compulsory principle should be resorted to in this case. If we acknowledge, even tacitly, the right of proprietors to estates, the arbitrators will be obliged to award them what is just. Mut here is an extra- ordinary case. Many have considered that some proprietors have: forfeited their lands, and that cthers never had a proper title to the estates they hold. The arbitrators should take into consideration the rights of the proprietors, and investigate as to whether the conditions of the original grants have been complied with. If there is nothing in the bill empowering them to do so, he (Mr. L. H. Davies) thought a great mistake would be made. So far, the Government have scrupulously avoided importing into the bill anything which will justify the passing of it. If they ever expuyct to do even a modicum of good they must show that it is a question whether the proprietors have a right to the iand, and give the arbitrators power to test the right. Hut the Government say, virtually, we will not allow the arbitrators to consider the rightatall. He (Mr. L. H. D.) would feel it his duty to propose, when the House went into Committee, an amend- ment tothe Bill. If the Attorney Gene. ral believed in his Bill, he would have pre- pared a lucid preamble, setting forth all the circumstances which led to the passage of it. Inavery short time—less than a week— he would have compiled a magnifi- cent code of reasons. He (Mr. L. H. D.) believed with Mr. Pope, that under the bill—if it passed—the lands would cost the tenantry twenty years purchase, unless, indeed, the stipulations of the original grants were taken cognizance of. He could not but congratulate tie Attorney General for having adopted the amendments of the Opposition. The bill passed last year did not provide for the appointment of an in. dependent arbitration. This years’ would. Great care should, however, be taken in the selection of the arbitrator on the part of the tenantry. It is necessary that he be aman Of more than ordinary intelligence, capacity and honor—well versed in

Land . The appointment would

Holland presented a petition to |

The appointment or nomination of | the arbitrator on behaif of the tenants

‘the person they intended to appoint. to the Legislature for its assent. He(L. H. | Davies) would rather give the $800,000 | to the the proprietors at once than give the appointment to an improper mau, As the bill stood, he had serious mis» givings that it would not pass. He thought it was the duty of the Attorney General to vindicate the bill by means of an able exposition of it to the Governor General in Council,—and to remove, if possible, the impression made by the cors | respondence of the petitioners. The im- pudence of the proprietors exceeds all bounds, Their correspondence with the |Governor General is bristling with lies. He briefly criticized the proprietors’ state-

‘come to terms, and again succeeded in

| procuring the disaliowance of the Com~ | pulsory bill, he would advocate the levy of |a tax upon their rent roll. It is unjust, he said, that the people of this Island should be taxed to make improvements to raise the price of the proprietors’ land.

House went into Committee, Mr. land in the Chair, and—

fion. Mr. Brecken said he had yet to learn that the merits of a Act could be correctly judged by its preamble. The |greatest measures ever passed by the sritish Parliament have very short pre | ambles; and he (Mr, Brecken) did not see ithe use of a long preamble to this bill. | With respect to the information, on the | part of the Island Legislature, to which he | had called the Governor General’s atten- | tion last year, it was composed of the Re- | port of the Royal Commissioners, a very jable Minute of Council prepared by the | Mon. Mr. Haythorne, and a Minute of Council, with which the present Judge Pope had something todo. These were all able and exhaustive. They contained every thing that could be said in favor of the tenants. It was notin his power to give more information; and if he had sent to His Exceilency a very lengthy exposition of ovr Land Question, he would have had to plagiarize it. The Government would, he said, meet the Opposition on this question in a fair spirit. If the two measures before the Legislatures were passed, he believed that, combined, they would be as perfect a solution of the long- vexed question as it is possible to arrive at. The first would empower the Government to purchase estates; and if proprietors refused to sell voluntarily, at fair prices, then the second (the Compulsory bill) | would enable the Government to put on the screws.