@hr @nlout

Q

a g g t a Eb i

. AND PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND ADVERTISER. » 1V CHARLOTTETOWN, SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 18423. TIE—:22":

noose os- ASSEMBLY.

DEBATE ON THE SQUATTERS’ BILL. (Concluded)

gull

, don for his improvements, 'mllon)

l JOB.

to be for 999 years. _ r.

:- would be the greatest absurdity. 'I‘here

; ad uni

lmum] at a time.

their lease, would Mr. ties to the winds.

gethis balance the best way he can.

out the Island.

would not long be many leaseholdch on the Island.

ship their produce—for the more produce was markets, the more depreciated would its value become.

of the tenant to pay rent.

sterling per acre.

country; such as is taken at the treasury.

not in a state to pay in cash at present.

the average rate.

ofthe Imperial Government.

bear it.

tothe settler.

members seem to have forgotten.

“chase.

“fund it is impossible to pay ?

ill. think

‘ 0nd,. clause being read providing that the proprietor have the option of granting to the settler either com- or a lease of 999 years subject to one shilling sterling per acre rent— un puma]. considered that the rent of one shilling ster- mwu too high—the tenantry could not pay it. He would . that it be one shilling currency; and the lease

Dons: said, ifthe rent were reduced to Halifax cur- lie was ofopinion it would be of great advantage to ‘ mm“, But as to the term of the lease, to leave it at ,, is a sort 1"ch to the teiiantry in the idea of becoming li'eeliolders, ofthetn have every facility of becoming so by the management which Lurk Selkirk gives them, by taking “purchase money in instalments, in sums as small as one

Mr. Du.sz referred to the settlers on that part of Lord Selkirk’s property on the Murray Harbour road, where the mums 21 years only, With a liberty to purchase. Wore my liberally treated? Suppose they had paid their rents and Wofthe purchase money, but With all their economy and industry were unable to pay the balance at the expiration of Donna refund the sum advanced for t' thosaid purchase, and let them go free, they leaving their , . houses and improvements? If he 'would not, the liberality ofthe lion. gentleman, who acts as agent for Lord Selkirk,

Mr. Dons: would answer, there is no money returned. It ’ was very likely that by the time the lease expired Lord Sel- kirk may have done with the land, and his successor left to

Mr. SPEAKER was disposed to leave the amount ofrent as itat present stood ; he thought a less sum would not be just. In some countries land was worth 20 yenrs‘ purchase, but he did not think it was worth so much here. 'Heretot'ore, this sum has been the usual average oftlie term of rent through— He was ofopiniou that with regard to the term ofyears, one hundred years, with a right to purchase, was equivalent to the term 0199:) years without such aright. He highly approved of the plan of Lord Selkirk, in taking _ . the purchase money in small instalments; it would act like a savings’ bank, and he thought if all the tenants on the Island had the privilege of purchasing in that way, there

Mr. COOPER objected to a. rent of one shilling sterling. We retard the settlement and improvement of the land by keeping up the price. In fact, money cannot be had iii any ofthe markets to which the inhabitants were accustomed to sent to those If we wish to do the squatters a service, let us nominate a rent ' vthey can, pay; but by this bill we bind the tenant to pay a shilling aniacre,,which we all agree they are unable to pay. We do them more harm than good by confirming the right How can he ever after deny it? The tenant will be told that his representatives proposed and carrird the bill by which they were bound. They were much be'ter off as‘they Were than this bill would make them; by it, although their improvements might be worth £500, they would lose them all, unless they consent- ed to receive the laiid burdened with a rent of one shilling

Mr. Cones wished to have the rent and term of years fair and reasonable, in order that it may not be “ barked” else- where. Let the rent be payable in the currency of the He would more- over wish to see the rent fixed at one shilling, currency,aud taken in produce at a fair market price; for the country is

Mr. PALMER said, ifit were in our power to fix a standard for rent, there would be some reasonableness in adopting the mode proposed; but the question is, have we any au- thority to prescribe to the proprietor what sum he will ac- cept of as rent, or for what term of years he must let his land? In this matter we have no more power than the squatters themselves ; and we must be guided by what is ex— pedient. It is well known that the rents are various through- out tbe Island ; but he believed that one shilling sterling,r was Some hon. members seemed to think, that the fixing the rent depended on us; but let us take care that by graping at a shadow we do not lose the substance. N0)", although the rent is generally called sterling, yet he believed the current money was taken, unless that from Ionie misconduct ofthe tenant he would provoke his land- lord to insist upon its being paid in sterling. It is useless for us to make enactments that will not meet the approbation

V Mr. Coarse said, the annual rental ofthe Island is about Twenty thousand Pounds, though there is not so much money in the country; and what can be more unreasonable, when we know the tenants cannot pay, than to insist on eni- I“Flylng it in the Bill, by which the Government is deceived with regard to the state of the Colony—for when Govern- llept see the representatives ofthe people, by an Act of the legislature, fixing the amount of rent at one shilling sterling, they will be induced to believe that the tenatitry are able to

'hir. THORNTON thought that some hon. members were losing sight of the nature of the Bill. The proprietor must lender compensation for the improvements, or give a lease Those people, called squatters, bad no right ‘othe soil, and yet we are recognizing that they have a right, and for their benefit we are now legislating. This hon. If we lose sight of mo- deration, the proprietors will, with the greater facility, be ‘ {Milled to upset everything We do. This bill he would con- ‘ltder as a stepping stone to something better ; but we ought “be very cautious how we peril it elsewhere. In discussing ' “fluorite of this Bill on a former occasion, he made an all inuoeto Lot 30, which he was happy to have it in his power '5 contradict; as he is informed that an authorised agent

been appointed, who grants a lease of 61 years, at a rent ofone shilling, which is taken in produce. He was not aware of this circumstance when he made the allusion refer- "dlo- He(Mr. Thornton) agreed with the Hon. Speaker, “4 PW“ therefore propose that 999 years he struck out, “4 one hundred substituted in lieu thereof, with right of

Mr. RA: said, whatever we do, let it be real. Hon. mem- ' '{hlve proved, on the floor of this house, that it was im- Oflluhle the rents could be collected, even from those who “minus settled—how then can the squatter pay what it is

Ir. SHAKER said, the hon. member for Prince County

),it would seem, was sent here to reduce the route

1 due, and if he succeeds, he would give him credit for

.9" {lgacity than ever be thought him possessed o£ ‘ W0

I‘ll is contrary to the spirit of the British Constitution

" gulate on private property, and we have gone to till

,r)’ Verge of our authority. if not beyond it,in the present

The squatter has no legal right to the soil, and he may. himself well ofl'to receive a compensation for his '

p i 0|“ a lease. Those hon. members who are loudest right to the soil was recoEUi'5d.by a" Gov'mmem bet".

,. . in their cry for extreme measures have never yet been able

to carry any of them. He would really wish their consti- tuents were here to see them spending their time iii reading, and then, when any measure was brought forward by the

hate from themselves. It was in vain to think we could alter all the rents of the Island; iitid suppose we were so

ment, composed ofthe latid proprietors OfEiigland, for one moment to such a proposal? but he need not argue this point further. 'l‘liose squatters went upon the land Without the leave ofthe proprietor. and yet they must he

consider themselves well offto get a lease and a settle- ment, or compensation for their in'iproveinents.

Mr. D. MACLEAN said the people had little to hope for from the linperial Government, one way or other. He could not approve ofthe policy that would substitute so fluctuating a medium as currency for the rent. This was of a nature

intrinsic value at any time.

Mr. D. MACDONALD said on him. member (Mr. Thornton) had remarked that the present bill did not go to fix the rate“ Ofrent to be taken in the Island. Can any one say that the country is able to pay one shilling sterling? It is useless to expect it.

Mr. RIONTGOMERY said if the Bill went to establish one shilling currency, the country would rrv out against it; and he himself, if he found such a clause in the bill, would vote against it in toto. He would sooner see the bill lost, than es- tablish such a precedent.

Mr. SPEAKER. said the leases are generally filled with one shilling sterling, but the agents do not exact it, unless in cases of great provocation. We have nothing to do with the rate .ofexchange. The fact is, ifthe rent were paid in Halifax currency, as the rate of exchange now is, it would be more than the shilling sterling.

Mr. MONTGOMERY said, it is in the power of the proprie- tors to demand a shilling sterling; but he cannot conceive how a shilling sterling is less than a shilling Halifax curren- cy. It is not easy to tell when they may usurp this autho- rity. He would like to put it out oftheir power to do so.

Mr. SPEAKER said it was easily explained. The amount in this currency is brought to sterling by adding one-ninth thereto; whereas, as the rate of exchange is between this Island and Nova Scotiu at present, he who pays rent in that currency, pays it at a considerable advance.

Mr. MoNTGoainav thought the better way to prevent the proprietors li'om exacting sterling, would be to put it out of their power by law. He did not like to trust to their tender mercies, for we know not how soon they might think proper to exercise their authority, especially ifwe give them any excuse.

Mr. Dons: observed that the proprietor for whom he acted had, on his representation, done away with sterling money in the lenses. But when‘the teiiniits act in the perverse inan- ner in which he had seen some ofthem act, they could not be too strictly handled. It was by such conduct that the proprietors were driven to adopt extreme measures, and the people’s greatest enemies are those who advocate extreme measures. They were talking of leaving the country; he thoughtthe sooner they did so the better for the country. The fact is, these persons come here, speqd their time in poring over newspapers, and when they go ionic, they can tell fine tales to their constituents in the cliiinney‘corner; while those who can use their pens, and do the labor of the House, receive no thanks for it. He would ask the agitators, what single measure they had carried out for the last four years? Let their constituents come here and judge for themselves. V Mr. MONTGOMERY said he would like to see the blame laid on the party who Opposed the good measures brought for— ward for'tlie relief oftlie oppressed tenuntry, by those who are now called the enemies of the people. He did wish that the constituency were at the bar of the House - they might then distinguish their friends from their foes; but be trusted the reporter would give a faithful account in his notes, and then the country could judge for itself.

majority, for the benefit ofthe country, they fly at it, tooth l rent, while we are, at the same time, enacting a law that says mid “all, Illd lor no otherreason than because itdid not etua- l the WWW are able to pay one shilling sterling.

I ' ' iimprovt-irueiits, it would be better for him than to impose Silly a. to Imagme we mum, would the pupal-m par|ia_]‘oiie shilling sterling for rent on him—the Bill was brought listenflorward lor the avowed purpose ofrelieving the squatters,

. but he feared it would have a contrary efi‘ect.

put on a par with leaseholders. He thought they might:

lbut he failed. These who oppoe every measure brought

so changeable, that there could be very little certainty of its.

Mr. DALsz could not see how such a rent could be paid. If lion. tiiembers were aware of the distress in some of the districts with which he was acqiiaiuted—ifwe were to look at the poverty-struck appearance oftheir houses—the root- ing little better than the sky,and their beds little better than the snow—and those avaricious persons, who act as agents grasping at every thing they can—lie (Mr. Dalziel) lelt con- vinced that lion. members would see that iftliiugs are carried on in the some way a few years lpngerfijnarclry and confu— sion will ensue; The land that was formerly a wilderness, in now, by the labour oftbe settler, made a new creation; but us to what the hon. member for Georgetown (Mr. Macaulay) had said about the crop for two years paying for the clearing, that was a fallacy. Lord John Russell said the evil would cure itself; be (Mr. Dalziel) was afraid it would, btit not in the way he (Lord John Russell) contemplated. How could any one expect such persons as those mentioned could pay one shilling sterling per acre as rent?

Mr, D. MACLEAN was impressed With the idea that the

with some regard to decorum ; he was, therefore, much sur- prised at bearing the tirades he had listened to—such as some members wishing others out of the country, and simio lar expressions.

Mr. SPEAKER said he had heard that Mr. Cooper intended to leave the Island. He (the Speaker), in common with many others, would wish the. hon. gentleman a happy de- parture; and he wuuld use his utmost influence with the Legislature to assist him, in a pecuniary way, to get off the Island. We are called to say ifthe tenants in this Island could pay a rentofOue shilling an acre. He maintained that they can, and he knew as much about clearing land as any one in the House. Emigrants, on coming here, must not expect to become gentlemen at once—but they must have 100 or 200 acres set apart for them at once, otherwise, they

are told by the agitators that they are oppressed. They have nothing on coming to the country ;tbey pay no rent, but they must all become freeholders. These poor peOple are led astray by agitators. What sympathy they express for the poor people, a they call them, just as if there were no poor in any other part of the world! He would inform them that the poor in England, Ireland and Scotland were much worse ofi'than they were here. What were those peeple who so excite the pity ofsome hon. members when they came here? Are they not much better off? Where would they be better in any other country ?—they haVe abundance to eat and drink; there is nothing of the squullid poverty and beggary we hear of in other countries—:the times are bad at present, but we may expect them to. improve. It is not in our power to alter the rents, and it is high time the people should be disabused ofthis error. .The "ill of agi- tation would long injure the country. The piles ofwarrants of attorney to be found in the prothonotary’s office is 8 Witness

Ithe Revolution; while the claims ofthe people ofthis Island [ were rejected year after year. The accumulation of bonds :and warrants of attorney iii the public Offices was the best prool'tliat could be given that the people could not pay the

Mr. RAE said, ifthe settler was paid liglftlie value of his

. Mr. PALMER regretted the discussion that had this even- ing taken place, more than anything that had occurred in the House during the present session. If certain hon. mem- bers wish to full back into their old truck, well, so wouldjie. He had tried to make the House unanimous in this matter,

forward for the teliefofthe people that does not originate With themselves, pretend to say, that because from the pre- sent depressed state ofthe country, a tenant is unable to pay one shilling rent, it follows that it never has been paid, and never can be. Let them go on as formerly, and they will see what will be the result. He deeply regretted the course that some lion. members thought proper to pursue. If they think they can get land for the squatter in a different way, let them disclose their intentions.

Saturday, February 25. STATE OF THE COLONY.

The House, according to order, iesolved itself into a Committee of the whole, to take into consideration the state 01 the Colony.

Dr Macsxsooa look the Chair.

Mr RAE said, he had certain Resolutions to submit to the con- sidel‘aliou of the Committee, and although he did not think that the truth of all, or any of them, would be disputed by any mem- ber of the Committee; yet be, (Mr. Rae.) would wish to put them past Contradiction,eiiher hcie or elsewhere, and in order to this, he held in his hand a llSI of the names of such persons as he would wish to have examined before the Committee, by who~e evidence the allcgations contained in the Resolutions would be borne out. The hon. member then read the followmg names: Viz.—'l‘he Honorables Thomas H Haviland. John S. Smith, R. Hodgscn, G. R Goodman. P. S M'Nutt; Charles Worrell, Thm. Fanrbuirn, Thomas Tod,\Vil|iam Forgan, Samuel Nelson, James Haszard. Thomas Oii‘en, John R. Bourke, Esquires; and Messrs H. D Murpeth, John llIucKenzie, New London, John Davis, Charlottetown, J. Purdie, Patrick Walker, and Peter M‘Gowan.— He would move that those persons may be examined before the Committee.

Mr. COOPER, as yet, did her hear much reason for the evidence to be elicited fro”: those persons by the hon. mover. He, Mr. Cooper, could not see the necessuy of sending lor them ; he hoped the hon. mover would state his reasons for Sending for them, or what evidence he expected to obtain from the persons which he wished to summon. '

Mr. RAE exp‘ained. it was for the purpose of obtaining evi- dence to subs antiste the Resolulions; not that be supposed any member of the House could come forward to deny the existence of the state nftbiiigs embodied in the Resolutions; but the Res”- lutions on the state of the Colony, sent home last session, were denied on the representation of certain influential individuals here. Now what he wished was, to found his resolutions on such a mass of evidence as cannot be coutIOVerted.

Mr. Tnoau'rou wanted to know of what possible utility could it be to collect the numerous persons mentioned in that list to the bar of this House, to examine them as to the Sllllalion ofthe Co. louy. when, we all know that. at the present time, the country is not so prosperous as it has been.

Mr RAE said, \verbave been represented as having paSSed re- solutions in the last sessmn of the late House which were not founded in fact, by the Government at home; and by evidence we can prove the actual Slate of the Colony. and that by evidence tlia: cannot be doubled If ll is deculed against me, that the dis. ll‘8\S of the country requires no notice. I shall have discharged myduiy 10 my consueuce and to my country in bringng it be- lore lllc‘ House.

Mr. SrHAi-zsn expected reasons advanced by the lion. mover, for going into the state of the Colony ; but he heard none advanced llcic is also a long catalogue of persons to be summoned, and to prove what? to prove what no one will deny,—~that distress to a great amount at plL’SCfll eXlSlS. But, admittingthe present Resu— lutioiis to be true, what can we do? Our business here is to frame laws for the Welfare of lhOSe who sent us, not l0 enter intodis. qlllslliolis ofwhnt former Govrrnors thought of certain members of the lnle Hunt-'9. The lion. mover Wished to contradict whatthe Governor said of certain res unions. and the persons who passed them in a late House. ‘i'c have been siiflictenlly courteous to any member who brought forward any measure to ameliorate the condition of the country; but are we to undertake to alter the tents that people have agreed to pay? and. if iheV Cam")! PM, use we expected to dictate to the proprietors what terms they must give their lenantry? He wished it to go forth to the tenants, that they have been wrongly informed: ll is nut in our power to relieve them I do hope and trust the House will insist on know— ing the reasons and remedies of the mover. From what has nc-