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Tae Darty EXAMINER.

~~ MARCH 4, 1879. _

PROVINGIAL LEGISLATURE.

-_——_—_— 7

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.

__—---

Debate on Want of Confidence Motion Continued.

Marcu 38.

Hou. Mr. Prowse said he endorsed the statement submitted by the Hon. Mr. DeBlois. It contained his reasons He stated that when the Free Sehool Party was formed two or three men met as the representatives of either wing of that party. He had been told that they shook hands over old political issues and agreed to bury the hatchet. The school question had been fairly submitted to the people. He was glad of it; for it made a settlement of that long-vexed question possible. It was agreed that the question should be settled without respect to old party lines. He was not at first selected ; but the pressure of public opinion compelled a readjustment of the Administration as at first formed ; and he was admitted into the Government. The formation of the Government was evidently very delicate work. After he obtained the seat he determined that nothing should deter him from carrying out the well under- stood wishes of the people on the school question. The Government worked harmoniously. No pains were spared to bring into shape a School Law. Although that law has been characterized as hasty and crude, the Government did their best to give satisfaction to the people in respect to Free Schools ; and he believed they suc- Then they found a second question staring them in the face. That was the question of finance. The former Govern- ments had been drawing too largely upon our capital. The Government came to a resolution that, let what might happen, they would not allow the expenditure to exceed the receipts. ‘They passed the As- sessment Law. He did not wish to repudiate any of their acts. If he had done wrong, he was willing to go to the country and suffer for that wrong. For ordinary expenditure we must have an ordinary revenue. If enough money can be raised without that law, he should be happy to have it repealed or to have it left a dead letter upon the Statute Book. But no soon- er were the Government placed in power and responsibility than one of the chief sup- supporters, the senior member of Belfast, deserted the Free School party and set up asa candidate for Ottawa. He did not send in his resignation, it appears; but he left his seat and the responsibilities it in- volved for the time, and beeame the cham- pion of the McKenzie party in Queen’s County; and he was supported by the Leader of the Government in his champion- ship of the party which passed Section 11 and petitioned the Queen against the Free

ceeded.

- Schools of New Brunswick. He (Mr. Prouse) had written some letters to the press; and he _ did _ not

regret writing them. He hoped that the Commissioner of Public Works may be able to show that any mistake which may appear in his accounts was not made inten- tentionally. He believed that the Commis- sioner’s conduct in the matter of the Asylum has been straightforward. He was not present when the Council passed the Asylum contract. He did not altogether agree with it; but by remaining in the Government he assumed the responsibility of it. He also wrote to the Leader of the Gevernment en the 10th of June; and brought to his notice the necessity ef fixed and stated times for the meeting of the Executive Council, so that provision could be made for the work to be done. If that could not be arranged, he requested that at every meeting, the date of the next meeting would be _ fixed. representations had not the desired effect.

Again, the Leader of the Government said he was determined that, at least, three Districts in the Island should be looked after while he held office ; but, with refer

ence to one of those Districts, the most reasonable requests he had made were not attended to. A few years ago, Mr. Robert- son, while in the Government,had an eppor- tunity of giving a branch railway te Bel- fast and Murray Harbor; but he failed to do so. He had given, what I considered, ample reasons why he left the Government. At would be much harder to explain to the country why he stayed in the Government so long.

Me. Lea would make a few remarks. No doubt there is a great want of confidence in the country generally; but he was surprised at the withdrawal from the Government of the Conservative members. He was not, like the Hon. member for Georgetown, be- tween two fires. But he was in the middle of a very hot one; and he did not know very well how he could justify tothe old Liberals of his District his conduct in supporting those gentlemen. He read a resolution

at Tryon, which, he said, those who

voted for it did not understand. He would guarantee that nine out of every ten men in his District wouid sign a petition in sup- rt of the present Government.

did not see any question for political p ities to divide upon at prosent and he did not think there is any necessity for a new election.

Hon. Mr. Davies thought the reasons given by the hon. members who left the Government very weak ; and he character- ized their action as ‘‘ child’s play.” While in his Government, he never wished to work with better men. He found them ready at all times to do their duties ; and they did not shirk their responsibilities while in office. But they were “ trifling”

when they left his Government because he |

was a supporter of the Hon. Alexander McKenzie. He did not find fault with the reasons given by the Provincial Secretary ; but he thought the hon. member for Mur- ray Harbor should not have dragged in section 1] or have raised up o]d party names

These |

es eT ae A Ce

Hon. Mr. Gordon was dragged and forced to do what he did by outside pressure. The explanation of Mr. Lefurgey was very weak, very watery, and would not please his constituents of Mis- couche. He raked up the old railway agi- tation. Mr. DeBlois wanted him to bow down to Sir John and te refrain from voting in Dominion elections. This he would never do, if he broke up fifty govern- ments. He presumed those gentlemen would vete for the resolution of want of confidence ; and, if so, they must act on the ground that the Government has changed its policy. He said the reasons of want ef confidence in the Government given by the Leader of the Opposition, were exceedingly weak. The Opposition has no policy. The Government had not, therefore, stolen its policy. The present policy is the logical uotcome of their past acts. Nearly every paragraph of the Land Bill which was worth anything was drafted by his own hands—and assented to by his supporters before it was submitted to the House. He did not take an active part in the settle- ment of the Land Question for the sake of money. He was pressed into the service ;, and, in conjunction with the present Leader of the Opposition and the member for Queen’s, the question was settled in such a way as to give satisfaction to every one.

Sel dead issues.

The position he held on the Fish- ery Commission he did not apply for. He was offered it, and he accepted

‘rights in their fisheries which should be ‘guarded and maintained. He had done his duty fearlessly and as well as he could. He got a pretty large fee, but his expenses were such that he brought a very small share of it home. The School Question had also been settled; and he believed that the Roman Catholics are prepared to accept the School Law which he had introduced. In respect to education, the whole face of the town has been changed. The Government has been successful in a shorter time than he expected, and beyond his most sanguine expectations. In less than three yearsthere is an increase of sixty-nine schoolhouses and an increase of very nearly five thou- sand scholars. The Government had also put the finances on a proper footing. There would have been no need of an Assessment Act had the resources of the Prov- ince been properly husbanded. There is nearly a hundred thousand dollars difference in the receipts of the Province since 1874. Inresponse to the will of the people, the Government proposed to lop off all the salaries—beginning with that of his own. A reform had been made in the Public Printing and in the Ferries. He defied anyone to show that the hands of any member of the Government had been soiled in the matter of the Asylum contract. Mr. Campbell’s statements res- pecting it were gross exaggerations. The amalgamation of the two Houses of the Legislature and of the Prince of Wales College and Normal School is proposed by the Government. The projected reforms

are not stolen from the Oppositien. The Opposition had no policy. All that the Government got from 3the Op-

position was the smallpox.

Mr. Frrauson, on rising, said he remem- bered the advice of the Hon. Leader of the Government, to ‘‘ be moderate.” He would endeavor to follow that advice. But he thought it would be ditlicult te find, in the House or out of it, a man more given to exaggeration than the Hon. Leader of the Government himself. The hon. gentleman had waxed very eloquent, very indignant, over the professional services he rendered on the Land Question and the Fishery Commission—all because of a simple retort to the effect that ether persens who had worked harder for the public received less than he did. The Leader of the Govern- ment had taunted him because he was the foreman of a grand jury which made appli- cation for payment of its services. The Leader of the Government knows very well that as foreman his mouth was closed—that he simply carried out the wishes of his fel- lows ; that no payment could be given to him ; that the application was made solely in the interests of succeeding grand juries. fhe Hon. Leader must be very hard up; and though capable of raising to such a grand pitch of eloquence, his mind is small enough to grasp avery little, trivial thing. The speech of which the hon. gentlemen has just delivored himself was, undoubtedly, an able one; but it teems with inaccuracies, and is full of the merest as- sertions. It reminded him of a passage in the works of Josh Billings, in which the latter claimed to be a great man because he could make two thousand five hundred as- sertions every day which he could not prove. He thought the Hon. Leader more than a match for the humorist. With ref- erence to the School Question, he (Mr.

He said’

Ferguson) stood in a somewhat different po-

(sition to that of any other Protestant

member of the House-inasmuch as he was one of those who supported the prin- ciple of ‘‘ Payment for Results.” He never took his stand upon any public question with greater deliberation than he did upon that question. He was rejoiced that the question had been fairly and squarely brought before the peeple at an election; and he gave credit to the present Minister of Marine and Fisheries for the marly and straightforward way he had faced the dif- \ficulty which stood in the path of the educa- ‘tional progress of the country. The out- ‘come of tue contest was that the so-called |Free School.Government was formed. It was right that such a Governinent should be ‘formed, and that it should endeavor to ‘carry out the wishes of the majority of the ‘people. But there could be no doubt that ‘the Conservative wing of the Government ‘had been much truer to the cause they ‘espoused than had been the Liberal wing. The latter were ready to abandon their trusts and to boldly take steps which must of necessity lead, sooner or later, to discord in the party, and eve atually to a disruption. The former stood to their duty like men until it was successfully accomplished. The Government was scarcely formed when Mr. Welsh—the representative ot Belfast—eone of the most intelligent constituencies

a

on the Island-—one of | Free School Districts —left his post to con- teat a Dominion election in the interest of the authors of Section 11. The Hon. Leader of the Government professed sur- prise that Mr. Prowse should have alluded to that notable section It was, he said, passed ‘‘some six or seven years before.” Iv was, in reality, not so many months. The Leader of the Govt. at that time champion ed Mr. Welsh and stumped the County In his favor. Did his actions-—conflicting though they were with the political beliefs of the Conservative members of the Gov- ernment—did his inconsiderate actions 1n- duce the Conservative members to come out in Opposition to their Leader! No; they stood firmly by the trusts committed to them by a majority of the people. They did nothing to provoke a disruption 1m the Free School Government. But their Hon. Leader plunged, with all the ardor of his nature, into the thickest of the fight, and heartily endorsed what McKenzie did on the school question and ever ‘thing else. The Hon. gentlemen says he did so as ‘a private citizen.” But did not every one know that he had the bestowal of the patronage of the Government ; and that the knowledge that the side for which he was actively exerting himself could not but profit by the influence which he thereby exercised. And, is it true that the honor- able gentleman entered the struggle as ‘‘a private citizen”? He (Mr. Ferguson) re- collected a disagreeable squabble which

it because he felt that the Province _ took place at that time in the Market Hall.

The struggle was whether he or the hon. gentleman should have the floor ; and, al- though it was certain he was first on his feet, yet the honorable gentleman claimed the right to speak because he was the re- presentative of Charlottetown in the Local House—by virtue of which he was also Leader of the Government. All this time the Conservative wing refrained from inter- ference, and he could not but admire the firmness, the magnaminity, which strong party men, such as they, displayed upon that occasion in the interests of the Free School Question. But the Hon. Lead-

er of the Government ‘‘ acknowledged the corn” with reference to his invi- tation of the member for Tignish

to enter his Government. Mr. Conroy had, in the opinion of the Hon. Leader, com- mitted the unpardonable sin; but, never- theless, in his hour of agony, he lifted his voice in the Macedonian cry, ‘‘ Come over and help us.” Yet he would, forsooth, prevent the four honorable gentlemen who left the Government when their work was done from allying themselves with gentle- men to whom while in the Government they were opposed. The leader of the Government ment is the last man to do this; for, had he not himself sat in Council with the hon. member for Summerside and other gentle- men whom, previously, he had abused in a most scandalous manner. Mr. Ferguson then turned his attention tothe state of public opinion, as shown by the public meetings, and the elections which have been held,and declared that it was no longer a matter of opinion whether or not the fragment of a Government left enjoyed the confidence of the _ people. That they do _ not enjoy the people’s confidence is abso- lutely certain; knowing this, how can they have the effrontery to ask the people’s rep- resentatives to support them? In striking contrast with their tenacity in holding onto office, was the conduct of the Honorable Mr. Gladstone. A_ few years ago, while in office, he found that elections throughout the country were going against him one after the other. He said, ‘‘ What does this mean?’ And though he still had a good majority in the House of Commons to support his general policy, he was not satisfiec. He came to the conclusion that it was doubtful whether he retained the confidence of the people of England, and he disgolved te House.

Hon. Mr. Stewart—When ?

Mr. Frrevuson—The hon. gentleman says ‘*When,” ‘*When,” ‘‘When.” If the hon. gentleman would divide his reading between philosophy and history he might be something more than merely a man of one idea !

Hon. Mr. Davirs asked whether it was not true that Mr. Gladstone had been de- feated on the [rish University Biil in the House of Commons; and claimed that he had not yet suffered a defeat in this House.

man need not boast much in that respect. He would have been defeated last session had not Mr. Speaker come to his assist- ance. It is true that Mr. Gladstone was defeated in the House on the Irish Univer- sity Bill; and that was, doubtless, one of his reasons for dissolving many months after. But it was also true that the course Mr. Gladstone adopted was suggested by the fact that there were indications—similar to those given his honor the Leader of the Government—that he no longer possessed the confidence of a majority of the people of England outside the House. When Mr. Gladstone fell, he fell like a great constitutional ruler, rather than trench upon the liberties of the-people. But (pointing to the Attorney General) he would say in the words of the poet :— From thy reluctant hand The thunderbolt is wrung ; To late thou leavest the high command To which thy weakness clung.

And he would quote the rest of the stanza —a little altered—without any thought ef applying it to the Attorney General :—

All evil spirit as thou art, It is enough to grieve the heart To see thine own unstrung ; To think that this fair isle hath been The footstool of a thing so mean. During this debate, hon. gentlemen have great anxiety as to who is to be leader of the new Administration ; and they appear to be particularly fearful of the hon. mem- ber for St. Peter’s. But, when pressed for reisons for their objections to that hon. gentleman, they reminded him of the old ditty :— **T do not like you, Dr. Tell, The reason why I cannot tell, But this, at least, I know full well, I do pot like you, Dr. Tell.”

the atrongast

Mr. Frerauson—The Honorable gentle- |.

For his part, he had noyer heard the hon. member fur St. Peter's express & desire to be Leader of the House, No arrangement

had been come to respecting the Leadership of the new Goyern- ment, pat tt soe oe elections,

the member for St. Peter’s was far the most eligible for the position, he thought he could say this on behalf the Liberal-Conservatives —he thought he could say that the member for St. Peter’s would not be excluded be- cause he happens to be a Roman Catholic. In the words of one of Ireland’s best poets :

Shall I ask the brave soldier who fights by]

my side In the cause of mankind, if our creeds dis-

agree. Must 1 part from the friend who I valued for years,

If he bows not at the same altar with me?

This, he believed, would be the sentiment which would actuate the Liberal-Conserva- tives. The Hon. Leader of the Govern- ment had, at a meeting held in the Athenzeum, declared that he wished to hold on to office for fear the Opposition would make ‘‘ ducks and drakes” of the accounts. If the accounts are correct, it is impossible to make ‘‘ducks and drakes” of them. He believed the hon. gentleman’s real object in wishing to hold on to power was to ‘‘cook”’ the accounts. It is undoubtedly a fact that public contractors and others ould not, last fall, obtain money at the Public Works office—could not be paid—until after New Years Day. But the moment last year’s aecounts were closed, payments were permitted. Why was this. Simply that the Govern- ment might get rid of accounting for all its last year’s expenditures. With reference to the Lunatic Asylum, he had never charged that the Government was guilty of fraud or corruption. But he would say that the charges were no worse than those falsely preferred by the Leader of the Gov- ernment against Railway Administration. When the Railway was being built, the Hon. gentleinan had out-Heroded Herod in his denunciation of purely imaginary frauds; and he should not now complain, even though all the charges made respect- ing the Asylum may not be strictly correct. Last year it was stated that the member for New London (Mr. Campbell) was going to be prosecuted for what he had dared to gay respecting the construction of the Asylum. Strange, the threat was never carried out! The hon. Leader of the Gov- ernment last year refused justice to the District represented by the hon. member for Rustico, because that hon. gentleman had opposed him on the floor of the House. It appears that the Leader of the Gevern- ment has a better opinion of Sir John Mc Donald than he has of himself, for he ex- pects Sir John A. to hand over the Fishery Award at his request, though he has been Sir John’s most determined opponent in this Island. No doubt Sir John wiil dis- pose of the Fishery Award on the prin- ciple- of right. But the people of this Island are a suspicious people; and they are not likely to be led away with the idea that the Leader of the Government will be more likely to obtain justice at Sir John’s hands than will Sir John’s own political friends.

Mr. Ferguson was repeatedly applauded during the delivery of his speech. Before taking his seat he thanked the House for the attentive and courteous hearing they had given his first speech in Parliament.

Marine Insurance Company OF P. _E. ISLAND.

oo Annual General Meeting of the Shareholders of this Company will be held in their Office, corner Great George and lower Water Street, on

Thursday, the 20th March,

AT ELEVEN: O'CLOCK, A. M.,

for the election of Directors and the transac- tion of other business. By order of the Board,

F. W. HALES, Sec’y.

March 4, 1879.

FUNERAL NOTICES.

HE officers and members of St. Lawrence

Lodge No. 8, are hereby summoned to

meet at their Lodge Room, Oddfellows’ Hall,

on WEDNESDAY, 5th inst., at a quarter past

one o'clock p. m., sharp, in order to attend the funeral of our late Brother,

WILLIAM B. ALLIN. By order of the N. G. DUNCAN M. McLEOD, Secretary.

i hy: E officers and members of Wildey Lodge _ No. 27, are hereby summoned to meet at their Lodge Room, Oddfellows’ Hall, on the afternoon of WEDNESDAY, the 5th inst., at a quarter past one o'clock, sharp, in order to attend the funeral of our late Brother,

WILLIAM 8B. ALLIN,

ot St. Lawrence Lodge No. 8. By order of the N. G. CHARLES F. YATES, ‘ Secretary. , Funeral train will leave Depot at half-past wo. Ch’town, March 3, 1879— 2i

ITROW ._.

1 Q TONS IRON (assorted). Lot second-hand Iron Work and second* hand Ships’ Materials, cheap. ; H. COOMBS.

March 3, 1879.—3i

Old Iron Scraps.

ANTED, 50 TONS, for which Cash will be paid at my store. TO THE PUBLIC—When you give your man or boy old metal, please yive them written notice to the buyer that it is theirs.

H. COOMBS,

March 3, 1879,—3in

/

TO CLOSE CONSIGNMENTS,

We will offer at Auction, on

Thursday next, the 6th inst,,

ar 11 o’CLOCK :

Pp: Mollases, bls. Flour, Eble. No. Lab-

radore Herring, Quintals Hake, Casks

Kerosene, (Cases do., Casks Vin Half-chests Tea, Boxes Pearl Blue, Boxes T. D. Pipes, Boxes Crackers, Boxes P, er, Boxes Baking Powder, Boxes Clothes ins, Doz. Brooms, Nests Tubs, Boxes blacking, Pails, Washboards, Wrapping Paper, Candles, Naila, Stove Brushes, Coffee, Washing Soda, Starch, &ec., &c., Ke.

TERMS AT SALE.

HASZARD BROS.

1879. 1879.

Ocean Steamship Co'y

OF PRINCE EDWARD IS SPRING TRIP.

THE FIRST-CLASS IRON SCREW STEAMSHIP

“ PRINCE EDWARD,”

1,364 Tons Register, Classed 100 Al, which is the highest Class at Lloyds,

ROBERT FRASER, COMMANDER,

Till be on the Berth at Glasgow to receive Cargo About the 15th March,

Leaving Glasgow for Liverpool about the 5th April, and will leave

a ee

Carrying freight at through rates from Loa- don, deliverable at Charlottetown, Pictou, Georgetown, Summerside, Souris

and Shediac.

For freight, apply in London to Joun Ptr- CAIRN & Sons, 16 Great Winchester Street, E. C.; in Glasgow to James Ketso, 134 St. Vin- cent Street; in Live 1 to Pircarrn Bros., Brockley Buildings, 51 South John Street; iu Pictou, N. S., to Noonan & Davings; or

here to PEAKE Bros. & Co.,

MANAGERS. Ch’town, Feb. 28, 1879.—6w 2aw

TENDERS.

ENDERS will be received by this De ment, at Ottawa, up to the llth of MARCH next, for the construction of a PIER AND LIGHTHOUSE off Indian Point, near Summerside, and of Small Lighthouses at Or- well Harbor and at Crapaud, all in the Pro- vince of Prince Edward Island.

Plans and Specifications can be seen, and Forms of tender pete by intending Con- tractors, at this Department here, and at the Agency of this Department, Charlottetown. Those for Indian Point can also be seen at the office of the Collector of Customs, Summer- side; for Orwell at the Post Office, Orwell; and for Crapaud at the office of the Sub-Collector of Customs, Crapaud.

Tenders to be addressed to the undersigned, and marked on the outside ‘‘ Tenders for In- dian Point,” ‘‘Crapaud,” or ‘Orwell Harbor Lighthouse,”’ as the case may be.

WM. SMITH, Deputy Minister of Marine, &e. Department of Marine, Ottawa, 17th February, 1879. March 1, 1879.

CHIN DERS.-

City oF CHARLOTTETOWN, Mayor’s Orrick, lst Marcu, 1879.

EALED TENDERS will be received at this office until noon of Monpay, 10th MARCH next, from persons willing to contract

for Blacksmith’s Work Specification to be

for the city for one year. seen at this office. The Council do not bind themselves to ac- cept the lowest or any tender. By order, WM. B. MORRISON, City Clerk.

UNDERTAKING, &6.

AMES M. BUTCHER is now pr to

give close personal attention to all funerals that may be entrusted to ogg : a

COFFINS, CASKETS, &C..

of various sizes, styles and quality, always on hand, needy sande. " :

“PRICES TO SUIT THE TIMES.” Ch’town, February, 24, 1879.

T= WEEKLY EXAMINER. — Per. _ 8ons having relatives or friends abroad, and cotcion to keep them informed ing P. E. Island, rapes gn soin a better or

er way than by subscribing to Tuze Wean.e EXaMINER. Sent, postpaid, to any address m Great Britain, the United States, or the

on receipt of One Dollar,

to 10th