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When a member of Acerotly shouid se |

weota government offie: © emolument | tierefore, | vader the Re sponse “esters, Koel

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~fthe government required bim, as an official to have fix seat in the Assembly —he would tose both his seat and his

office. And what, he mught ask, could |

ee a better guarantee for girict integrity, oa the part of officials, being members of Asaembiy, than the Knowledge that their ranure of office was wholly dependent wpon good behaviour; and the certainty that, alihoagh they might retain their ap-

porntments during the legal existence of a tlouse, if they “had been found unde- eerving, they would be altogether cast aside by the people? One. honorable member had strongly insisted that it was proving the ruin both of Canada and Nova Scotia. T'o disprove this assertion, however, it waa suflicient to allade to the fret, that parliamentary majorities in ihese Provincey are increasing, and to the still more significant one, th at their Revenues have amazincly improved; that of Cana- da about a quarter of a million, as he was ied to understand from an authentic newspaper report, whilst that of Nova NSeotia, according to the official statement irom the officer entrusted with the callec- tion of the Revenue, was augmented to the amount of £15,000. ‘This extraordi- nary increase of revenue was not, it might safely be assumed, indicative of “ruin and decay,” as had been said to have attended the establishnent of Re- sponsible Governmentin the Provinces to whici he referred; and what was es- pecia}!y worthy of notice, was effected under the operation of tariifs fully ay conducive to the promotion of trade and commerce as those which em- anaied from preceding adainistrations, If the system were based upon folly and vice, it could never be productive of such happy results to any country in which it oightexist. The consideration also, that c smparatively few copld procure efficial appointments, was almost, in itself,

enfficient to disprove the assertion that the system was calculated to produce corruption; for it could notsurely be sup- posed, that a majority of the representa- tives of the people would lend themselves to the support of a corrupt syste:n for the pecuniary benefit of merely three or four individuals, The honorable member then aitmributed, as Mr, Coles bad done, the dissatisfaction, of the people in New yuuswick with the Responsiole System, to. the fact that its imperfect working was solei¢ attributable tothe coalition which bad taken place between the Tories and Liberals in ihe Assembly. The honos- ahle member conciuded by saying tnat the proceedings of the Government, for the las} twelve manths, had been justly oharacterized by the hon. meYber from Bedeque. as being of the most arbitrary and indefensible kind; and were undoubt- edly deserving of the strongest cenaure snd reprobation of the representptives of the people.

flon. Air. Taorntron denied that the dircumstauces in which Str John Harvey found hiuasell mediately previous to the introduction of Responsible Government were ata) anulacous to those in which Sir Alexander Banuerman is placed here, In Nava Scotia the general election was to decide the question toue ding the intro- duction or. wiihhelding of Responsidle ‘sovernment; end its adoption followed ofcourse. Avd with respect tothe pre- iminary steps taken by Sir Joha Harvey, before the settlement of detutle, they were FOU In direct contravention of hig lastruc- trana «= But Se Alexander was. ouly suthorized to intro luce Kesponsible Go- vérnment ito thugs Coleny on certain conditions ; and, theretore, unless these conditions sly nit 1 be camahed with by the Assembiy, he was not at liderty to taka ove step towards the introduetioa of the Respaasible System.

Hon, Soricrron, Genera said hon- orable aie ubers ad been travel toy oat of ihe record, havin iaken up the quesuon of Resp: mauble G Veragpent, as it forgert at

‘at the grow vd embraced by that hoa

~ ‘) often travelled-in every direct- aOR ' be trodden completely bare. Ton, ag. te ‘mt Governor - had told the Vhe Lrevten. ? osponsible Government Assembly, tit % 1 their acwcding bt) Would be granted i

.

certain cadahnions deat the qnestions iwmediately before the (louse wos, should they or should they not, sub- mt to those conditions? Should the imejoriy of that Louse submit to the con- ditionsarnexed tothe proffered concession by iler Majesty’s Government ; or should Her Majesty’s Government submit to the Majornty and withdraw the conditions ? Vhat was. the real question. And,although the amendment had been yery artful- ly drawn, with a design to conceal the real object of those “by whom it had heen prepared ; yet, when it should go forth ag the Addcesa,tit would not require imuch discernment to perceive that the litera! meaning was, “We must have office; and immediately too. We must be allowed to trample over the heads of the eld Government.” And to have it in their power to trample upon that Go- vernment, and crush them in the dust, they had plainly shown, they could have recourse to every means and every accu- sation, however unfair and unjust. They had manifested every disposition to paint the Government as black as Satan him- self. But the honorable member from Bedeque (Mr. Pope), bad taken care not to carry his charges against the Govern- ment too far back, lest he should have fonnd himself very inconveniently and awkwardly implicated in the very proceed- ings which he sought to have condemned,

But after all, what are the charges which the majority bad been able to exhibit against the Government? What was the extent of their impeachment? Wh),

as resvected the ‘Treasury it merely amounted to this—It became known to the

' Govern nent, as wellas to the publie, the merease

that the ‘I'vexsurer’s pecuniary embar- rassments were very great; and they ferebore to tuke advantage of his un‘crin- nate situation, and, at such a moment to kiek him out of office, on the plea, that ashthouel no malversation had been proved against him, it had once beea rumoured that he had abstracted about £3000 from the ‘Treasury. The honerable member from Bedeque had indeed said, with refer- ence to that rumour, that had the inves- tigation consequent upon it been made in time, it would have been found to be a fret. But he (hoa. Sol General) wou'd like to ask, had they not thena Mr. Pope? [Mr. Pope. | was notin the Council at that time.] If he waa not in the Connc}), purgued the honorable and learned mem- ber, he was in the Assembly, But so far was he (Mr. Pope) then, from joining in the rumoured accusation preferred against the unfortunate ‘Treasurer, or seeming to believe it, that he (hen. Sol. General) had met him at the very time when the ac- ensation first became a rumour, in. the Honse and at the table of the ‘T'reasurer. drinking his champagne. [Mr. Pope denied the truth of the assertion, insist- ing that at the period alluded to by the Solicitor General. suspicions against. the ‘Treasurer did not exist, but the honorable Solicitor General insisted that he wae correct.} Noman had evermore stronely insisted upon observance of the legal maxim, “that every man must be held innocent until he shall be proved to be guilty,” than the honorable member from Bedeque had been known to do, when it suited his purpose to uphold the justice of the principle. Butin his eagerness ta condemn the Government, he could not allow that, with respect to the late T’rea- surer, they could allow him even but a few days to exonerate himseif from the imputation east upon his character, with- out thereby affording a proof of their own wantof integrity. Of this, however, he (hon. Sol, Genera!) was satisfied, that no jast man would condemn the Governnent hecause they had allowed an individual suffering obloquy from unproved and un- certain reports, time to answer and dia- prove, f possible, the rumours which n- jnrious'y affected his character. The verdict ofall honest nen would be in ta- vour of the Government on that head; they might, therefore, very well disregard the condemnatien of others,

[ After a few farther observations by the Sulicuior General in reference to the sus- — ofthe Mails, and replies thereto

by Measrea. Coles and Pope, the Amend ment wax agreed toand the Commuttee rose. The observations referred to have been furnished by the Reporter, but we have omitted then fro want of epace.]}

gipreamee i en aaa —-

On the Amendment being reported ta ithe louse, a division was taken a#§ ful- Juwa: | Por the Amendment—Messersa. Coles, /Pope, Warburton, Whelan, Jardine, Da- vies, Clark, Beaton, Fiynn, McNeill, Fra- Ber, ‘Mooney, Laird — 13.

Against t— Hons. Messrs. Palmer and Thornton : ; Messra, Douge, Longworth, Montgomery, Haviland, Yeo—7.

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soccer sincere ~cernomenaininansasiedi mee eae

Honday, May 5, 1851.

SE

LMeCLR We

To the Constituency of the Second. District of King’s County.

My Frienns anp Fatxrow Co_onists—

Now that the dificult and perplexing contest between the friends of constitu- tional liberty and the enemies of every Reform, has happily been brought to a

offer you some observations in reference to the sacrifices by which victory has been achieved, and to the common advantages which it confers.

After eight yeara of almost incessant to.l and anxiety —borne amidst calumnies ofevery imaginable description—it is not unreasonable to indulge, with exultant spirits, in mutual congratulations, on the suceessful issue of that toil. of those eight years have been devoted to and were it not for the support and confidence which I have re- ceived at your hands, during that period of tine, and which other members of the Majority have obtained from “true men like you,” atthe several stages of their politieal career, the victory would yet be ‘unwon, aud the exultation deferred: Hience our congratulations should be mu- tual.

During the winter which has just passed away, f explained to you, ata series of public. meetings, the position in which the Assembly etood with the late Lieu- tenant Governor upon the question then at issue. It will not be necessary to ad- vert to the several topics, arising out cf that question, then discussed. 1 referred to the demand made by his late Exce}- lency for retiring allowances on behalf of three officers of his Government—and the refusal of the Lieut. Governor, should thai demand be coimphed with, to make any, save a very partial, inadequate, and un- satisfactory change in his administration. I informed you of the determination of the Aasemnb!y to withhold the allowances, un- der the circumstances proposed, my own opinion in regard to those al'ow- ances, namely, that the advantage of pos— sessing three sexta in the Executive Coun- cil by three members of the majority, was by na means Commensurate with the sacri- fice which the concession would involve. I did not atate that Responsible Govern- ment was not worth the amount demanded for the officers on whose behalf Her Ma-

your seivice ;

jes'y’s Government thought proper to in. terpose: but [ shewed that the Housa of

Assembly could not consistently proceed with the performance of the public busi- ness, rad vote the disposal of the people's inoney to. an Executive Conaeil not en- joying the confidence of the people, fcr the paltry consideration of there seats in the Cabinet.

~ The evil that meo do lives after them; tae good is) oft interred with their

venva.” The good deeds, if any there

close, duty and inclination prompt me to |

Nearly five |

-

[ wiated

were, which elibkcterized the adminie-

tration of Sir Donald, have been cast ia. to oblivion oy the evil ones that survive him, the most prominent of which is mis- representation of the objects and inten- tions of the Assembly.

Since the Assembly have not obtained copies of the late Governor's correspon- dence, it is impossible to estimate the amount of injury sought to be inflicted upon its character by the exparle state- ments of Sir Donald. Vhe unnecessary interference of the Home Authorities ia our postal regulations, is one of the results of theee statements. The alarm of the Colonial minister for the preservation of the public tranquility in this Island, and his suggestion in regard to an increase of the Military force,--is another conse- quence of the mischievous use to which Sir Donald’s pen was applied in his cor- respendence with Downing Street, and shews that he had dared to describe one of the most Joyal and peaceable of her Majesty's possessions as in a state of re- beilion. ‘

When we consider the hostile feelings of Sir Donald, combining with the formi- dable influences of the late officiai party and money jobbers in Charlottetown, and with the proprietory junto in Eagland, to frustrate the object of the constitutional party, the victory achieved by the latter is one of no ordinary importance. Nor haa the cost of victory been such as te lessen the exultation of the victora,

The land yet echoes the out cry of the Obstructives,that the ResponsibieGovern- ment party had abandoned their promises, and increased the burthens of their con- stituents, in order to obtain office and emolument for themselves, In both pre- mises, the outcry is false. No promise has been violated—no burthen imposed, It is true, the majority of the Assembly repudiated, and stil! do repudiate, the ab- stract principle of pensiona, as being in- compatible with the means, habits, feel - ings, and opinions, of the people. [t w true, the saine majority failed to discover the claims of the gentlemen to retiring allowances, ou whose behalf such aliow- ances were demanded; and did not hesi- tate to communicate to the Lieutenant Governor their opinions on the eubject. But when his Excellency replied that st wags notthe intention of Hier Majesty's Government to impose a Pension List os this Colony —that if was merely compen- sation which was required for two officere who had long gerved ihe public—thattare compensation was an absolute and imper-

/ ation condition tothe concession of Ke-

sponsible Govermment—that he hed mo the Colonia] Minieter to Waive that condition, —sure'y, then, it be- came thedoty of the Assembly to vield their opiniom in reference to the claime of the retiring officers ~relieve His Ba. cellency frouegreat embarrassment and

discretion from

responsi)ity—remove obstacles tu the transaction of the public bosiness save the Colony from the further bad effects of along-continuéd agitation—allay pub'ic digcontent and anxiety—and, finally, pro eure for the people the privileges ani

rights of British subjeets, by.at oncewa in the allowances, which amount toanly four huudred pounds. The Obstruct ves say we did wrong in doing so,—(2nd be it paniern-

be-ed that amonest ovr compla‘nants were Executive Councillors whose duty it was nol to enberrass the Lieutenant Gover- nor by opp sition to his instructions); but

1 wonver did they ever eny ve did right

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