10

Tt row SET ATR RE COE eC ETS 7 = Geen 80 you had better beware, aad sult. to. ojegtionable, he (MrPope) did not, hiow- our authority at once.” ‘hat Was/pot in- 4) ~ hesitate positively and distinctly to deed, the language of the majorit®, but 14, eug; and to prove that it was not so, it was their meaning: indgde wodd ju seiicient to referto the Permanent ask, if it became wen in their Senses t Revenue Acts, oy Which the people of epeak in such a way, either to flier A this Colony were coerced, and the Land jesty’s Representat ve, the Iinpe; Gro nent Act, in all of which there vernment, or the Sovereivn herself; and ~ direct specili¢ appropriations of the whether men of sane minds, if really in- }vomes to be raised by the operatiun of ent upon the object which they profssed | ie same Acts: although several Acts of

» have in view, would not conzent to rsue that course, by the observance: which alone they who had it in their

ower to concede or withhold it, had de-

a it could be attained.

r. Pore then rose, and commenced

+ speech by saying, that he felt much posed to sympathize with, those who ad to entrust their defence to so injudi- tious anadvocate as the Hon. Sol. Gene- neral; whose course of argument was, generally, much more calculated to cos- vict an innocent person, than, secure or promote the interests of any party, whose ceuse he stood forth todefend. ‘I‘he hon. and learned member had, in his condem- nation ofthe views entertained by. the inajority of the House, gone so far as to question the sanity of men who, as the majority of the House seemed. disposed to do,could persevere for the attainment of their object, in a course which he (Hon. So]. General) represented as condemned, both by the Lieutenant Governor end the Imperial Government; hut he would tell the hon, and learned member, that he ( Mr. Pope) was very far from recognizing his competency to pronounce judgment in the matter; as it was well known that there was no act of misgovernment but what he would defend. He was wel) aware ofall the abuse which had been directed against himself individuelly, and how much his motives had been misrepre- sented by the hired Press of the officials, who were accused of fingering the Public Money both at the same public meetings, and io a greater extent throughout the country, by itinerant agents and bluster- ing defenders of the Government and its officials ; but, secure in the perfect legal- lity, and constitutional prosperity of the cause withwhich he had identified himself; and, fully conscious of his own individual integrity of purpose, he felt that he could equally afford to disregard the builying of the greatest villain by whom his public conduct and motives might be assailed, andthe courtly censures of the Represen- tative of Royalty, or even Royalty itself, The lare Lieutenant Governor himselfad- mitted, that the Government of this Island ought not, any more than those of the other Provinces in North America, to be carried on in opposition to. the opinions

of the inhabitants; the Colonial Minister]

had. previously. made the same acknow-

ledgement; His Excellency Sir Alexan- } der. Bannerman had avowed himself to be }

authorised to make the same admission: and.yet the Hon. Sol. Genera) had the amazing .effrontery to demand, that the country should submit to be governed by

. 8M, insignificant minority in the Assembly,

end ihe Government upheld by them, of which two of them formed apart. He for one, was determined never to acqui- esce,in.the right of the minority to go- verathe conntry.; and he was fully pre- pared.te defend, tothe utmost, his own right and those of the people as British subjects, to demand a Government pos- ressing the confidence of the majority of the Assembly: and should circumstances cemaid it, he would recommend that the ‘fouse should have recourse to the ex- treme constitutional remedy of complete- ly withholding the supplies, He felt no dread of being returned to his constitu- ents; and he was quite prepared, to meet their.verdict. There was necessarily, no Constitutional connection, between. the question touching the-intreduction of Re- sponsibie Government, andthe consider- ation of the Civil List. Bill. The first wholly concerned the system of Govern- racnt; the second was one of a mere pe- cuniary. character. That they were es- senti'!ly distinct in their nature, was ad-. mitied by Sir fyonald Campbell, and his offer to take three of the Responsidie

_ puty into his Council, was: nothing. Jess}

than a practical recognition of. the: fact. The Hon.So\, General had told them,, that the Revenue Bill of Jast Session was u wonstitutional; and, in His Excellen- ev'a Sncech, they wore told it was abjec- tiigabvle. That it was comtitutiogally

PRE TF

the Lupertal Parliament could also be re- ferred to,in support of the constitutionality of the appropriation made in that Bill. If the Hon. Sol. General thought.that by the power or severity of his reflections, he could coerce the majority and induce them to retrace their steps, he was indeed | greatly mistaken, They knew that the people hal rights as well as the Queen; and they were as well defined in the one case as the other. They sought not to invade the latter; but they were deter- mined to assert the former. The refer- ence to the course pursued and the stand made by the late Governor Sir Donald Campbell, was in his (Mr. Pope’s) opinion, ost impolitic. The Hon. Sol. had said that His Excellency, the present Governor, had just taken up the thread as it feil from the hands of his pre- decessor, and assumed the. occupancy of the same position in which Sir D.Campbell stood at the close of the Session in May last, witt respect to the grand question at issue ; but he (Mr. Pope) would tell the hon. and learned member, that if he thought His Excellency had meant, by any thing contained in his reference to the closing part of the late Governor's Speech,to reiterate the insult totheAssem- bly which had proceeded from his prede- cessor, Sir Donald Catnpbell, it would take him (Mr. Pope) no longer than whilst he could rise from his chair, to repel it with indignation; and to tell His Fxcel- lency, that he would never submit to be driven into any humiliating submission to the commands or compliance with the views of any Government, however high and great might be tle authority and power by which they had been establish- ed and were upheld, if they were subver- sive of the rights of the People. But he (Mr. Pope} did not put.any serch construc- tion upon the Speech, as that which the Hon. Sol. General seemed to think it ought to bear, but would patiently await the time, when His Excellency shall more fully declare his views.

To be continued, FUS SUAMINER, Monday, April 21, 1851.

—_

THE QUESTION SETTLED.

Ox Monday evening last the House of Assembly went into committee on the Lieut. Governor’s Message of the 12th inst., relative to the introduction of Res- ponsible Government. ‘This Message was. noticed in our last. Mr. Corres submitted two resolutions: . the first. to the effect, that it should be recommended to the House to passa Civil List Bil, embodying the allowances demanded by Far] Grey, in order to secure the intro- duction of Responsible Government ; and the second having for its object the re- commending to the House the imposition ofan additional tax of one farthing per acre, to be levied on all owners or occu- piers of lands of not less than 500 acres, possessed by each individual. towards de- fraying the expenses of the Civil List of this Island. These propositions were encountered with the most determined or rather reckless hostility by the minority , who, like a pent up or beleaguered band of desperadoes, whose past enormities left them. no hopes of favour or, of mercy, fought to the last with the most insensate, furious and maliznant obstinacy. The ‘days. of the faction, however, had been Tunbered ; and their fate was inevitable

THE BXABINER

wea LOPES 1

mnitteepand adopted by the House on the

usual division. The further proceedings of the Majority, that evening, were cha- racterized by that celerity, determination, and unity of purpose, which have often been remarkable in the movements of conquerors; and the appeintment of a Committee, consisting of Messrs. Coles. Whelan, Pope, Davies, and Fraser, to prepare an Address to His Excellency in accordance with the first Resnlution, and to prepare and bring in a Civil List Bill;

and of another, consisting of Messrs.

Fraser, Jardine, and Lord, to prepare and bring ina Billin accordance with the second; were speedily followed by the report, by Mr. Coles, of a draft Address to His Excellency which, as below given, was adopted on the usual division of 14 to 7,

MAY IT PLBASe YouR Exxcentancy ;

The House of Assembly have had under their consideration Your Excel- lency’s Message of the 12th inst., and have agreed to the accompanying Re- solution, the substance of which they

shall be prepared to embody in a Civil List Bill.

On Tuesday this Address was present- ed to his Excellency ; and, without the

least unnecessary delay, he was pleased: to reply as follows :

[Messace.] A. Bannerman, Lieut. Govemor,

The Lieutenant Governor has re- ceived the Assembly’s Address of the 14th inst., with satisfaction. it will enable him to fulfil instructions,involv- ing, ashe considers, the faith and ho- nor of the Crown. He believes he cannot better terminate the discussion which has. now arisen between the Assembly and him, (but which he is.

‘happy to think has not much mpeded

public business) than by quoing ex- tracts from a Despateh of Led John Russell to the Governor Gaeral of Canadagj4th October, 1839, on. the subject os Responsible Government.

‘That Despatch, the Lieut. Governor

believes was referred to in the Assem-

bly, more than four years ago, and

ever since thattime, more or less po-

litical excitement and animosity have

existed in Prince Edward Island, and

which he cannot help thinking must be very prejudicial to the interests of

the community. When Responsible Government is introduced therefore,in so far as the Lieut. Governor is con- cerned, it shall have a fair trial, he is most desirous to see this Colony in- creased in prosperity; it is his fervent wish that the unpleasent discussions which have arisen about Responsible Government may cease and the feel- ings they have created gradually sub-

‘side :

‘Her Majesty has no desire to main- tain any system of policy among Her North American Subjects which opin- ion condemns. In receiving — the Queen’s commands, therefore, to pro- test against any declaration at vanance with the honor of the Crown, and unity of the Empire, I am,at the same time instructed toannounce Her Majesty’s gracious intention to look to the affect- ionate atiachment of her people in North America asthe best security for permanent dominion.” .

“It¥s necessary for th’s purpose that no official misconduct should be screened by Her Majesty's Represen- tative in the Pro-vinees, and that 10 private interests should be allowed to compete with the ceneral good.”

“Every political consii‘ution in whic} avery POUCA: CONS ution in Wiiica

i

‘Tha Resolutions were agreed to in Cou.-

af a 5 . . 7 } diferent bodies share the jupreme po n a.

weris only enabled to exist by forbeag- ance of those among whoin this power is distributed. In this respect, the ex- ample of England may well be imitat- ed. The Sovereign using the preroga- tive of the Crown to the utmost ex- tent, and the House of Commons ex- erting its power of the purse to carry all its resolutions into immediate effect, would produce confusion in the coun- try in less than a twelvemonth. | So, in a Colony, the Governor thwarting every legitimate proposition of the As- sembly, and the Assembly continually recurring to its power of refusing Sup- plies, can but disturb all political rela- tions, embarrass trade, and retard the prosperity of the people. Each must exercBe a wise moderation. ‘The Go- vernor must only oppose the wishes of the Assembly, where the honor of the Crown or theinterests of the Em- pire are concerned, and the Assembly must be ready to modify some of ite measures for the sake of harmony, and for areverent attachment to the Authority of Great Britain.” A. B.

April 15th, 1851.

His Excellency and the majority of the Assembly having thus at length come toa full and satisfactory understanding with respect to future proceedings ew both sides, a Civil List Bill, embodyiag the stipulated allowances, was the same day introduced by Mr. Cougs, which, having gone through the usual stages was passed on Wedneaday, and forthwith sent up to the Council. With respect to the passing of this Bill, it wonld be wrong not to chronicle the factiovs opposition of the minority; who—as the serpent with its crushed head beneath the heel of its destroyer, still writhes and wriggies, and in token of unsubdued, though impotent malignity, elevates its stingless tai!— gave evidence, even whilst the fatal bow- String was tightening about their necks, of their undiminished although powerless hatred of the principles and measures, which consummate the doom of the Oli- garchy ; and struggled, writhed, and kicked to the last ; the expiring effort of the Minority being the recording of their names against a Bill, having for its imme- diate object the full practical recognition of the people’s just privilege to choose their own form of constitutional govern- ment, to the utter confusion and downfa!] of those who have so long held them ia thraldom, and to the utmost of their power excluded them from al] share in the ad- ministration of their own affairs.

In consenting to grant the retiring al- lowances, demanded for the Attorney General and the Colonial Secretary, the majority of the Houee have neither aban- ded any principle of action, nor recanted any political opinion. They have yield- ed to nothing less than absolute necessity. The instructions, by which His Excei- lency was bound, with.regard ro those allowances, were imperative. He could not concede Responsible Government, uniess the House should, in the firet place, concede the pensions. As it was therefure, apparent that, unless the Honse should, in some way, satisfy the Tiome Government, with respect to those allow- ances, his Excellency would be obliged, as he had intinated to the House, to refer the whole matter back to the Home Go- vernment for reconsideration, and one certain consequence of lis doing 80 would he the postponement, for at least anothe? year, if not to astiilfucther end indefinite

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