IE Witte etl AE Hy

il iain

on the acore of interest to be paid of Covernment securities, | for, without any law to warrtattheir progeedings, they gave 10) per ceni to a Halifax megchant (o eash debentures. The Gov- e-hmeat were accountable to the House for their action with the Bank

Mr. COOPER—Ne doubt Warrants had been subjected to heavy rates of discount, which operated very injuriously to those whose fecessities compelled them to submit to the deductions, | dot now that a recognized arrangement was to be ehtered info! between the Rank kod the Government, it was but fair that tre Bill shoold specify aot dhly the rare of interest, but also the | length of time necessary to entitle a deposit to bear interest, otherwise it might be that al! the tmerest psyable might not be more than sufficient to pay for the trouble of receiving and | prying out the moneys.

‘The iil! was thew read @ second tine and committed— Mr. | Oven in the Chair.

fon Mr. COLES repeated his objection that the Bill did not} specify the rate of imerest, It wae cue to the House that full particulars of the contemplated arrangement should be given. | The Now. Col. Grey had eu'ogized the liberel'y and courte- | ev of the Bank Directory ; bat that was an institation for the | lending of money, and he supposed that it wonld always act cour- | teotsly to private individuals as well ax to officials who might have octasion to confer with thém on basinese. fle himselt had siways experienced cuorteous treatment at their hands. He was sarished with the arrangement, bat did - an that t ank fh aid a very great comp) ment to the Government | = wanes it. The Government asked £10,000. No} doubt it was required ; and the Bank would, by charging 6 per cent wotil it wee repaid, do better thea they would by advan- cing emall joan’ to individoals, for it may be outstanding six o- twelve moaths, The Liberals hod made a beter bargain when they cirealated Debentures bearing only 5 pet cent inter est. Aa to the argament of greater confidence im the prdsen Govertment, urged by the hon member, Mr. Beer, there was not much furadation for his opinion, for he should reco!!ect tha! during the time to which reference hod been made, the Bank, wo far from being in a position to make advances, had applied to the thea Government for an extension of the time limited for the suspension of specie payments. The Bank was now ina be ter pos tov. Tne country had been favoured with good crops, trade was reviving, end greater confidence was felt in the sta- bility of businces of all kinds. If the late Government had ap- plied to a gentleman from Halifax to purchase warrants, it | should be remembered that such application was intended to) ensdle the Road Correspondent to carry on the business of his | department. Atthat time the road vote was £)1,000, far more then three the amount of last year for the same purpose ; so there was a greater necessity fur the course of the late Govern- | ne’. {fon. Mc. LONG WORTH —The arrangement would cause po gain to the Bank, which can, at present, mvest ali their | available means at 74 per cent, and cwn find ample employment | for it at that rare. Lorerest would not be charged as on a — but on the balance of the account. {\ was nota permanent Act. It could be revised ar xt year, whe» the operation of it could be | careful'y scruwmized. Where a loan was contracted for a number of years it would be necessary that the terms between | borh parties should be specified ; but the object of the Bill war) only to authorize the opening of an account whrck would enable the pablie creditor to get te mercy whch he had ecarned- |, woe provided that the ttamsactrons vader the Bill should be sub=. mitted and rev wed by the House next year. Abii! wienilar in | its object to the one before the committee worked well in Nova | Scotia, but that Bil! did afford equal security to the public cre- | ditor with the presen’, which gives him a prior claim on the) Back whose demands on the Government would not ensue til! the warrants had been paid.

Hon. Mr. POPE was giad to see that the Bink had come in- | to the arrangment. A shert time »go warrants were ata dis- | count of 10, 15 or 20 per cent discount. As to the £11,000) road money voted by the last Government in the year when tae | hon. leader of the oppositvon gave ‘en pcr cent to the gentleman trom {alifex, if that was the rate of discount on the whole amount the public must have lost eleven hundred pounds. Such » sum would have paid a good many teachers. When the Go-/ vermment changed hands, warrants were at a discount , now they were at par, and was this (he time to objeet to the poor | hard-wo-king men employed on ihe roade and, bridges ; and in| the public getting the fall emount of their earnings? Every pud-— he cred.tor should get what he hed earned,indfhe recent cond:- | tion of the public credit ander the late Government was so dis: graceful that he hoped never to see it ia such state again.

‘The Bill wae then agreed to without amendment.

Wu. M. Hows, Reporter.

—

ee —

ELECTION BILL. Satcrapay, Mare! 3.

The order of the day tor the second reading of the Bil! having been read ,—

fon. Mr. HAVILAND, in moving that the House go into Yhe order of the day, said—I may state, that the object of the Bill is simply to proteet the privilege of electors. The law, as it now stands, is not sufficiently explicit, the consequence of whieh ix, that parties whe have po right to vote are fre- quently allowed to come forward and exercise the privilege, tu the injustice of thase whe possess the requisite qualification. At the last general election mach trouble arose ont of this vbsewrity in certain parte of the Act. Thies Bill, in particu. | lar. defines mack more clearly the qualification of electors voting ander the elective franchise clause Tf ealled upon by the returning officer, or any candidate or his representative, | they are required te preduce a certificate from the road over- seer, in Whose precinet they my lage performed statute labor, or paid ¢ ammulaiion money, lesttfving t@ that effect, which, provided they are of age, shall se considered sufficient evidence | of their right tovete, Several forms of vaths have also been | annexed tu the Bill. la the present law there is only ove form given, consequently, the returning officer has to ase a sort of sliding @ath for the different kinds of electors; hence, if any dispute should arise, the person taking such an vath could not be found guilty of perjury. Another clause in the Bill bas been introduced, on accowat of a remarkable ease that lately eceurred in Bruaia, whieh gave rise to an alteration in the election law there, and also in Canada, from which latter this clause iseupied. ‘The case was that of a returned tnember, whose election was contested, having accepted an office, and thus rendered anwiuer election necessary, when it became a question whether the election could be proceeded with. The clause provides, that if a servtiny be demanded by an unsuccessful candidate. and while the question is still pending, the person, Thuse eleciion isjcontested, shall accept an office, or his seat be otherwise declared vacant, and another election be held, this subsequent election shall nat in any manner affect the gerson who demanded the scrutiny; but, if the committee appointed to investigate the case report in his tavor, be shall take his seat as though no subsequent election tad takea place.

Hon. Mr. COLES,—There may be some necessity for amending the Election Law. but as regards the clause men- tioned by the hon. member, ) do not see it 1s of much import- ance. ‘The person who protests cannot prevent the other from again running his election. Sometimes serutinies are de- manded on very frivolous pretexts, and a protest may be en- tered merely to preyent a member from taking office 1 admit that an alteration in the vath may be required, as it is not very esplicit. But the main feature of the Bill is one respect- ing whieh the House should be very cautious. The intention of the present law isto confer auiversal suffrage, but this Bull threws an encumberance tn the way, by saying that a certifi- cate must be produced tha’ statuie labor has been performed vr commutation money paid. A refractory overseer, at the time of au election, might yefuse to give the certificates. I thick the law in this particalar is well enough, for a person cannot vote unless he has been 12 months in the district; be- sides, it is a great inconvenience fur a man to be compelled to produce a receipt. [He wonld almost require to have it framed in order ta prevent it from being Jost. ‘There need not be any partisanship displayed in re ‘erence to this provision, because it will affeet both parties alke. | have no objection to ameud the law; it should be as explicit as possible.

Mr. MeAULAY.—1] am glad to hear that the hon. member has ne objection that the law be ameuded. It is quite neces- sare, Leonsider, that electors should have certificates, because i will prevent them from voting in different places. The Bill. in as evident, bag not deen introduced for party purposes, for in will, ae bas been said, affect both panies alke. As I believe it will prove a gene cal bewefil, it shall have my support.

Mr. COOPER —I aaderstand that the Statute Labor Act ie to be amended this Session; if so, @ clause may be intro- duced inte & to meet the requirement of this Bill. otherwise 1 will be mmpossible weerry it into effect, fur» erseers at present are wot hound \o furnish certificstes. flowever, though this provision be made, | am of apinion that the method proposed will be very cumbersome, and wiil tgs eripple the tree exercise of the eleet ve privilege, aes’

Mr. CONROY. —I aw: opposed to that part of the Bill which relates tw road cer\ificaies, a8 that service is very irre- gularly stiended to. Tne overseers are genera}ly careless, and some af them anable to write, yet this Bill contemplates placiag the fravebise » their hands. Av overseer, when asked fora certificate, might put the person off, by saying there would be no elee\ion this year, and still one might oc- cw; io what position would the elective franchise then be ] \nik shis provision will deprive owe-third of the electors of thetic votes. iT 4

Hoo. Mr, LONGWORTHL.—The Bill is not a party mea- sure, but one calculated to benefit efeciors of eveiy ‘shade of opinion. di is well kuown that persons have frequently c me jorward and exercised the elective privilege, who did nat possess the requisite q al fication; that others have some- times vated af (woo (ure diffrent palling divisions, The objec of the Bill is w guard the interests of the people—to prevent desigoing wet from ing on the rights of honest and independent electors; and | would like to ask toa. mem-

bers of the o'ber aide uf tLe House, if this object can be bet- other mapoer thao by the methed propused!

ter atiamed jn any

Che Examiner.

It is not intended to cramp the elective privilege, but to give these who have a right to vote a well-defined qualificawon. The form of o3ih ia the present act, as has been said, is very imperfeet, the returaing officer having to supply words to make it suit the different classes of voters; in which case if Is difficult to prove perjury, because the precise words employed cannot be recollected. The ta. members, Mr. Coles and Mr. Conroy, object to the Bill, on the ground that it will place the franehise in the power of road overseers. But a Bill to amend the Road Act, which is now in the hands of the Law Clerk, makes provision for this, by requiring the overseers, vnder stringent regulations, to furnish certificates; and if some few cannot Wrile—though | am not aware that the commissioners are in the habit of appointing such—they may have them written im their presence. Another object of the bill is to divide the main clause of the Act, in which the se- veral qualifications are jumbled up together,into three or four sections: thas Wie will define the property qualifications of electors for the towns, and vnother of those fer country dis- triéts, aed another the qualification of those voting under the universal suffrage provision

IIon. Mr. Haviland’s motion was then agreed to, and the Bill committed to a Committee of the whule Meuse,—Mr. J. Yeo in the chair.

On the first clause being read, which specifies the sections of the Act to be repealed,—

Hon. Mr. COLES said, he wished to ask the introducer of the Bill why the 80th section was included among the number!

Hon. Mr. LONG WORTH.=The reason for repealing this section is, that as it provides that any member of this House who hots an office, may resign it and accept another, without vacating his seat, it concedes too much. As the law at pre- sent stands, an hon. member who holds an office, though only that of Road Commissioner, may he appointed to one of the highest offices in the Colony, without being under the neces- sity of vacating his seat.

Hon. Mr. WHELAN.—The principle involved in this clause may extend too far. It was copied from the Nova Scotia Act, and was intended to provide that a member might exchange one departmental office for another, without going back to his constituents. If this secsiun is to be repeated, another of the same nature should be subsiituted in its place.

Hoa. Mr. COLES.—The principle should not be carried further than that one departmental office may be exchanged for another.

Hon. Mr. LONG WORTHL.-—- We must ignore the principle altogether, ag it ig opposed to the system of yoweraweat new established iw the Colony.

Hon. Mr. Coles then moved that so much of the clause as referred to the 80th section of the act be struck out, which was negatived on the following division: —

Yeas —Tlon. Messrs. Coles, Wightman, Kelly, Whelan; Messrs. Kaight, Sutherland, Sinclair.—7. oe we a my Pope, Col. Gray, Longworth, aviland, Laird; Messrs. Ramsay, Montgomery, B Howat, Holm, Davies, Owen.—13. ! . 7 rot

The clause which specifies the property qualification of the electors of Towns and Royalties was then read.

Mr. SINCLAIR.—As we are informed that the Bill is rot & party measure, | hope 1 may be allowed to sugcest an amendment to this clause, which I consider objectionable, because it confers the privilege wf voting upon every owner of a town Jot irrespective of its valae. It is certainly unjust that persons who hold town lots of no value should have a right to vote ; some protection ought te be afforded to resident electors. The olause confers apon ¢ertain individuals the privilege of buyiag up land to divide among their friends to give them votes. In the country districts a person cannot vote on property of less than the yearly value of 40s.; why then should not the same rule be extended to the owners of town Jots and common lots. If the clause were thus amended it would require these lots to be improved, before they could be held as a qualification to vote.

The hon the SPEAKER—The hon. member who has just sat down might almost se well have moved to disfranchise Princetown altegether The people there have in a great measure been deprived of the privileges which were intended to be granted then when the ploce was vid off fora town. Had the Jai! and Court House been built at Princetown, it would no doubt have been in a more flourishing condition. The electors of that place are compelled to pay as heavy taxes as the owners of Jots in Charlottetown and Georgetown, still they possess no greater privilege as regards public grants than the people residing in country distriets ; certainly then it would be unfair to deprive them of the right to vote though the land held in some cases may not at present be of the year- ly value of 40s,

Hon. Col. GRAY—Did I understand the hon. member opposite, for Princetown, to say that there are town lots in that place of no valuct

“Mr SINCLAIR—Yes, or at most worth only Is 61. or 2s. The hon. the Speaker has stated that] desire to deprive the people o! Princetown of their privileges ; but the amend- ment which I have saggesied would have quite an opposite eff-ct’ It would secure their privileges by preventing others from coming in to interfere with their rights. But if the clause were amended as | desire, Princetown would not be the onlw place benefited, for I suppose there are likewise lots in Georgetowe of liule or no value. LT eontend that it is un- fair to allow persons to come from other districts to vote in Privecetown on land which is only worth a few shillings.

Hon. Mr. LONGWORTU—I am surprised to hear an hon. member advocating the disfranchisement of bis constitu- euts. Does he mean to say that a privileze which has been a long time conceded, should be no longer exercised! His object is very apparent, it is to uphold his own interests which are probably in danger. ‘Te adopt the amendment which he has suggested would be a species of class seyisia- tion, and its resalt wonld be to prevent people from purchasing property in Princetown, The hon. member should have stood ap and advocated the very contrary to what he has pro- posed.

Hon. Mr. COLES—I think quite the reverse. The hon. member for Princetown does not desire to disfranchise a single elector; but only to see the property improved. The very object in granting these town lo's was that houses might be built on them; and if those whe held the land were thus to improve their property, they would still retain the right to vote theugh the amendment sugyesied he agreed to. Uutil the last few years the lois of Princeiown were considered of no value, when they began tu be bougut up for the purpose of obtaining the privilege of voting. la any other disirict non-residents are uot allowed tv vole unless they possess pro- perty in4t worth 40sa year; and this is the provision that the hon, member wishes tw have extended to Princetown. He deserves credit for proposing the amendment, as his de- sire is to improve the place. 1] suppose, however, if he gains his object, | will lose my own franchise there, but if } con- sider 11 of any value, I will probably improve the property. But I believe there is a feeling rising up in Princetown against the Government because that County 18 vot represented in the Legislative Council; and | dare say they will make themsel- vesheard. [fonly afew men were tu turn there, it would change an election.

Mr. MACAULAY—The last speaker seems to have 2 peculiar sympathy for the hon. member from Princetown. He has been endeavoring te help him eut of a difficulty, but I dare say if be (Mr. Sinclair) were opposed to bim, he would be allowed to struggle for bimself. The argument of the hon. member for Princetown is rather novel. Tle appears to think that a person whe has property of no value, and yet Las to pay taxes on it, should not be allowed to vote, while we know that those who hold no property at all are permitted to exercise this privilege. ‘Ihe hon. member made some allusion to Georgetown the place which | have the honor to represen!, but | can assure him that no valueless property is to be found there,

Hon. Mr. POPE—Last year, in this House, I hinted that the hon. member Mr. Sinclair would sometime attearpt te dis- franchise Princetown, sod it appears my words are coming true, for certainly he has made an effort of this kind. Pro- bably some day | will lend him my assistance to disfranchise it, and give the privilege to Sommerside and St. Eleanor’s, I believe there is not a lot in Princetown worth 40s. a year, excepting perhaps one owned by Mr. MeNutt, who eceasion- ally resides there. A tiamber of the Jots 1s bog land, of litle or no value.

Hon. Mr. WHELAN—Is your own property there bog and.

‘ Hon. Mr. PGPE—No, the land which T hold there is good ; itis not bogs. To amend the clause as proposed by Mr. Sinclair, would in my opinion cause a great deal of false eweuring reapesne the value of property, consequent- ly I think it will be better to leave it us itis for the pre- sent; besides, I do not consider it would be proper to de- prive the electors of Princetown of their franchise, while they are compelled to pay heavy taxes. Tam glad to hear that the late Colonial Secretary is taking such an interest in the people of Prince County; but] can assure him he now posserses very little influence in that part uf the eountry.

Hon. Mr. WIIELAN—The hon. member who has jast sat down, should exercise a Jittleanodesty, since be has not yet carried of very many laurels. “He has been equivuca ting with respect to the value of Jots in Princetown. .

lon. Col. GRAY—I rise to order, the hon. member has employed insulting language. a sca consideratie altercation ensucd.

on. Mr. WHELAN proceeded.—Lhe hon. member Mr. Pope, stuted that the land which he himself holds in Princetown is good and nut bogs, and that’ the only pro- erty there ‘of- any value is that owned by Mr. MéNuit. ach language appears to me t» be something like equivo- cating. Formy own part I ave always thought 1% im- proper that persons why happen to own propertyin Prince-

;

| Montalember¢ ?”*

| on this

|

|

‘cently taken against Catholics

town, worth perhaps only a few shillings, should enjoy the same privilege as others. I myself secured one of these town Jota for the trifling sum of 18s., and can now vote there on land w' ich |] never saw, and never wish to see. The Hon. the SPEAKER—It is astonishing to hear the opinions which several hon. members seem to entertain, They onee mafiitained that every person who pays taxes should have the right to vote; but vow they say that those who bold property in Princetown, though they have ta pay taxes—heavy taxes—ovght to be denied this privilege. Some who have spoken appear to think that place will nover become » town, but Lam of a different opinion. It possesses one of the finest harbors in the Island, which is also convenient to the best fishing ground on our cuasts. This harbor is much resorted to by American fishermen ; and I think it highly probable that at no distant day there will be a town where it was origimally intended one should be built. Only last summer, I understand, some Awmeri- cans were examining land there, with the view of making a purchase for building purposes. Progress was reported, and t! ¢ House adjourned. ae Oe oe =

SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS.

Tnuaspay, Mareh 22.

On motion of Mr. McAulay, it was resolved that there be a call of the Louse on Monday nest, to take into con- sidcration the several petitions lying on the table.

Mr. Beer, from the Special Committee appointed to ex- amine the petition of ye Shannon, reported, that as it referred to matters of a local and private nature, its prayer could not be entertained by the House. The report was received.

On motion of Hon. Mr. Coles, a cal of the House was ordered fer Tuesday next, on the Despatches relative to the appointment of a Land Commission.

lion. Mr. Longworth presented a Bill to alter the Statute Labor Act, which was read a first time. It provides that keeping the Main Post Roads in a state of repair shall be let hy contract for a certain number of years, and contem- plates the reduction of Commutation Money for a single person from 4s. to 39. a year. It also requires overseers to furnish certificates to those who may commute or perform their statute |»bor, in order to meet a provision in the new Election Bill respecting the qualificativus of persons voting under the elective franchise.

AFTERNOON $ SITTING.

Mr. Beer moved the House into Commiitee on the Mem- orial of the Mayor and Common Council, and the petition of divers inhabitants of Charlottetown, on the subject of the proposed new Market House.

The Memoria! asked a grant for purchase of a site for the Market House; whilst the petition prayed that the House would not sanction ite erection elsewhere than on Queen

Square, and that a Bill might pass authorising the transfer to the city of a site on the west side of the Square. After a very long discussion, Hon. Mr. Pope moved a resolution, adopting the prayer of the petition. To this Mr. Perry

moved an amendment, that the Speaker take the chair. The amendment was lost, and Mr. Pope's carried to the llouse, when, the question being pat, Hon. Mr. Uaviland moved that the report be received this day 3 months —Lost.

Yeas—Messrs. ilaviland, Gray, Coles, Whelan, Thorn- ton, M'Avlay, Kelly, McNeill, Longworth, John Yeo, and Perry—lL1.

Nays—Messrs. Yeo, Douse, Beer, Ramsay, Laird, Pope, Cooper, Holm, Howat, Sinelair, Doyle, Conroy, Owen, Sutherland, Montgomery—15.

Mr. Pope's resolution was carried by the same division —the relative position of the above names being changed.

Fripay, March 23.

On motion of Mr. Beer, a Committee was appointed to bring in a Bill in accordance with the resolution passed yesterday in reference to the site of anew Market Louse

On motion of Hon. Mr. Haviland, it was resulved that the [louse to-morrow do go into a Committee of Supply.

Mr. Beer moved that the House resolve itself into Com- mittee on the Bill to amend the Act relating to the City of Charlottetown. It contemplated to extend the power of the Mayor's Court to try for debts contracted in the City by persons residing in the Country ; and also to try cases of slander. After some discussion in regard to the Bill, the principle of which was objected to by country meubers generally, Hon. Mr. Perry moved in amendment that it be committed this day three months. Amendment agreed to.

Hon. Mr. Ifaviland laid on the table the Estimates for 1860 >

The Bill to amend the Lamd Purchase Act wag read a third time and passed, Mr. Cooper only yoting against it: also the Bill toawend the Act relating to Township Bound- ary Lines.

Hlon. Mr. Longworth having moved that the time fur re- ceiving petitions be extended, presented ove from Robert Mooney, praying for the sum of £10, taken from his salary us Register of Deeds on account of unfivisied work in that office at the time of his resignation.—Read and laid on the table.

The Bill to protect the rights of marrie] women was read a third time and passed.

Sarcrpar. March 24. Mr. Sinclair presented a petition from inhabitants of Lot 18, praying the enactment of a Bankrupt Law. lion. Mr. Haviland laid cn the table the vouchers for the past year—referred to the Committee on Public Accounts.

Hon. Col. Gray presented to the House a document which had been laid before the Executive Council by the Post- master Geoeral, recom ending an increase of sulary tothe secoud Assistant in the Post Office at Charlottetown, and tothe Pustwaster at Cascumpee, Tignish, aud Souris.

Then House then resolved itself into a Committee of Sup- ply, Mr. MeNeill in the chair.

Hon. Mr. Haviland moved that £5,000 be granted for the Road service, including special grants; £500 for con- tingencies, and £100 for new roads. “The discussivu on this motion oecupied the remainder of the furengon.

Menpay, March 26.

Call of the House ~—absent, Hon. Mr. Kelly and Mr. Knight. Mr. Kelly afterwards coming in, his apology was accepted.

On mction of Hon. Mr. Thornton the order of the day for the consideration of petitions was taken up.

The petition of inhabitants of Lote 34 and 35, praying a grant tor an additional block to wharf at Apple Tree Parw, was referred to the members of the District.

The petition from Cascumpee praying a grant for the ex- tension of the Elective Telegraph to that part of the Island, was then taken up. After considerable discussion it was referred toa Special Committee to report next session, generally, on telegraphic communicativa throughout the Islund.

An amendment of the Legislative Council to the Salmon Fishery Bill was then agreed to, viz.: that the penalty for violating the law inetead of being £5, be not greater than £5 nor less than £1,

Hon. Col. Gray, by command, presented a Despaich from the Seeretary of State fur the Colonies, in reference to Australia.

D. Latan, Reporter.

Correspondence,

THE ISLANDER GN CATHOLIC PROSCRIPTION.

To tue Epiror or tur Examiner.

he (Lecror) imagine that we are silly enough to use nicknames when speaking of those who profess a faith which has existed

whose writings, we are sorry to say, savour much more of the | worst class of Spanish Inquisitors in the dark ages, than of | Protestant Ministers in the middle of the nineteenth century.”’

| possessed great influence, and was respected by friends and ' foes; bat alas! how much has its character since fallen in

firstly, from the immutable principles of everlasting justice ;

| } ! | } }

|

TE, Bian

om ~ ———

| appear that we are not free to possess power. It would appear | ueeording to the Islander that our rights and privileges are— to use the shrewd remarks of a friend—** good in theory bat | net in etice, and were made for show and not for use.’’ We make use of our privileges to elect Protestant members to | support the Government, and then when we complain of injus- | tice, our representations are treated with disdain, and we are coolly told that we should have elected Catholics to support the Government, that the majority of Catholics is adverse to ‘the ruling party, and that the ** alarm’’ must be sounded that | we are increasing. We know that sounding the * alarm’’ at the increase of people, is nothing new in the history of perse- ‘eution. More than three thousand years ago Pharao, King ‘of Egypt, finding that the Israclites were increasing, appears | to have said to himself: « [t behoves us to sound the alarm in | time ;’? for we read the following in the Bible : ** In the mean- ‘time there arose a new King over Egypt, that knew not | Joseph: And he said to his people: Behold, the people of the ‘children of Israel are numerous and stronger than we. Come, | let us wisely oppress them lest they multiply, and if any war shall rise against us, join with our enemies, and having over- \eome us, depart out of the land. Therefore he set over them | masters of the works, to afflict them with burdens.”’ Exodus jist chap. It is unnecessary to say that there is a very striking | resemblance between the policy of the tyrant Pharao and that 'which che 28/ander recommends to some of his supporters. We are told by the apologist of proseription that we are free, ‘but incontrovertible facts are of more avail than mere | sophistry. | Twill now content mysélf by noting a single instance of ithe flagrant injustive with which Cutholics are teeated. | The Board of Pducation is composed of seven members—no \ fewer than six of whom are Protestants ; and of these six, four are Ministers ! viz. Reyds. D. Fitzgerald, S. Patterson, T. | Duncan and G. Sutherland, several of whom have made them- 'selves notorious by their envenomed hatred of every thing | Catholic. The teacher of the Normal! School is a Protestant, | so also is the Inspector of Public Schools. Now ali this is a | grievance’? whieh is not ‘* consistent with the morality of ‘she Bible,’ and is undoubtedly ** opposed to the principles of | justice and bonesty.’’ There is nothing of more paramount | importance to our rising generation than the manncr in which | they are educated,—for on this may depend, in a great meas- | ure, their temporal and eternal happiness. Catholics pay a large amount towards the funds appropriated for Edacation — ; they take a deep interest in the manner in which their | children may be educated ; and they have an indubitable right to be duly represented at the Board of Education. If the | Exeeutive were not lost to all sense of decency, impartiality | and justice, that Board would not be constituted as it now is , and the fact would not be apparent to the world—a fact which will bring wel!-merited odium and reproach on the Govern-

| ment—that they have placed under the absolute control of our faith an Institution which exer- |

| the bitterest enemies of | cises a very grea‘ influence in our system of education. Ii \there were three or four Catholic Priests members of the | Board of Education,what a Titus Oateseryof Papal aggression | would be raised ‘* by demagogues and mob-orators’’ through- / out the length and breadth of the land! If Catholics numbered | 39,000, and Protestants 32,000, would the latter be satistied

to be represented at the Board of Education by one layman when the former would be represented thereat by four clergy-

men and twolaymen? Lopine not. Well, will our holy Bible ‘readers endeavuur to put in practice the word of God, and do | unto others as they themselves would wish others to do unio | them?

| Weare aware that the Islander was not the first journal to ‘stir up religious prejudice on the Island. On the contrary, | that paper maintained a noble independence when the Protec- ‘tor, of infamous memory, was grossly attacking Catholics, stirring up sectarian hate and sowing the seeds of puritanical | despotism in this Colony, The thea editor of the /slander | was not pandering to the worst of passions. nor was he soand- ling the ‘alarm’? against Catholics. The Islander shortly before the death of its late editor said : ** He incurs a fearful resoonsibility who induces an elector to abuse his privilege for alleged reasons, having no foundat on in fact. ‘To intro- duce religious, or rather sectarian, squabbles into the manage- ment of our temporal affairs, is to produce discord among the electors, instead of that unanimity upon which the improve- ment of the Colony depends.’ In order to give an instance of the noble, disinterested, independent and spirited manner in which Mr. McLean was aceustomed to treat the bigots to _whom the present editor has been for some time ‘ trackling,’’ 'J subjoin an extract taken from the IJs/ander of the 6th of August, 1858, which is well worthy of perusal :—

‘* We are oblized to the Lxaminer for the following ‘ elegant extract,’ quoted from the P. E. Island correspondent of the , Witness: —

‘ The Islander is a most injurious and unprincipled journal. _ Its politics may not be bad, but its tone with regard to things | religious is absolutely dangerous. It also truckles to Popery. |and aims at bringing about a coalition between the Papists jand Conservatives of P. E. Island, such as now disgraces

Nova Seotia.’

* We do not know who the correspondent of the Witness is; but whoever he is, he hasnot the common sense to see that he is blasting his own character if he haye one, by slanderous

| assertions regarding this journal, which its every reader knows to be absolutely false. not less remarkable than its falsity. How can our politics be good and at the same time disgraceful? With regard to our | religions ** tone,’’ we are not aware that we have done more | than defend the Bible, and suecessfully, too, against the un- disguised infidel attacks of the editors of the Protector.

proud to believe that our ** tone’’ has been ‘‘ absolately dan- gerous’’ to his cloven foot. If ** trackling to Popery’’ consist in permitting every man to worship God according to his con- science, without detriment to his civil and political rights,

and ‘secondly, from the expediency of promcting christian charity, good will and friendship with our Catholic fellow citizens, then are we “ truckling to Popery,’’ but in no other sense. The truth is, the real fault of the correspondent of the Witness with us is that we do not ‘* truckle’’ to the policy of the Rey. Editors and Correspondents of the Protector, some of

About the time that the above was written the Js/ander

more than one sense in the estimation of the pablie! Mr. McLean endeavoured to promote ** christian charity. good will and friendship’’ with Catholics ; the present editor prefers * to sound the alarm.’’ The conduct of the former was ‘« con-

| sistent with the morality of the Bible;’’ that of the latter | may be characterized to use the expression of Montalembert 'when speaking of the part taken by England in the crusade ‘against the Pope—as tgnodie.

I now come to the Islander’s “ much ado about nothing.”’

‘LT isean his ** homily’? on the Land Question, in which I am | very unfairly misrepresented, and in which the editor appears | to be intent upon misleading and deseiving the reader, and | bringing odium on Lecror for his alleged assertions and in-

| consistency | varnished over by a display of his knowledge of the

Such conduct, however, although it may and

Question, is not calculated to win credit with the discerning

|

reader ; and if there is anything in the dispute between us ‘* opposite to the principles of justice and honesty.”’ an intel- ligent and impartial public will know to whom it is to be eer ascribed.

In my communication published in the Examiner of the

20th inst., deprecating the differences at present exist ng be- | tween Catholics and Protestants, I recommended them to act | towards one another with a spirit of tolerance, ry and

: : mutual forbearance ; and calling the attention of the ** Come, let us wisely oppress them, lest they multiply.”’—Exodus. to the fact that the inhabitants of this Colony were divided |

atter |

into two classes—the tenantry and the proprietors, or their oe | agents—lI intimated the propriety of tenants uniting in order Sir—The editor of the Is/ander indignantly asks :—*‘ Does that they might the better be enabled to have redressed by

for eighteen centuries—which is held by hundreds of millions | of the human family. including the larger portion of the in- ‘habitants of envilized Enrope—which was the religion of | Erasmus, St. Vincent de Paul aud of Bussuct, and which is now the religion of the fearless, independent and liberty-loving

knowledge of the antiquity of Catholicity, the fact that

Notwithstanding his indignation and his.

|

jadice Protestants against Catholies; and certainl duct in misrepresenting what I said will not * remove this imputation.

lawful and just means, the grievances under which they ma labor. ire’’ of the editor of the Is/and r. thereat, seeing that it has been, for some time, his apparent

It appears that my remarks have * called forth the fam not much surprised

olicy to keep the people disunited by his endeavours to pre- his con- much to

When I recommended unity amongst the tenantry, it” was

'+* offensive epithets’ or nicknames appeared in the Islander, not my intention to incite them to commit acts against the law

remains incontrovertible ; but enough has already been written | in any way, or to avoid their contracts with their landlords,

int. of the Istander possessed a good deal of knowledge respecting

}

I certainly did think that the reputed editor or to unjustly deprive them of their lands, or to redress their

ievanees ** themselves ;’’ but my intention was rather to

the Catholic religion; bat this knowledge renders him more | induce them to endeavour to get the Land i . 5 ; uestion settled inexcusable fur the very disreputable part which he bas re- by constitutional, just and outidhle means, an to lay aside

If it were some ignorant the spirit of religious animosity and hate.

Saying that the

bigot who was ** silly’’ enough to believe that Catholics were | unsettled state of the Land Question i inci ie | really plotting and scheming for the ascendancy, in order to Sadan ania eee deprive Protestants of their rights, subject the Island to the