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Tnurspay, 27th March. AFTERNOON SITTING.

wOUER IX COMMITTEN ON ADDRESS IN anewsah TO HIS EXCELLENCY'S SPEECH.

Dr. Janpive in the Chair.

Mr. Cougs, in reply to Mr. Yeo, said shat, whatever might be the character of those papers to which the hon. member had referred, as containing evidence of the evils resulting from Responsible Go- vorament, and the ruin rapidly overtaking those Provinces in which it was in opera- tion, a very sufficient refutation of their assertions was to be found in the amazing jaerease which had taken place in the Revenues of those Provinces since they had heen under the controu! of Responsi-

ie Government: he alluded particularly te Canuda and Nova Scotia. Ifin New Brunswick the system had not been found to work well, the fault lay with the Re- presentatives of the people, who by their eonsenting <o the formation of a coalition rovernment, had betrayed the interests of tne people. ‘The hon. member (Mr. Yeo) ad jeeringly alluded to the majority’s having locked up the public chest as he phrased it. He (Mr. Coles) was ouly eor- ry, that they had sot hed it in their power

mora effectually to loca it for it ap peared t 13) ’ the care which th r2ople's rooney & ippropél- nied wit’ { approba- tion, a8 €X; ° represen-

t¢ Chest, to the amour of vO and £8,- 000, had been coammics oy the Govern- ment since > cloeu of the Jast legislative session. Aihough the Legislature had provided, by a clause in the Civil List Bill, passed in that session, that the Bill should not eo into operation, unt} Re- sponsible Government should be fully egaceded to the Colony, end brovzht into operation, yet the Government aad dared to put their hends into the public chest, ja direct violation of the prohibition im- posed by the Representatives of the peo- ple, and bad regularly paid the quarterly salaries of all the Government officers, according tothe scale set forth in the Givi! List Bill of 1849, which was enacted for onty one year. The money which the Government had unfairly abstracted from the Public Chest, they pretended to have taken under the colour of the sinc- tion, which they alleged was afforded for auch a proceeding, by the appropriation elause of the Permanent Revenue Act. That clause, however, if rightly interpre- fed, imparted no power to the Govern- ment to adopt the course which they had parsued. ‘That clause directly appropria- ted the movies arising from the duties imposed by the Act, to the repairing of Public Roads, and the establishing of Ferries; and although it also said for snch other uges as the Governor, with the advice of hie Couneil should think fit to4 appropriate them; it was guite clear that they could not, without ® direct violation of the Act, be appropriated to anything but the Road Service, until that service bad, in the first place, been duly provided for. ‘The warrants which under the al- teged sanctiva of that Act had been mranted by the Government upon the Treasurer, were, he believed, get vet psid, although accepted by him; and it would yet be found that their payment eould not be legally made without the sanction of the Assembly; farby the Re- yenve Bill of the last end previous year, the Treasurer is under a penalty of £1000 ever aud above the amount paid, if the

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paid in the appropriation Bills of those years, {t was indeed time for the Repre- sentatives of the people to lock up the Public Chest, when it was found that the Government itself had commenced a sys- tematic robbery of it. He was, indeed, surprised to find that such a Government should dare to look the Representatives of the people in the face.

Hon. Sou. Genera, after having in the commencement of his speech, advert- ed to the peculiar sitnation of the mem- bers of the Government who held seats inthe Assembly, as being in the minorit7 ; on whom would, otherwise, have fairly devolved the duty of preparing and bring- ing forward the draft of an Address, in answer to His Excellency’s Speech; and to their being obliged, by the evident want of intention on the part of the ma- jority to move first in the matter, to as- suime the discharge of that duty, lest the delay in answering the Speech might ap- pear like digrespect to the Representative of Her Majesty; said it was true, that with the proposed amendment the House would have chiefly to deal; but in con- trasting the original with the amendment, it might be permitted him to say, that it contained no threat, either direct or im- plied. Inhis opinion, whatever conces- sions might be looked for hereafier, the House had no right to seek to embarrass a new Governor, at the very commence— ment of his administration, by presuming ty dietete to him, and requiring him in effeet ta disregard those instructions. (eam the Imperial Government, which had heen givm to him for bis guidance, with respect ta the settlement of a most im portant question; and which he was bound to observe The hon. member for Queen’s County (4dr. Coles,) had said that [Mis Rxcellencr did not expect, that the House wotld proceed to the eee and detertination of certain portant qitestions fo which His Excellency lad d:- reeted their attention, until those conces- sions shonld have been made to them, which Sir Donald Campbell had thought proper to refuse: but he would like to know what part of his Excellency’s Speech admitted this construction? The hon. member (Mr. Coles) had not hesitated to question the propriety of the reference or allusions made by his Excellency to the censures passed upon the House by the late Governor, both with respect to their having neglected the prosecution of the public business, and their having waived the consideration of those impor- tant subjects, affecting the interests of the North American Colonies to which he had directed their attention; and also touching the objectionable nature of the Revenue Bill. And the hon, member (Mr. Coles) had also said that His Excel- leney’s Speech had not been submitted to his Council, Whether the Speech had, or bad not been submitted to the Ex- ecutive Council; and whether he, (Hon, Sol. General,) had seen and read it, be- fore its delivery, or not-—were facts upon which he did not choose to enlighted the hon. member. It was sufficient for him to say, that the Speech had his full and hearty concurrence, so far as it embodied His iExcellency’s opinions, Indeed soe cowpletely did it embrace his own views, that had he himself been requested to write it, he could not have satistied him- self with 8 better expression of his own opisions. But to proceed more imme- diately to the point, the hon. member({ Mr. Coles,) had said, that the Speech contain- ed no declaration from whichiit could be understood or inferred that it was His Excellency’s expectation that the Llouse would proceed to remedy the omissions of the last seasioa until he should have carried the proposed concession so far ae

CHARLOTTETOWN, APRIL 21, 1851.

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{is IS TRU® LIBERTY WHEN FREE-BORN MEN-—HAVING TO ADVISE THE PUBLIC~MAY SPEAK FREE.”—Mirron’s Evripipes.

Vol. 2 : No. 2.

(the Hon. Sol. General’s) opinion, the fact was quite the reverse. [is Excellency in his review of the proceedings of the House in the last two sessions, had not only adopted the language of his prede- cessor in the Government, but arrived at the same conclusion. He had taken up the broken thread as it fell from the bands of Sir Donald Campbell, and he occupied the same position, with respect to the great question at issue, in which Sir Donald stood at the close of the ses- sion in May fast. He had told the House that he could not assent to a Revenue Bill open to the same objections as the last passed by them. He had told them that their Civil List Bill which provided that the Act shall not go into operation unless a systein of Responsible Gaverne ment, similar to that now in force in the Provinces of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, shall be granted to, and established in this Island, could not re- ceive Her Majesty’s confirmation. He had told them that Responsible Govern- ment would be granted, but only on cer- tain conditions which it would be neces- sary to embody in a Civil List Bill; and if members were capable of giving the most evident interpretation to the clearest and most unambiguous language, they would at once perceive that the only course open for them to pursue,was to pre- pare to passa Civil List Bill in accord- ance with his Royal Instructions; and that when they had done so, they might expect the immedixte sutroduction of the Responsibie System, but not betore. The hou, member (Mr. Coles) tad tsken to hinselt and his party the creditol caving achieved a complete victory. He ({lon. Sol. General) could na, hawever. see any thing that the hon, member and his parry had to boast of. Lnsiead of having won the battle, or made One step towards suc

cess, since the close ef the last session, their course hed been rather retrogrece, than progressive. With bis usual viru- lence, the hor. member hac assailed the characier of the Jate Governor; but tasy as it would be to repel the imputations of the hon. member, he would rest satisfied with merely remaskisg that such a course was to be expected from tim, as perfect- ly in harmony with his vindictive feelings, it was, perhaps, searcely to be wondered at, that the bon. member should be plagued with the most annoying recol- jections of the superior tactics of Sir Donald Campbell; ty which he had been so completely bafiled in all his own subtle and crafty designs. There never was a more beautiful illustration of checkmate, than when the hon. member and his party were outwitted by means of their own providing, the Revenue Hill of the last session. They were fully aware of the extremely unconstitutional character of the Bill; and they had brought it forward and carried it, im the full expectation that Sir Donald Campbell would refuse his assent, and that his refusal would afford them sufficient political capital to engage nearly all who had stood aloof from their cause to join therm in their outcry against the Lientenan’ Governor and his Council, Checkwated in this play, they then tried another scheme. They gave His Excel- lency notice that they were ready to be prorogued. They thought be would re- fuse to do so; and leave them thereby a profitable cause of complaint, but they were mistaken, and again checkmated. fle took them at their word and gave them tie permission they desired, and allowed them to go about their business. As to the charge preferred against the Govern- ment by the hon. member (Mr. Coles,} to the effect that they had been using or expending the public money without the sanction of the people, and in contra-

vention of a law, that wae easily answer-

; a ce ed. The accusation shewed how very

little judgment and discernment were possessed by men who thought that they could outwit Old Nick himself What had been done by the Goverriment in the payment of official salaries, they had done constitutionally, by virtue of the express- ed law of the Colony, and they were sus- tained on that head by the highest legal authority. ‘The hon, member (Mr. Coles) was, nv doubt, very sore on the subject of the Treasury, for he found, much to his disappointment, and vexation, that at the iate quarterly examination of the ‘Trea- sury, ata time when the late Treasurer was said to have ebsconded from the Ie- lund, that the public money was found te be all correct, and perfectly safe to the utmost farthing of account. This was indeed a Jamentable disappointment to the hon, member (Mr. Coles). His de- clared confident anticipation of a disco- very of serious defaleation on the part of the Jate ‘i'reasurer, had been to him a subject of triumph and self-gratulation; but, alas! for his hopes of a fruitful source of agitation, the investigation took place, and all was found to be complete and right. As to the manifestation of public feeling in favour of the Responsi- bles, of whieh the hon. member (Mr. Coles) had just boasted, he (Hon. Sol. Ge- neral) thought he had but lite to plume upon, on that score. It was well kpown that when a people were all, or generally actuated by a common feeling with re- spect to uny publle question of interest, ihe manifestations thereof were as spen- taneows as the ascent of vapour OF the fatiof dew:—promptings urgings, and sulicitations were not needful to-cell forth a displey of i; bui, on the contrary the general excrement broke forth even @l- though efiurts might be had recourse to for is suppression. Tt was very different when Members of the Assembly went roum (be country im search of popularity, and hud recourse to every means in their power fo asseinbie a crowd of people, and draw from thea, under the character of @ public meeting, a declaration approbatory of their public conduct, or in favour of any public measure which such membere inight be desirous to see carried into effect. It was very well knowu how easy it was for such huaters after popularity to collect, here and there, a core or two individuals, prone to convivislity, who, on acold day, would much rather diseuse something more cheering and exciting

than take part, from any publie or patrs- otic feeling in a stale political discussion ; but who would, nevertheless, when pro- perly warmed on such an occasion, freely cheer and throw up their hats im honour of those who had assembled them. Such demenstrations, however, were no evi- dence of the general feeling and wishes of the peopie. In fact,they were rather the reverse; for the industricus, the sober-

minded, reflecting, and respectable por- tion of the commuuity, on whom it at all times, depended to give effect to pubhie opimion, were not to be found amongst those numbered at such meetings. Judg- ing from the amendment which the hoo member (Mr. Coles) had submitted, and which as having the concurrence, (for se he had said it had) of the majority, would be adopted for the Address in answer to His Exceliency’s Speech, it seemed as if the majority felt disposed (o His Exce}- lency, stripping their sentiments of the flimsy veil thrown over them by the style of respectful phraseology, “ So, you Fee, Mr. Governor, we, the mighty Assem)'y of Prince Edwart Island, are not to be dictated to, either by you or Earl Gres, or even by the Queen hereelf. We will listen to no council but our own. We regard net your instractions, and we defy

| yourself, We have the whip in ovr band

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