1
THE LEADER.
REGINA, N.W.T., THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 30, 1903.
STRONG MEMORIALS
Adopted by the Legislative Assembly With Reference to
AUTONOMY &TRANSPORTATION
Premier Haultain Outlines His Position re Party Lines—Important
Amendments to the Liquor Licence
and Hall Insurance Ordinances—
Ottawa Government's Delay Makes
Long Adjournment Necessary.
WEDNESDAY, April 22nd.
The House was in a very businesslike mood to-day and quite a number
of Bills were advanced from first to
second readings and put through committee of the whole.
CONSTRUCTION OF FIREGUARDS.
In reply to Mr. Wallace, the Commissioner of Public Works stated that
1,751 miles of fireguard had been constructed long the C.P.R. main
and branch lines in the Territories in 1902 at a cost to the
North-West Government of $9,309.
The Commissioner stated that early in
1902 an agreement had been made by
which the C.P.R. would pay one-half the
cost (which was $10 a mile), or $5.00 a
mile towards the construction of these
guards and also to pay $2.50 a mile per
year, or in other words one-half, to
maintain the guards each year. The
agreement could be terminated by
either party and the Commissioner
informed the House that the Government had given notice to terminate it
at the end of the present year.
PRESENT A UNITED FRONT.
Mr. Haultain, in moving the appointment of the special committee composed of Messrs. Bulyea, Elliott,
Patrick,
Bennett, McKay, Brown, Fisher,
(Batoche), Rutherford and Haultain to
draft a memorial to Ottawa on the
questions of the constitutional and
financial position of the Territories,
railway transportation, and the public
domain, said it was not necessary to
dwell on the importance of presenting
a united front on these questions. He
believed they were all agreed on the
broad lines involved in these questions,
and also on the advisability of sending
such a memorial to Ottawa. The
motion passed without debate.
Mr. J. J. Young moved for a return
showing the correspondence relative to
the Nose Creek bridge near Calgary
and in doing so said it was a matter of
considerable importance to the people
of his constituency and he desired to
have all the correspondence and facts
brought down in order that it might
be the more intelligently discussed. In
the absence of the Commissioner of
Public Works from the chamber the
Premier said there would be no objection to bringing the papers down.
Dr. Patrick introduced Bills relating
to the town of Yorkton and the Yorkton Queen Victoria Cottage Hospital
and these were read a first time.
Mr.
Rutherford introduced a Bill to amend
the Ordinance incorporating Strathcona, which was also read a first
time.
The Bills to amend the Ordinances
incorporating the Regina Victoria
Hospital, respecting marriages, the
Calgary General Hospital, and the town
of Moosomin were each read a second
time and passed through committee of
the whole with some minor amendments to the latter one. The Bill to
amend the Ordinance incorporating
Calgary also passed its second reading
after a brief explanation of the object
of its clauses by Mr. Young and was
taken up in Committee of the Whole.
QUESTION OF PARTY LINES.
Just before the Speaker left the
chair
Mr. Wallace (High River) rose to
a question of privilege and said:—In
connection with certain action taken
by the convention recently held at
Moose Jaw in favor of the introduction
of party politics into this House, the
matter was put to me at a public meeting very bluntly a short time ago in
the form of a question 'What action
do you intend to take with regard to
it.' My answer was short. I said I
had every confidence in Premier Haultain and would continue to have confidence in
him so long as he continued
in the same course he had previously
followed and until he had made a public statement to the contrary. I think
it is due to the people and to himself
that the Premier should make a statement regarding his position and I
would ask him for a short statement as
to what he intends to do in the
matter.
Mr. Fisher (Batoche) said he considered it important that the House
should have an explanation from the
Premier. They had every confidence
in him as Premier and were also confident that he had governed the affairs
of the country satisfctorily but he
thought an explanation from him was
due.
PREMIER OUTLINES HIS POSITION.
Premier Haultain in reply said:—I
should have liked to have kept this subject out of the discussion of the House
in exactly the same way as we kept the
discussion of federal party politics out
of the House. But now that it has
come up I cannot complain of the
spirit or manner in which it has been
introduced. It has confirmed my belief that the hon, gentlemen with
whom I have been associated in the
House in carrying out the pledges I
have made to them, to the House and
to the country, still extend their confidence to me. I am not myself aware
that any public statement is necessary
but I am perfectly willing to make it
and I believe it will be satisfactory
both to the members of this House
and the country at large. From the
earliest time in the history of this
House there has been a practically
unanimous opinion on the part of the
country that this House in addressing
itself to the business entrusted to it
should not introduce questions, names
and cries which had nothing whatever
to do with the particular business in
hand. That has been the policy of the
House and of the Government and the
principle on which I have been elected
from year to year and on which I have
been so loyally, and practically unanimously, supported both in the House
and country. It is quite unnecessary
for me to say that at the last election I
went to the country, on the same
ground, and I can merely say to the
5
THE LEADER, THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 30, 1903.
STRONG MEMORIALS
(Continued from page 1.)
House and country at the present
time that I propose to carry out the
important duties which have been
intrusted to me, faithfully and resolutely, and fulfill the pledges I have
made to my constituency, to my colleagues, to the Legislature and to the
North-West Territories.
In regard to the convention which
the hon. gentleman has mentioned, I
am not going to stop short at the statement I have made. On the question of
Dominion policies I take the ground
the I, in common with every member
of this House, reserve to myself the
right to have and to hold and profess
my own political opinions in regard to
national or other matters. I do not
consider because of my position in this
House that I am thereby practically
disfranchised. I claim the right to
exercise, and will exercise to the
fullest extent, the liberty of speech and
action and opinion with regard to
federal matters, subject to the promise
that I will not introduce them into
local affairs.
IS A LOYAL CONSERVATIVE.
With regard to the organisation
which was created at Moose Jaw, I had
the honor of being elected its honorary
president. I do not propose to shield
myself, as, perhaps, I might, behind
what is purely an honorary position.
By accepting the honorary presidency
of the association then formed I may
be held to be in general principles of
the party to which I have the honor to
belong. A political party according to
Edmond Burke, is a body of men united to promote by their joint endeavors
principles they are all agreed upon. I
am not bound to approve of
every detail of the policy of the
party to which I belong. The
party may in the opinion of some
of the members be wrong in certain
directions without forfeiting in any
degree the loyalty of those members.
Every party in Canada is quite broad
enough and big enough to allow differences of opinion in its ranks. A political party
represents a large number of
individuals and it would be perfectly
unreasonable to suppose that every
member would be agreed on every
point. That would be to deny actual
facts and actual experiences and actual
circumstances.
The Preaner then referred to the
condition of both political parties in
England who, at the present timme,
different amongst themselves on very
large and important pricniples, and
then went on to say: With regard to
my position with the Conservative
party I am in thorough unison with it
on an questions of principle, and am
confident and believe that its members
are just as strong now as they were in
days of either success or adversity and
that its principles are just as sound and
good. But the policy of that party and
those principles have nothing whatever
to do with my position in this House. The
country must be satisfied that I will
faithfully and sincerely and impartially
do my duty up front and trust on the
times. I have given time and time again
to my constituents, my colleagues, to
the House and to the people of the
Territories generally. The House then
adjourned.
Fisher,
Charles
Wellington