THE NEWFOUNDLANDER
St. John's, Thursday, February 9, 1865
1
TUESDAY, Jan. 31.
The house met at three o'clock.
Mr. GLEN presented a petition from Gregory Morris
and other inhabitants of Witless Bay, which was received
and read, praying that a certain cove in Witless Bay
º be reserved as a place of 'refuge for their fishing
craft.
Mr. GLEN, in moving that the petition lie on the table,
would observe that Witless Bay was much exposed to
easterly gales, which proved very destructive to fishing
craft; and the cove in question was the only place where
they could take shelter. It was, therefore, of great importance to the people that
it should be reserved for their
use. An endeavour was now made to claim it as private
property, and he thought it was the duty of the government to interfere for the public
interest.
Hon ATTORNEY GENERAL, in seconding the motion
for the petition lying on the table, would state that the
hom member showed him the petition previous to the presenting it to the House; and
had pointed out to him the
proper course in the matter. It was not a matter for
the Government to interfere. Let the petitioners prefer
an indictment at the Quarter Sessions for the district.
There was a number of them, and the expense would be
trifling. They could then have it tried whether any private party had any right of
property in that cove.
Mr. KENT.-Fishery rights throughout the colony
should be preserved inviolate. It was obviously of the
utmost importance to the petitioners, for the safety of
their fishing craft, the cove in question should not pass
into private hands. What were the Attorney General
and Surveyor General paid such magnificent salaries for,
if they were not to look after the public interests?
Ordered that the petition lie on the table.
on motion of
Mr. WYATT, pursuant to order of the
day, the address in reply to the Governor's speech was
read a second time.
Mr. WYATT moved, pursuant to notice, that the
rules of the house oe suspended in reference to the address.
Mr. KENT—The address embraced matters of great
importance It would be well to proceed in the regular course, and not have it committed
until to-morrow.
Hon ATTORNEY GENERAL-The address being an
echo of the speech, as was usual with such documents,
there were several paragra hs on which there would be
no difference of opinion. They might proceed with these,
and let that on which hon members might wish, for discussion lie over until to-morrow.
The motion was put and carried.
On motion of
Mr. WYATT, the House resolved itself
into Committee of the whole on the address, Mr. KNIGHT
in the chair.
The first and second sections of the address were read
seriatim and adopted. Ine third section was read referring to the subject of poor relief.
Mr. E. D. SHEA said that paragraph was not in accordance with the speech, which recommended assessment
in the several districts for the support of the poor.
In the reply the Government swallowed their own words
and deprecated his Excellency's suggestion. They said
there were difficulties in the way of its adoption. He
(Mr. Shea) congratulated the Government on their conversion to the views of the opposition
on that question.
The matter was fully discussed last session. The soundness of the principle was admitted
on this side, but we
said it was not applicable to the circumstances of this
colony; and that paragraph of the address virtually said
the same thing. A Bill was brought in last session providing for assessment in certain
districts, Hon members
on this side expressed their views fully on the subject, in
opposition to that measure, and some members on the
Government side of the House coincided with them, and
the Bill was consequently withdrawn. And now, while
the Governor was advised to recommend having recourse
to assessment, the Government tell him that such a course
is impracticable in this Colony. He (Mr. Shea) did say
that paragraph was a distinct and clear and unmistakaable amendment on the Governor's
speech, proceeding
from the Government, or at all events, from members
possessing the confidence of the Government.
Mr. KENT.—The centripetal and the centrifugal forces
of the Government had in this matter been acting in direct opposition to each other.
The hon the leader of the
Government had last year endeavoured to force the Poor
Law Bill down the throats of his supporters, but they
were reluctant to swallow the pill. He was realizing the
position of all leaders. His supporters were restive, They
were kicking in harness, and the hon gentlemen experienced the
difficulty of driving four in hand-Could anything be more strong or more emphatic than the advice
given them from the throne on this subject, advice
sanctioned by the leader of the Government and the
Executive? What did it mean? That the present
system should be discontinued, as it, led to imposition
and corruption in its worst forms. At present it was a
boon, a premium, instead of a relief. This was no new
matter. Last year the Government introduced their
Poor Law Bill and held it aloft, as high as Caesar ever
held his Commentaries; and were to stand or fall by it.
But the supporters of the Ministry, would not sustain
them in passing it, and it was withdrawn. The same
proposition was now a second time laid before the Legislature, a committee was appointed
to prepare an address
in accordance with the views of the Executive; and they
actually give that proposition a direct negative. They
say that though the principle is a perfectly sound one,
we are not in a position at present to apply it. They
acknowledge the pauper relief is an ulcer in our social
system, and yet they would not vote for any measure that
would tend to alleviate it, and improve our condition.
Was the learned Doctor aware that when he signed that
Report he was passing a direct censure upon the Government He (Mr. Kent) would ask
hon gentlemen
opposite whether they intended to support that address?
Were they to have two sets of opinions, if this were
an ordinary case, he (Mr. Kent) would not mind it.
But it was a matter that plunged the
country deeper in
debt, year after year. It was sapping, the vital energies
of the country; and never was this House so strongly
called upon to renunciate its opinions as at present. But
the committee had given the question the go-bye, and
the Ministry sat in a state of coma, whilst a direct negative was given to the proposition
of the Exectuive. What
did the Executive members say to it?. Were they
satisfied with the menace- "Eat thy pudding slave and
hold thy tongue."? If they were desirous of playing the
part of spirit rappers, let them sehd for the Davenport
brothers, to relieve them from their present state of
embarrasment. They certainly were in an unenviable
position, and he would let them enjoy ther fame. He
(Mr. Kent) did not begrudge it to them.
Mr. TALBOT-That paragraph required some attention.
He must observe that it was not at all what he would
expect to be the language emploved in addressing the
Governor. The address was in perfect contrast to the
elegant and classical language of his Excellency's speech.
With respect to that paragraph, he might observe that it
was not respectful towards his Excellency for the Govvernment to address him in that
manner, after advising
him to recommend assessment for relieving the able- bodied poor. But the address altogether
was not such
as should have emanated from the Select Committee
acting in unison with the Government. He (Mr. Talbot) would take a fisherman from
the streets, and he
would draw up a more suitable reply than that address.
One of those fishermen whom the members of the government would trample upon, would
produce a document
couched in a style superior to that address. And as to
the Government already departing from the course
announced the other day in his Excellency's speech; it
was to him (Mr. Talbot) no matter of surprise; for, it
was well known that their chief object was to preserve
their places; and if they found their supporters would
not sustain them in the matter of assessment, they were
ready to abandon it, as they did the poor Bill last session.
The Government were becoming more infatuated every
year. If they differed in opinion from the Governor, it
was their duty to resign, and make room for others who
would give his Excellency reliable advice respecting the
actual wants and circumstances of the Colony, The
sound principle was to assess the districts for the support of the poor, but he (Mr.Talbot)
had no hope that
the present, government would have the manliness to
grapple with the growing evil of pauperism, and bring
in a measure in opposition to the wishes of some of their
influential supporters.
Mr. Prowse was delighted to find that the hon member who had just sat down, had became a convert
to his
Excellency's views on the subject of poor relief. But he
(Mr. Prowse) would like to see the hon member set
forth these views to his constituents. They were sound
and correct views; and he (Mr. Prowse) rejoiced to see
them enunciated by his Excellency. He (Mr. Prowse)
expressed these views last year, and he held them still,
whatever difficulty there might be in giving, effect to
them in this Colony. He (Mr. Prowse) would like to
hear every hon member of that House who had opinions,
express them openly. He recollected that in conversation with the hon member, a few
days ago, he expressed,
in glowing language, his admiration of Confederation
But because certain parties out of doors were opposed to
it, he dared not give it his support in that House. The
fisherman would find by-and bye who were there friends.
They would not be misled by interested parties to believe that their interests would
be sacrificed by confederation, and that the object of its supporters was to sell
Newfoundland. There was a certain amount of clamour
raised amongst a class of the population on the subject
of pauper relief; and, in consequence, the hon member
dared not express his views on that question. He (Mr.
Prowse) must say the he had great respect for the hon
members's ability, but he had very little respect for his
courage.
Hon. ATTORNEY GENERAL did not think that hon
gentleman distinctly understood the meaning of the
passage in either the speech or the reply. They had
certainly not expressed themselves as if they understood
them. When the Poor Law Bill was introduced last
session, these two hon gentlemen opposed, it with all
their might. The Bill was withdrawn for further consideration, and up to the present
time the opinions of the
hon gentlemen were thought to be the same as they
expressed last session. He was glad that such a happy
charge had come over the spirit of their dream. It
would appear, from the observations of these hon
gentlemen, that however distaseful a measure might be
during the administration of one Governor, it was a
highly desirable and beneficial one under another. Here
we had actually a formal recantation of the heterodox
principles expressed by hon members last session.
The honorable member, Mr. Kent, openly avowed
that he had been mistaken. He believed now
that the only way to remedy the existing evils of the
system of pauper relief was by assessment. He (hon
Attorney General) was pleased to see the hon gentleman
in such a frank and manly way, acknowledged his
mistake. The hon members object to the address
because they say it does not go so far as the speech.
He (Attorney General) did not think it was open to any
such aspersion. Undoubtedly there were obstacles to
every useful measure, even to Confederation.—There
was not one act, unless it might be some measure of a
common place character, that conduced to the remedying
of any evils, or aimed at any important improvement,
that did not a first present difficulties to its being carried
out. But when difficulties were in the way of any
measure, the benefits of which were in the future, no
doubt it was impossible for small mind, to comprehend
how they were to be overcome. The address said
simply that we entirely assented to the principle, but
that there were certain difficulties in, the way of its
successful application, which we would endeavour by
careful consideration to overcome, and confer upon the
country so desirable a boon. If the address had said
there were insuperable difficulties in the way, then it
would have been open to the construction put, upon it
by hon members opposite. It was all very well for hon
gentlemen to endeavour to mistify and confuse. The
thing was perfectly understood. Difficultles did exist,
and this House could not shut their eyes to their existence. He was glad, however,
to see so many hon.
gentlemen now in favour of the measure, and he felt
satisfied that the paragraph in question would be adopted
as it stood in the address.
The motion for the adoption of the section, was then
put and carried.
Committee then rose and the Chairman reported
progress. To sit again to-morrow.
The House tnen adjourned until Wednesday at 3
o'clock.
This individual participated in:
