2
THE NEWFOUNDLANDER.
ST. JOHN'S:
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 1869.
ON yesterday at two o'clock the Legislative Session was opened by His Excellency the
Governor
with the accustomed formalities and with the Speech
which appears below.
Mr. Godden, the new member for Harbor Grace
spoke eartinently upon the leading points of the
Speech, endorsing specially its Confederation policy.
He was assailed by Messrs. Renouf and Hogsett, both
of whom decried Confederation, abused the Government for not having supplied seed
Potatoes for the
poor, and while appearing to approve of the Proclamation discontinuing able-bodied
poor Relief,
claimed for themselves the credit of having forced
this step upon the Government. The Attorney- General replied, defending the course
adopted by the
Government on the potato supply matter, and showing
that such aid would have been a mischievous waste
of the public funds. He further showed that some
members opposite, instead of having any claim to
credit for the stopping of assistance to the able-bodied
Poor, had done their utmost to force its continuance
upon the Government. With regard to Confederation, he reiterated the favourable opinion
he had
always entertained upon the question, which however
he would reserve for discussion at a more suitable
time when Resolutions upon it would be submitted to
the House. Mr. Prowse and Mr. Parsons also spoke,
the former in favour, and the latter against the proposal of Confederation.
The House having chosen a Committee to draft a
Reply, adjourned to Monday.
The following was His Excellency's Speech:—
Mr. President and Honourable Gentlemen of the
Legislative Council.
Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Honourable
House of Assembly.
For the fifth time in my administration, of the
Government I have the pleasure of meeting you to
resume our Legislative duties; and I am happy to
remember that nothing during this period has interrupted the harmony of our intercourse.
The past year has not been marked by any special occurence. A beneficent Providence
has
protected us from epidemic disease, nor have we
had occasion to lament disaster such as that of the
devastating gale on the coast of Labrador in 1867.
But beyond exemption from misfortune, our gratitude is due for the good average result
of
the chief occupation of the people in the codfishery, both at Labrador and on the
coast of
Newfoundland. We have been favoured in the
abundant yield of the Potato Crop, which is so important to the mass of our population,
with less of
blight than has been known for may previous years.
And the price of provisions, which was unusually
high in the early months of last year, has greatly
declined, to the advautage of our community who
must import the chief necessaries of his. All these
circumstances have produced a consequent inproved
condition for those who have practical industry and
frugality.
The depression of Trade and the comparative
failure of the Crops and Fisheries for several past
years, had, notwithstanding all the guards at the Command of the Government, caused
large and increasing expenditure, in sustaining the able-bodied poor
thereby adding an annual aacumulaiton to the [?]
Debt, for which no adequate return could be exacted.
The impossibility of year by year providing from
our source of revenue for the [?] drafts was
becoming more manifestly plain. They must necessarily lead to indrease of taxation
to sustain the
credit of the Colony, and bear very heavily on the
truly industrious and frugal. There was left no
alternative to the Government but to issue a notification that reliance must not in
future be placed upon
obtaining support from the Government. By the
advice of my Council I published a Proclamation on
the 9th June that relief would thereafter be confined to the sick and infirm, and
to destitue widows
and orphans; so that others who had been in the
habit of trusting [?] Government for support
might in time provide themselves with subsistence during the next winter. Timely warning
was thus given
with due publicity. Many have profited by it and
made provision for their necessities, and all might
more or less have done so. It has been providential that the resources at the command
of the
industrious operative during the past favorable season have enabled and justified
the Executive in
abiding by the Proclamation, and the provision for
employment which in many cases resulted from
the determination of the Government will doubtless
be productive of vast benefit to all interested; and
all are interested in the suppression of the gigantic evils which, in the words of
the Proclamation,
are shewn to have been produced by a periodical and
gratuitous distribution of food, in the destruction of
every feeling of self-reliance and of all motive for
industrious effort.
Many have been added to the numbers of
those availing themselves of the Act which was
continued, during the last Session, for the reduction of pauperism by promoting the
cultivation
of the soil, but yet fewer than might have so
aided their other means of livelihood. The additional means of subsistence thus afforded
by land obtainable free of charge by those who are willing to
labor, in every district of the Colony, of which the
occupation is facilitated by the bounty offered and
ready to be paid by the Government on the cultivation of the soil, whilst affording
present compensation, would surely be most conducive to permanent
independence.
Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Honorable House
of Assembly:
The usual annual Estimates and Accounts shall
be laid before you without delay. The collections
under the Revenue Act of 1868 have not been equal
to the escimited amount, though larger than those
afforded by that of 1867. I rely upon your making
due provision for the public service.
Mr. President and Gentlenen of the Legislative
Council:
Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Honorable House
of Assembly:
During a regent visit to England, I had opportunity for personal communication with
Her Majesty's
Secretary of State upon the questions connected with
the 'French Shore.' to which your memorials of last
Session referred. You will be glad to be assured
that the subject is receiving the careful attention of
Her Majesty's Government and that His Grace the
Secretary of State had adopted measures to resume
negotiations with the French Government for
the purpose of arriving at such an amicable
understanding as would give effect to the views
embodied in the Report of the Joint Communittes of your Honourable Houses made during
the
Session of 1867 and adopted by you. I trust
that it will not be long belore these negotiations are
completed in an arrangetinent which will be advantageous to both parties, aud while
ensuring the due
observance of Fishery rights under treaties will remove all obstacles, to the application
of capital to
mining enterprises in any places on the coast where
it may promise to be remunerative. In anticipation
of the formal agreement which has been proposed to
the French Government, I bave been acquained by
His Grace, the late Secretary of State, that he approves of the policy indicated in
Lord Carnarvon's
despatch of the 7th Deceuber 1866, that no action
should be taken which can in any way be construed
into an interference with the French in the exercise
of their Fishery rights, and is of opinion that this
policy should be adhered to; but it appears to His
Grace that the restriction placed has perhaps been
construed more widely than is necessary. I am informed that His Grace sees no reason
why grants
should not be sanctioned in the interior of the Island.
although near the Coast included in the French
limits, provided that no right is granted which will
enable buildings to be erected upon the Strand, or
which would cause the French to apprehend any
interruption to the full enjoyment by them of
any of the privileges belonging to their Fishery
rights.
There is an increasing number of applications for
mining licenses of search, as well as for Timber
Cutting, many of which I shall now consider myself
authorised to entertain; and any works which may
consequently be put into operation must necessarily involve the investment of capital
and employment of labor. With reference to this subject I
suggest to you that it will be expedient to make some
new Statutory provisions in respect of Licenses or
Grants for Timber cutting, with regard to which the
existing law is insufficient.
In accordance with the provisions made during the
last Session for the conveyance of the Mails between St. John's and Halifax. I have
entered into a
contract with the Liverpool, New York and Philadelphia Steam Ship Company for this
service, for
the period of three years, from the 15th of July
last, at the rate of £9,000 per annum, of which one
half will be defrayed by the Imperial Government.
The arrangement has received the approval of Her
Majesty's Government. The performance of the
service up to this time has been found to be generally satisfactory, and the vessels
employed unexceptionable for the purpose. I shall cause copies of
the Agreement with Messrs. Inman and Company
to be laid before you.
The great question of the expediency of Union
with the Dominion of Canada still remains for your
judgment. Your decision upon the principle involved, and consideration of the terms
under which
such an arrangement will be desirable, can scarcely
be longer deferred with advantage to the community with whose interests we are charged.
I believe
that public opinion has reached a stage which is ripe
for dealing with this subject in a spirit of calm and
deliberate investigation. Whatever may be the
diversity of views entertained and promulgated by
different parties, it cannot be disputed that the
issue of this controversy must be one of signal importance to the future destinies
of this community.
I do not underrate the magnitude of the interests involved, but I have never concealed
from you that my
dispassionate consideration of the proposal induces me
strongly to believe that those interests will be promoted by Union with the progressive
communities which
now form the Dominion. I have no reason to doubt
what I have stated to you on former occasions that
the Government of Canada is disposed to meet in a
spirit of liberality, any suggestions which may ema [?] from you. The essence of any agreement which
should be mutually advantageous must be its equity,
and own self respect will prevent any demands
being made by us which would place us in the position
of an artificially protected dependency when desiring
to form an integral part of a trans-atlantic portion of
the British Empire daily increasing in wealth and
importange.I recommended anew the whole subject
to your careful thought, in confidence that it will
receive your attention. The renewal of the Treaty
of Reciprocal Trade with the United States is a
matter sure to obtain the best efforts of the Government of the Dominion for its settlement
on satisfactory terms at no distant date, but it is useless to
disregard the fact that the present financial position
of the Colony precludes any hope of our being able
to avail ourselves of any such arrangement unless as
forming part of the Dominion, and this circumstances
alone shows the weighty character of the question
you are called upon to decide. We cannot remain
aloof from the Union without being compelled to impose much higher taxation upon the
labouring classes
for some years to come than any likely to be
raised by the Parliament of the Dominion. Before any final arrangement can be completed
opportunity will be afforded, for, its acceptance
and ratification by the Constituencies. But it rests
with you if you agree that Union is desirable, to
devise the best means of arriving at satisfactory
terms with the Government of the Dominion. When
these are concerned, the Imperial Act provides the
mode of admission to the Dominion by order of Her
Majesty in council upon such terms as shall be expressed in Addresses from the Parliament
of Canada
and the Legislature of this Colony, and shall be
approved by Her Majesty.
I will not detain you longer from the discharge
of your duties. Conscious of their high importance,
I pray that the Almighty Ruler of events may guide
you in your deliberation.
His Excellency's speech is one of much more than
ordinary importance, embracing, as it does, a distinct
proposition to deal with the great question of the day,
as well as for the satisfactory information contained in it regarding our laud rights
on the French
Shore. On the former matter, we have no doubt whatever that the proposition of Union
on reasonable terms
will be sustained in the Legislature by a sweeping
majority. It has come to be admitted by all who
reason on the subject that the exigencies of this
country now demand some remedial measure from
without—something too radical and comprehensive
to lie within compass of any merely local expedient
that can be devised. In Confederation alone are
we offered this means of meeting the requirements
of our condition; and we are therefore confident
that the wise and practical suggestions of his Excelleney's speech will meet that
response which
sense and intelligence must dictate to a people
whose vital interests are involved in the speedy settlement of this question.
and ine, eas.
bodied pour,
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The
Duke would resign his candidature in-favour of "his
eldest son, under the guidance of a reg-nºy of three
members. . Such an argument woule affºrd sufficient
time for all questions of imaortance to be settled in
such a manner as would not prejudice the prestige of
the Par. the future monarch. The Inparcial states.that...at
ºf Barcelona, of ſorty-seven successful candidates for
* The details of the elections at Madrid show that
24,000 votes were given to the: auonarch.ca candi;
favour, ºf - - - - - | made provision for their necessities, and
Holloway's PiLLs.--D'sorders of the kidneys,
water, cau bû arrested, in their
ment,of eigulation, characteristic of kidney disease,
perience had proved thé almost unvaried success oh
: KEEP The SroMich Right.—The stomach is a
When relaxed, irritated, or in any way disordered:
ła few doses of Radway's Regulating Pills, acting as
in our adver
f gº ºſmºlº, |
sion was opened by His Excellency the Governor
by the Hon. Dr. Winter, seconded by the bon. Mr.
Mr. Godden, the new member for Harbor Grace.
clamation discontinuing able-bodied poar Relief,
A N'D ER:
t * * * * , * *
Many have profited by it and
cessarily lead to increase of taxation to sustain the
r_n, and to destitute-widows.
;: " ,
