152 PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER. 1873
FORENOON SESSION.
FRIDAY, May 2nd.
Hons. Pope, F. Kelly, Owen ; Messrs. John Yeo and Arsenault were appointed a Committee
to prepare the draft of an Address to the Lieutenant Governor, praying His Honor that
the resolution contained in the Report of the Committee of the whole House on several
despatches and other documents, transmitted by message to the House, on the 25th of
April last, connected with the Confederation of this Colony with the Dominion of Canada,
may be carried into effect.
Hon. Mr. POPE, Chairman of the Committee, reported the draft of an Address to His Honor the Lieutenant
Governor, praying that His Honor will be pleased to give effect to the resolution
adopted by the House. Said Address is as follows :—
1873 PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER. 153
To His honor W. C. F. Robinson, Esq., Lieut. Governor and Commander in Chief in and
over Her Majesty's Island Prince Edward, and the dependencies thereunto belonging,
Chancellor, Vice Admiral and Ordinary of the same, &c,m &c.
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOR—
The House of Assembly having had under their consideration several despatches and
other documents transmitted by message to the House of Assembly on the 25th day of
April last, connected with the Confederation of this Colony with the Dominion of Canada,
came to a resolution on the same, a copy of which is herewith submitted.
The House respectfully requests that your Honor will be pleased to give effect to
the said resolution.
The Address was then ordered to be engrossed.
Ordered that the same Committee who prepared the Address be a Committee to wait on
His Honor with the same.
House in committee to take into further consideration all matters relating to roads
and bridges.
After some time spent in Committee, the Speaker resumed the Chair, progress was reported,
and leave obtained to sit again.
House adjourned for one hour.
Hon. Mr. POPE, as a member of the Executive Government, presented a message from His Honor the
Lieut. Governor, asking that the House, at its rising to-day, do adjourn until the
12th inst.
Hon. Mr. POPE presented return of Sheriff of Queen's County for a member to represent the City
of Charlottetown.
Hon. Mr. POPE and Mr. John Yeo conducted Hon. Mr. Brecken into the House as the member so returned,
who being sworn in at the Clerk's table, was introduced to the hon. the Speaker, and
took his seat.
Hon. Mr. BRECKEN.—Mr. Speaker, having been a few days outside of the bar of this hon. House, and thereby
having had an opportunity of listening to the debate, I now feel constrained to express
the hope that henceforth our discussions may be more than ever distinguished by calmness
and forbearance. We have reached that period in our history when we may well pause,
and review the past. We have passed through an ordeal. We have had our angry discussions,
and in these, I too, have taken my part. But we are now on the eve of becoming a part
of the Dominion, our former subjects of contention —many of them at least—were of
small moment, they may be compared to smelt fishing when contrasted with the importance
of fishing in the deep blue sea. It does not become us now at so important a crisis
in our history, to belittle one another, and thereby overlook the true interests of
the country. Depend upon it, the Dominion will respect us in proportion as we respect
each other. In discussing such an important question, I think it a great pity that
any allusion was made to side issues. The School Question, for instance, was dragged
into the discussion. For my part I could not see why it should have been referred
to at all. I am willing to forget and forgive, and to put my feet upon the many calumnies
and unjust reproaches which were cast upon us ; and I believe, now that Mr. Pope's
Government has been allowed by Providence, again to attain to power to show to the
people of this Island and the neighbouring Provinces, that the charges made against
that Government were untrue. To show that notwithstanding all the
154
PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER. 1873
late Government said about Mr. Pope
and his friends not sending the Railway
Bill to the people, yet they rushed the
Branch Bill through the Legislature.
and have let the contract, while not
one, save Mr. John Yeo, opposed such
a course. An evening or two ago, a
few of us received invitations from
His Lordship Bishop McIntyre to
attend an examination at one of his:
schools. We went, and I have under
stood that the matter was brought up
in this House. Has it come to this
that a public man cannot be present
at the examination of a school, where
the pupils, mere youths, or lads, exhibited a knowledge that was exceeding creditable
to their years, and an
acquaintance with Euclid in the problems they worked out which showed
they possessed a knowledge of various
branches that would do credit to a full
grown man. It is time public men
should rise above such narrow-mindedness. As to the School Question, no
Catholic ever spoke to me on that
subject. I hope the time will soon
arrive. when in our Legislative Halls,
all political questions will be discussed
without referring to Catholics and
Protestants. Let us drop the hatchet,
and henceforth, if any of us attend
seminaries of learning, let us not do
as the hon. member did with the
speech of Col. Gray, which he circulated by the thousand, and won his
election in consequence. Nor in the
future, if public men attend examinations of schools, let not such a circumstance
be dragged into debate in the
House of Assembly. I do hope the
time for all such exhibitions has forever passed away.
MR. LAIRD.—Mr. Speaker, when I
came from Ottawa last spring, I made
the same request in the Market Hall,
which the learned Attorney General
has made now. But how was my request received? Was it taken in
good faith ? No, I regret to say it was
not. On the contrary the hon. mem.
her and his friends took it up as a
party question, They discussed it as
such, and dealt with it wholly as a
party matter. For my part it was my
most sincere and earnest desire that
Confederation should have been discussed and carried wholly upon its
own merits. When I was away they
had so much to say about me, that the
grander and sublimer aspects of the
question were entirely lost sight of.
No doubt, Sir, it is a matter for regret
that Confederation, pure and simple,
was not considered wholly upon its
merits. With respect to the learned
Attorney General, during my canvass,
Col. Gray brought him into my District to curse me, even as Balax
brought Baalam to curse a certain
people, but be blessed me all the while,
I really feel that the hon. member
rendered me much service in my canvass.
This individual participated in:
