UNION OF THE COLONIES.
Upon the motion to take up the order of the
day,
Mr. ANNAND asked that the debate be deferred in consequence of the arrival of the mail
steamer from England, which had brought him
important correspondence requiring immediate
reply.
HON. PROV. SEC. replied that the Government
were desirous of pressing the matter to a conclusion, as the Session had far advanced.
It was
well known that gentlemen opposite desired delay for the purpose of creating an agitation
of the
most discreditable kind.
Mr. S. CAMPBELL supported the proposition
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DEBATES AND PROCEEDINGS
for an adjournment of the debate.
Mr. MILLER called attention to the fact that
the
Morning Chronicle, in publishing his recent
Speech on this question, had omitted a considerable portion of it. It was of great
importance
that this debate should be fairly sent to the country, and he trusted that the paper
referred to
would receive no portion of the grant for publishing the debates, unless this matter
was remedied.
Mr. ANNAND said he was not aware of the circumstance until that moment. He should be
ashamed if any one in his employ could be guilty
of the act intentionally. He would request that
the Committee on Reporting and Printing investigate the matter. He did not see why
the
debate should be thus forced on. Some time
ago he had asked the Government to define their
policy on the question, and the answer given was,
that they had no policy until after New Brunswick had taken action. It would be impossible
for him to remain in the house that afternoon.
Hon. PROV. SEC. said that no one could say
that justice had not been done to the hon. gentleman in this debate—as to courtesy,
he, Mr.
Annand, was entitled to none, for he had been
representing a majority of the house as corrupt
and venal. He, Pro. Secy., was not prepared to
accept the statement that private business interfered with Mr. Annand's attendance,
for that
gentleman had spent the morning in the streets,
and had made no secret of his intention to postpone the debate.
Mr. ANNAND rose to reply; but upon interrupions coming from the galleries,
Mr. S. Campbell
said he "saw strangers in the galleries," whereupon they were cleared.
MISCELLANEOUS.
When the galleries were re-opened,
Hon. PRO. SEC. laid on the table a copy of a despatch relating to the assumption of the government
of Nova Scotia by Sir F. W. Williams.
Also a copy of a proclamation relating to Sanitary and Quarantine regulations. Â
Hon. ATTY. GEN. introduced a bill relating to
treason and seditious practices. The bill, he
said, was a copy of the 11th and 12th Victoria.
UNION OF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES.
The adjourned debate on the bill to repeal the
act relating to the Presbyterian Church of the
Lower Provinces, was resumed.
Mr. ROSS said: He was once told that a man
who changed his politics more than once was a
very doubtful character—but the man who twice
changed his religion, was not to be trusted. His
colleague had shifted his course so often in politics and religion, that it would
be hard to find a
place for him, and even in the census he had
been compelled to put himself down as belonging
to the Church of Scotland. That gentleman had
not dealt honestly with the house in making
some statements, when it was known that years
ago before the union took place, he left the Free
Church for reasons well known to the people of
Victoria, and with which he did not think it [...]
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DEBATES AND PROCEEDINGS
[...]
Mr. ARCHIBALD asked what would be
thought if two sections of any denomination
agreed to unite and the House resolved that
they should not do so? That was the position
of this case; not a man connected with the
united body had voted for the bill excepting
the Attorney General who was the counsel of
the claimants. The rule which the House had
just laid down would, if applied to some other
churches, rend them to the foundation.
Mr. C. J. CAMPBELL said he wanted nothing
more than the strong expressions and threats
of Mr. Archibald to convince the house that
the bill would pass. It seemed as if that
gentleman could not get sufficiently strong
terms of abuse to apply to him, Mr. C., and
the Inspector of Schools. For his part he was
content that the hon. gentleman should abuse
him, for such abuse did not affect him in the
smallest degree. He had understood the hon.
gentleman to threaten the house with a Presbyterian ascendency — that showed that
the
union was merely for party purposes. What
matter was it to the house what Church, he
Mr. C., belonged to? 300 persons had petitioned and had declared and shown that
their proty had been taken from them. He himself
had seen the cemeteries referred to locked.
The bill would not take a penny from the united body, its object was to repeal an
obnoxious clause which gave them property that they
never paid for. He came there to represent
his constituency, and to state the claims of any
parties putting them in his hands, and did not
care how many were opposed to him if he was
right. He felt himself hardly equal to the task
of combatting gentlemen on the other side with
all their ability, for he could with difficulty
speak the English language, but the remarks
of Mr. Archibald showed that this was the
greatest defeat of that gentleman's public life.
That gentleman must have felt the strength of
the case laid before the house, when he had
declined the challenge to argue out the question, and had been ashamed to further
his own
progeny , being obliged to get another member,
the hon. member for Inverness, to do the dirty
work.
Mr. BLANCHARD said it was very seldom
that any member even condescended to such
ungentlemanly, indecent and contemptible
vituperation as that which had just been heard.
Nothing better, however, was to be expected
from the hon. member for Victoria. That gentleman had said that he could not speak
the
English language—that had been abundantly
proved, and the words he used were only fit
for the arena of the fish market. The next
time he spoke as he had done he would receive
a still more severe reply.
Mr. BLANCHARD then withdrew his notice
of motion to rescind, on the understanding that
the bill would be again opposed on the motion
for the second reading.
MISCELLANEOUS.
HON PROV SEC'Y laid on the table the Report of the Fruit Growers' Association.
Also a petition in favour of assessment for
support of schools.
Mr. ARCHIBALD presented a petition for
the establishment of a new post road in Colchester county.
Mr. BLACKWOOD presented a petition from
Commissioners and Trustees of Stirling district, in reference to a school-house which
had
been destroyed by fire.
Mr. STEWART CAMPBELL asked the government to lay on the table any correspondence in
their possession in reference to the abandonment of the Quebec scheme.
Mr. ARCHIBALD introduced a bill to amend
chap 72 of Revised Statutes, respecting Commissioners of Sewers.
The House then adjourned.
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