PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER.
146
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Hon. LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION—I shall press my
motion. It does seem to me unfortunate that extraneous
matter is dragged into every subject which comes before us, whatever the matter under
discussion may be,
whether it is the Land Question, the Barracks or the
Fisheries, other questions are mixed up with it. The
subject under consideration might be crowded into a
nut shell, and therefore there was no necessity for the
Attorney General to drag in the building of the Barracks or any other matter. I am
prepared to justify
the expenditure of the ÂŁ12,000 laid out by the late
Government in the erection of theses buildings. We
are to look upon that sum as so much money expended
to maintain British law and order, and to put down an
association which, if it had not been checked in time,
would have ended in open rebellion. The result of this
state of things would be, that we would be placed
where the people of this Colony do not wish to be—in
the great Confederation. I move that the resolution
be amended by striking out the words "and contingent
expenses," because there is no necessity to pay a person
one hundred pounds per year to take care of these Barracks. When the hon. member for
Belfast (Mr.
Davies) said the troops were brought here for the
purpose of injuring the character of the people of this
country, and thereby be the means of getting the Colony
forced into Confederation, he stated what was politically
untrue. He knows very well that there were gentlemen in the late Executive Council
who were as much
opposed to Confederation as he himself was, and who
had a great deal more firmness than he has. Among
those hon. members of that Council there was Mr.
Henderson—there is not much of the Confederate in
him, There was also another strong anti-Confederate,
who is now in his grave, and who had more of the blood
of a true patriot in his little finger than the hon. member for Belfast has in his
whole body—I refer to the late
James McLaren. This hon. gentleman who looked upon
with confidence from one end of Queen's County to the
other. He was respected by both Liberals and Conservatives, by Catholics and Protestants
; in fact he
was like Caesar's wife, above suspicion. He was no
Confederate, Mr. Speaker. Will the hon. member
say that John Longworth is a Confederate? No.
Sir. He was the father of those strong resolutions
which were brought into this House against Confederation, and much as I differ with
him on that question, I
believe him to be perfectly honest in his intentions. If
either of these gentlemen had had a shadow of a doubt
as to the intentions of their party in bringing the troops
to this Colony they would have vacated their seats in the
late Executive Council. It is know that if that Council had opposed the calling in
of those troops the Administrator of the Government, for the time being, would
have undertaken to do so, to maintain order and
to uphold British law in the Colony. I too, have
always said that I would ever by any means, by any
back-stair work put Prince Edward Island into
Confederation unless the majority if the people were in
its favor. I would rather cut off my right hand than be
guilty of such under-hand work as to legislate against the
wishes of the people ; but, I presume, the hon. member for
Belfast measures my corn by his own bushel. We, the
members of the late Government wished to maintain law
and order, and there was no other alternative, but to
call in the troops. If the hon. member was opposed to
Confederation, he has proved recreant to his principles,
he has proved to be a traitor to his country. The late
Government lost grounds at the late elections, not on the
Confederation question, but because they opposed the
Tenant League. What did the present Government do
whenever they obtained the reins of power? They appointed the late Editor of the
Examiner to the highest office
in the gift of the Colony, although that gentleman had
denounced the Tenant League and was strongly in favor
of Confederation. We know, Sir, that the Liberal
Party promised the people to appoint no Confederate to
office, and that they were also pledged against Confederation; but a change came over
the spirit of their dreams,
and they gave the Queen's Printership to a strong Confederate. The hon. Attorney General,
who is the real
Leader of the Government, pleads guilty to the soft impeachment that the retaining
of this Mr. Hayden in
office as Keeper of the Barracks, is a political job. I
give the hon member credit for being a moral man and
well read in sacred scriptures, but because his brother
is wrong should be go wrong also? WHat has the
building of the Barracks to do with paying a man one
hundred pounds per year to take care of these buildings?
If the Barracks were left in a dirty state the Government could have remedied the
matter by reporting to
General Doyle who would very soon have caused the
detachment to pay expenses because there is noting the
military are so particular about as cleanliness. The
officers in command will not allow a nail to be driven
without cause, and they cause all damages to be repaired.
But as these Barracks were a necessity, they should not
go to destruction for want of proper care, they should be
given in charge of the Drill Sergeants, who are best
qualified for the offices of keepers. Have the Government got a bond from Mr. Hayden
for the value of these
buildings? If they are burned down when he is out
fishing or when he is about his private business, is he
bound to pay the Government ÂŁ12,000? I very much
doubt that any man would be fool enough to join him in
giving that bond. The Government would be just as
well secured in giving the property in case of one of the
Drill Sergeants who would take just as much or more
care of it than Mr. Hayden, but now comes in the extraordinary statement of the hon.
member for Belfast,
that if the Government had appointed a military man
they would have to pay a Corporal's guard to relieve
him. Well, that is paying a poor compliment to those
who have been soldiers. If his theory is sound we will
not want any more sergeants to red-coats anywhere, but
PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER.
147
I have no faith in his doctrine, we can get the Barracks
looked after at a less cost than a hundred a year. I am
not ashamed to own that the buildings cost a large sum
because they were a necessity, but I do not wish them to
be destroyed now. Although the Tenant League is dead
outside of this House, it has a little leaven inside. But
we hope that the sword will be turned into a reaping
hook, and that these Barracks may yet serve some peaceful and useful purpose. Possibly
the building may be
turned into a Normal School, goodness knows what is in
store for us. If the Government can afford to give a
hundred pounds a year for taking care of these Barracks,
then can get them insured for a larger sum for the same
money as they now pay the keeper. They can get as
much insurance as they like, and, therefore, the buildings might be converted into
an elegant edifice for Industrial Exhibitions for the whole Island. For these
reasons we should keep it insured, and therefore I will
press my motion.
[...]
Mr. MCNEILL.—I do not care about voting money
for these Barracks, but they contain a good deal of
valuable property which might be destroyed or carried
away by evil disposed persons if it is not placed under
the care of a Keeper. I will support the resolution. As
the Hon. Leaders of the Opposition has tried to justify
the building of the Barracks, I will make a few remarks
on the subject, and show why certain individuals offered
so much opposition to the Tenant League. I am sorry
to mention the name of a gentleman who is no more, for
I do not like to bring in the name of a person who cannot reply. The hon member (Mr.
H.) has tried to prove
that the troops were brought to this Colony on account
of the doings of the League, but I can prove that they
were brought here to serve the selfish ends of the Confederate party in the ranks
of the late Government. I
took the late Mr. Whelan's paper for a number of years
before there were any signs of a disturbance, and I can
show that, by his writings, he encouraged the formation
of an association of this kind. And not only did Mr.
Whelan do so, but a Colonial Secretary, appointed by
the late Government, did the same. Mr. Whelan said
that if a few poor devils resisted the law they would be
put down, but if the whole body of the tenantry resisted
in a mass, something would be done, and the Land Question would be settled. The editors
of both the
Islander
and
Examiner were then strong Confederates, and advocated these measures before the people thought
of
uniting for the purpose of obtaining free land at a reasonable cost. But whenever
these two editors saw that the
Tenant League declared against Confederation, they
opened fire upon the association at once, and said that
the troops must be brought here for the purpose of suppressing it. The late editor
of the
Examiner prophesied that an association would be formed, but when he
found that it opposed Confederation, he declared that
the late Government were quite justified in bringing the
troops here for its suppression. But I do not intend to
occupy the time of this hon House about this matter. I
do not think these were the only causes for the opposition manifested towards the
Tenant League for I believe
there were other causes. There was a long spell of
tyranny and oppression, owing to the evils of the leasehold system, and the people
were deluded by political
demagogues, till at last they were out of patience,
and determined to arise in their strength and act for
themselves. I think the best thing the late Government could have done when their
term of office had expired, was to send the troops away, and either to destroy
the buildings or take them down and use the materials
for some other purpose. As matters are at present,
something else must be done with these Barracks ; perhaps
the best plan would be to turn them into a workhouse.
But the building of them at all, under the circumstances,
was a scandalous waste of the public money.
Hon. Mr. DAVIES.—I do not intend to take much
time in making a reply to some statements made by hon.
members on the other side of the House. The hon.
Leader of the Opposition has attempted to justify the
bridging of the troops to this Colony, and gave as a reason for so doing, that Mr.
Henderson and other gentlemen were in the Government at the time, and that the
troops were not brought here for the purpose of disgracing the Colony, to get us forced
into Confederation.
But, I believe a party in the late; Government had those
objects in view. There was a deep laid scheme among
their supporters, which that Government were not fully
aware of ; this was to stir up the people as they did, and
get them to believe that an extraordinary settlement of
the Land Question was about to take place, then to
completely disappoint the tenantry, and thus drive them
to resist the laws, if possible. They would then have a
pretext for sending for the troops, and would try to
make the world believe that the Colony was not ca
PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER.
148
pable of governing itself. When all this was done they
thought to have us forced into Confederation, but they
were miserably disappointed. The people were satisfied
with the provisions of the Land purchase Bill, and the
members of the late Government knew this ; but they
declared that the people were imposed upon by that Bill,
and they made the whole country believe that by the
great settlement of the Land Question, which they
would bring about, the lands of the Colony would be
bought at a price under which the poorest person would be
enabled to become a freeholder. The supporters of the
Conservative party especially believed that the Land
Question was at last about to be settled, but what was
the result ? The people saw that the Award was a
mere sham, and they were exasperated. This was just
what a certain party in the late Government wanted.
They wished to stir up the people to revolt, to show the
Mother Country that the people were not worthy of a
Free Government, and that the Colony should be attached to another country—in short
that we should be forcibly joined to the Confederation. They wished to prove
that the Tenant League was a mean, disorderly society,
but they knew that it was not. I supported measures
which were calculated to relieve the people from the
burden which has been imposed upon them. I do not
act from selfish motives as they did, when they opposed
the League. The Conservative party supported the
proprietory faction, and they deceived the people, not
only about free lands, but about the main object they
had in view.
Hon Mr. LAIRD.—The Government will expend no
more on the Barracks than is absolutely necessary, for
the current year.
The question then being put on the amendment, the
House divided as follows :—In favor of the amendment :
Hons. Haviland, McAulay, Henderson, Kelly ; Messrs.
Brecken, Owen, MacLennan, Ramsay, Howatt, Green,
Prowse, Yeo—12
Against it—Hons. Coles, Hensley, Laird, Davie
Callbeck, Howlan ; Messrs. G. Sinclair, P. Sinclair,
Arsenault, MacCormack, MacNeill, Kickbam, Cameron, Reilly, Bell—15
So the Resolution passed in the negative ; and the
question being again put, it was resolved in the affirmative.
House adjourned for one hour.
I. OXENHAM, Reporter.
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