THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS SECULARIZATION

“The great discordance of opinion on the subject [of the Clergy Reserves] expressed by the different Cabinet Ministers explained the mystery that had hung over the action of the Government.”—North American, November 20th, 1851,

AN: HE session of 1850 was opened by the Governor at GS Toronto on Tuesday, the 14th of May. The place of 4 meeting was in the old Parliament Buiïldings on Front Street already mentioned; being the identical structures now used for Parliamentary purposes by the local Legislature of Ontario. Considerable expense had been incurred in renovating, refitting, and decorating the chambers respectively assigned to the two Houses, both of which presented à most tasteful appearance. The weather was delightful, and the streets were crowded with strangers who had arrived in the city to witness the opening ceremonies. It was remarked by the local press that art had combined with nature to celebrate in a fitting manner the reëstablishment of a Parliament in the old capital of Upper Canada, The Speech from the Throne referred to the important changes which had recently been made in the Imperial Navigation laws, and expressed a belief that those changes, and the improvements in the Provincial canals, would materially tend to promote the commercial interests of the Province. Gratification was expressed at the improved position of Canadian securities in the British market; and it was announced that an Act passed during the last session of the Imperial Parliament had conferred upon the Provincial authorities

entire control over the internal postal arrangements in British North America. The importance of establishing free trade between the various British North American colonies was referred to, as was also the project of reciprocity with the United States. A few of the proposed measures of the session were briefly touched upon, but there was no allusion to the question of the Clergy Reserves—an omission which caused no little dissatisfaction among the advocates of secularization.* The Speech, as a whole, was practical in its tone, and indulged in fewer vague generalities than are commonly to be met with in such compositions.

The debate on the Address in Reply occupied about a week in the Assembly,+ and was marked by exceptional virulence on the part of the Opposition, which consisted of three separate parties, having no sentiment in common except hostility to the Government, First in importance came the Conservative party, numbering about fifteen members, with Sir Allan MacNab, John A. Macdonald, Henry Sherwood and William Cayley at their head, Next came the Clear Grit representatives, five or six in number, including Malcolm Cameron, Peter Perry and Caleb Hopkins. Then there were Mr. Papineau and the Rouges. In addition to these three parties there were four or five members who, like Colonel Prince and Henry John Boulton,f called themselves

* “We cannot conclude this notice without referring to the absence of the Clergy Reserve question from a place in the Speech. We need not say how much we regret that it is not to be a Ministerial question ; but we are free to state our conviction that if a difference of opinion does exist in the Cabinet on this subject, the Reform party of Upper Canada would not have justified those members who feel strongly with them upon it in retiring from office at this moment. Mr. Price has already announced his intention of bringing up the subjects of the Clergy Reserve and Rectories as open questions, and we trust and sincerely believe both will be satisfactorily settled during the session.”—(Gobe, Thursday, May 16th, 1850,

+The Address passed almost without discussion in the Legislative Council, where a single vote—that of the Hon. Thomas McKay—was recorded against it.

+Mr. Boulton had been returned by a Reform constituency (Norfolk) as a supporter of the Government, and had been recognized as such until a short time before the opening

Independents, and who sometimes voted with, and sometimes against, the Government, Among the earliest of the numerous

amendments proposed to the Address were two series moved respectively by the two gentlemen last named. Those of Mr. Boulton sought, among other objects, to obtain a declaration by the House in favour of retrenchment in the public expenditure ; of the application of the elective principle to members of the Legislative Council ; and of such a readjustment of the Parliamentary representation as should give to each section of the Province a membership proportionate to the population. Colonel Princes amendments were directed to the abolition of the Court of Chancery, and to a condemnation of the Executive for dismissing from office various signers of the annexation manifesto.* All these amendments, together with many others, were voted down by varying majorities, and the Address as a whole was finally carried on Monday, the 27th, by a majority of 44 to 14. Mr. Papineau continued to avail himself of every opportunity of embarrassing the Government, and displayed à rancour which widened the breach that he had already created between himself and the more moderate of his compatriots. Sir Allan MacNab also exceeded his wont in the acri-

of the session. His now appearing in the ranks of the Opposition was partly due to the Government’s having refused to appoint him to a vacant judgeship. He was entitled to some consideration at the hands of the Ministry by reason of his services in the cause of Responsible Government, and he would doubtless have made an efficient judge ; but there were episodes in his past career which had not tended to make him respected or popular, and so much influence was brought to bear against him that his claims were passed over, and the vacant position was filled by the appointment of Mr. Robert Easton Burns.

* Before moving these amendments, Colonel Prince had presented a petition signed by ‘“numerous respectable Canadians,” praying the House to address Her Majesty with a request that Canada might be relieved from her dependent state, and allowed to become an independent sovereignty.” Mr. Baldwin regarded the petition as quasi-treasonable,

and moved that it should not be received. The Colonel defended its reccption with great volubility, but Mr. Baldwin's motion was carried, in a House of 64, by 57 votes to 7. The minority consisted of Colonel Prince hinself, Malcolm Cameron, L. J. Papineau, Ben jamin Holmes, Jacob De Witt (Beauharnois), John McConnell (Stansteal), and J. S. Sanborn (Sherbrooke County). \

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23 von tra tr qu étant he

210 The Last Forty Years.

moniousness of his opposition throughout the session, He revived the subject of rebellion losses, and alleged that the measure of the preceding session had been the direct cause of the annexation movement, Some of his public references to Mr. Lafontaine’s alleged connection with the troubles of 1837-38 were positively gross in their rude personality. His course during the entire session was simply splenetic and ill-tempered, insomuch that he alienated the support of some of his old colleagues. Colonel Gugy, who had always «p to this time ranged himself among the ultra-Conservatives, now aypeared in the rôle of a supporter of the Ministry. His secession from the Conservative ranks was announced for the first time during the debate on one of Mr. Boulton’s amendments to the Address. In the course of that debate Sir Allan struck right and left in his rancorous denunciations of Ministers and their policy, and even went so far as to refer to the Governor-General as having “shut himself up in his own particular cell at Monklands for three months, instead of riding into town every day and doing his duty.” Afcer a few pacificatory remuarks from Mr. Merritt, who commented upon the impropriety of dragging his Excellency's name into the discussion, Colonel Gugy arose and formally announced that he could no longer support the policy of the gallant Knight from Hamilton. That hononrable gentleman, he said, occupied a high position, in which he had the power of doing much good to his country, and of advancing its highest interests; but in his place that night he had not shown a proper sense of his position. He had only display 4 an anxiety to wound, to lacerate the feelings of those opposed to him, The honourable member, perhaps, had not so intended, but there was little doubt that it would go abroad that he approved of the scenes of violence which had passed before their eyes last year, of which no Christian man, no man of good feeling coul:1 help disapproving. He (Colonel Gugy) declared that he was forced to create this breach with his friends, and that the act gave him