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i rangement was an awkward one to > f those who _ performed _ the _ special offif;éol';lll' ':fifg :la lgtttf'lto?;(tingt%fo"mfiy ' function of criticising the conduct of the biest meinber of gthe House. "and uotwith- f Government, because the information which ; a 4 a | they required to perform that duty intelli. enc t.he M o oninoiee wl "'3 No | gcxftlv was not in their bhands. That difi. member for f&outh bhpcoe, he (M.r. l'g'a_sc'r) \ culty was much increased by the uncertain-- would exercise that right freely in criticis-- ty as to the time at which Parioment would ing the uttcrances Og t'hat hon. gcntl)emgn be called together. The date nt which the go long as ho keyt within the rulos of Darlia« House should assemble was not fixed by law mgnt. (Hear, hear.) I:Tnfo'rtunntel.y to?' orotherwise, and in the case of the present for that hon. g'e,ntlcmnn, it was not m, his Government, the practice was anything but (Mr. Macdougail's) power to prevent the ex-- | | uniform, He thought that the Departmental ercise of that right, or to prevent any mom-- Reports and the Public Accounts might be })cr fro'm calting 'his remar!cs objectionable, | produced during, and at least bcforP the mid-- :)ff tt;::g o l?:'cr;ec liet cortxlsig;ercdau tol\nebe » i T W & w (tillx(; ?if\t:ho atpmi("l'.l'itch'c:;l:;" ';&'(';'""l:'ég how anxious that gentleman was to be re-- | : called togethcr, and that there was garded as mvariqbly speaking ex cathedra. | £0 real" obstacle in the way. _ Under He scemed to think, forsooth, that because the present system the Public Accounts for of his Parliamentary and other experience, 1876 would be placed iu their hands in the everything he said was boyom} denial or midst of other@@nd multifarious duties, and question ; that when h:' condescended to i they could not, therefore, give them that make a statement nobody 9"&"" to dispute | E. attention which they deserved, and which it, because he fancied that in so denying or could be given them if thore was a shorter so questioning his assertions they were interval between their presentation and the rl]fllmg his dignity and coming between transactions to which they they had refer-- him apd the reputation of n;fu'lhbxhty he ! ence. _ The proposed sy stem would have the was himselft so fond of sustaining, but re-- ; effect of shortening the session very consid-- gz_nr.dmg wlnch,un'fu.rtunutely, there was some erably, and they might possibly be able to d{ilcrexxce of opinion among olhcrs\ than | get through before tho thirty days himself.} (IHear, hear, and lunghtcr!. Bo were up. (Laughter) He had always long as he (Mr. Fraser) had a scat in the $ noticed that when -- Reformers wished House he would venture when he differed to oppose any proposed reform they from _ that _hon. gentleman's opinion ? took refugo behind tho Constitution. to tell wherein that dllf«'r}:ncc consisted ; : With regard to this particular matter, he did and to tell him before his face, when he not think the change would (to use the could defend himself, and not when he was ' words of one of the writers on the press) absent from his seat,. (Hear, hear, and ; « blow a hole in the Constitution." And, sup-- cheers.]) 'That the hon. member for South | posing that the Constitutional practice had Simcoe should undertake to tell them--and y been in another direction, if it were thought he did so over and over again in his oblique expedient to change that practice the Legis-- way--that because he had long experience lature could change that practice. IHo con-- in Parliament, because he considered sidered that the abstract of the Public Ac-- himself an authority on Parliamentary counts was not sullicient for tho practice, that they must not dispute his | purposes of criticism, as it was gener-- statements or call his opinions in question ally the details of these accounts that was a piece of such amazing audacity--or if ' required to bo closely looked after. the hon. genileman considered that un-- When the Reformers were in Opposition | parliamentary he would say such an amazing they agitated in the direction of this very | piece of boldness (hear, hear, and laughter) change, and a great improvement in the | that he (Mr. Fraser) was surprised to find * time of presenting departmental reports was even the member for South Simcoe assum-- made in consequence thereof, Ho wished ing such a position. (Laughter.) It was to refer to the almost constant violation of the right of any member, however humble, what he (Mr. Macdougall) deemed to be the to refuse to be dictated to by even that hon, | rules of Parliament by the Minister of Public gentleman, and to challenge even his state-- l Works in imputing motives to members on ments if they were incorrect. the Opposition side of the House, and using | Mr. MACDOUGALL -- Nobody denics g'rl\]parilm(xlulemm:yulatnlguagc t'(l)wm'ds 'thcm.} that. C d ieara that non. genticman charac-- 1 a + + v + tcrisyo eccrtain mclubcml> as _ unreasona--| Nr, FOANT En L nnt o obooy detied ble, and certain resolutions as false, that, he would.'hkc to know why the ®hon, and he bad usod _ other language gentlcl_nun wln.xcd'(ho hoped that was not f which was certainly unparliamchmry. unpar}lrmncrvltary,_ A tnd . rthoay pou ho They had found the hon. gentleman, on itl.xatxlgl)t'\fznfl asserted. _ (Hear, hear.) It another occasion, calling in question the l mtlhct s'tumgc,l t:;(,)' tist as hon; gonllo votes and proceedings of the House, and he ?lfllll \iv io was :110 uda\l)l 'to'lfv,:u'ote' Auax, who | j (the Speaker) thought that that, too, was s neune nevry retuoinenn, We s regular | scarcely justifiable or within the rules of 'mfl \\'hat Was nrcgulzu,'wllo .cnlled upon the Houso. For his own part, he refused ;'11. Speaker tp exercise his qlltllor;ty, to be lectured by that hon. gentleman, or to ale)ul(l protect him, n.nd_ should lnm§clt in accept his ipse dizit, as to what was or was this very dc!mto lhavo violated a parliamen. not objectionable. He was willing to leave tary rule which was very strongly insisted his utterances to the opinion of the House upon by all the authoriMes, vis, : the one and of the country. He knew very well which prohibited a reierence to a previous that cverything from that side of the debate, (Hear, hear.) Not only so, but House was considered objectionable by the the hon. gentleman lhad misrepresc uted-- Commissioner of Public Works, and that he would not say wilfully, but so high an when any motion 'was brought forward authority should not misrepresent, even un-- _reflecting on the conduct of the Govern-- intentionally (hear, hear, and laughter)-- ment that gentleman relied on his supporters his hon. friend the Attorney--Gencral in an to vote it down, which they necordingly did. argument that hon. gentleman hbad used. They very often found the supporters ot the The leader of the Government had not Government kicking resolutions offered | said that it would be a breach of the Con--| from that side out of the House and very stitution to bring these roports down ear-- shortly afterwards supporting the Gov-- lier, but he had argued that it was a Con-- ermment in _ adopting the -- principles stitutional practice, old_us well as new, that of such resolutions, _ With -- regard to these reports should first be presented to the resolution _ under (iiscu::si'nn, he the people's representatives in Parliament thought the Government should bring assembled. (Hear, hear.) These reports their influence to bear on the printers and were made to the I.wutcu.unt-'uovcrnor; by have the public accounts ready at as early a the theory of the Constitution they were day as possible. made secretly, and they were sent down to Mr. MOWAT--We aro doing that ; we aro Parliament by His Honour's orders, pressing them hard. Mr. MACDOUGALL--Well, send them Mr. MACDOUGALL said, on the strength down ; that's what we ask. » :lt:f:lll';::ll't'b?::)r::;:)cc'l;{"tllw lch(:r&)fthc Gov-- Mr. FRASER said that the resolution ' Te (M'r Miwe ?l:t( 'ua 'wnl.dlmu for North asked more than that, It asked that when rcsoylutioz.l eighton) would not press the Parliament was not sitting, when its mem-- * bers woere nothing more in the eye of the constitutien than private citizens, these