The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

It being six o'clock, the Speaker left the chair. Atter recess, e Mr. MOWAT resumed the debate by say- ing that Sheriffs who Were elected to the House of Commons could not with any show of propriety continue to exercise their duties in the latter position during tho three or four months when the House was in session without neglecting the duties attached to the former position. In their own Interest, and not from any Quixotic desire to nuance matters for the House of Commons, it was not desirable that such an oilice should be held by a member of the House of Commons. The honourable mover of the resolution had only been able to justify his motion by referring to three cases in which members of the Ottawa House had been appointed to temporary employment by the present Administration in this Pro. vince. lie (Mr. Meredith) had entirely failed in pointing out any case in which such persons had been appointed to pertntb- nent ottices. There was no ground for con- tending (and the hon. gentleman had not contended) that there was any permanent office which a member of the House of Commons could not fill as well as anybody else. lie proposed briefly referring to the three caries Mich had been enumerated. The first was that of Mr. Mills, who was em- ployed by the Ontario Government to pre- pare a paper on the boundary question. He was selected because he had previously given some attention to the subject; and he was considered to be a most fit person to make the necessary investigation. lie had done so; ably, in two volumes-the second being a digest of the first, with con- siderable additions. There was, therefore, fact had not been thought tmiticientto disqualify them from doing their duty ih the House. It appeared to him to be ex- ceedingly ridiculous to display so much anxiety about the Independence of the House of Commons that they should pass a resolution about it. The Reform Government had always acted on the opinion that it was not expedient to appoint a member of the House of Commons to a permanent oiiice to which an annual salary was attached, simply because his duties " a member would occupy a considerable por- tion of his time. Mr. MOWA'l' denied that the principle contained in this resolution had ever been declared by the Reform party in either this or the Dominion House. Although the hon. member disclaimed the intention of con- demuing the Govcrnmont, he had tuld the [louse that in three instances the Govern- ment had appointed gentlemen to positions which they should not have done, and the resolution would, of course, condemn them for so doing. The resolutions moved by Mr. Blake were entirely different in character from this one, their purpose being to secure the independence of this House. He was not attempting to deal with the ques- tion of the independence of tho House of Commons, that being clearly a matter with which the Ontario Legislature had nothing to do. It was a matter within the keeping of the Dominion Legislature alone. It might or might not be proper to lay down the rule that the Ontario Government should not avail themselves of the services of a member of the House ot Commons; but at any rate it was never laid down by the Liberal party. There were persons in this House who held municipal oiticess, and that his resolution referred, and which was based on principles which were admittedly sound. This Govemment had, however, ignored the principles they aftirmed when in opposition by paying money to Mr. David Mills, M.P., in connection with the boun- dary case, to Mr. George Ross, in connection With the MOdel Schools, and to a gentleman, a member of tho House of Commons, who had acted for several years as a Crown Counsel in Toronto. Ha reterred tothe fact that the Dominion Government had embodied the principle contained in his re- solution in the Independence of Parliament Act recently introduced,nnd read an ex- tract from Tm: Gwen favouring that mea- sure. He did not introduce the resolution as one of want of confidence in the Govern.. ment, and he asked every member of the llouse to endorse it. Mr. LAUDER said he could see no reason why the amendment to the tunend.. ment should not prevail, or why mem- bers opposite should vote against it. When they were out of power they ob- jected to a member having a seat on the tloor of the House because he was an arbi- trator bctween municipalities, but new thinzs Were changed. He said that Mr. Mownt had been doing all he oould during: the past year to stu-ugtlwu the Dominion Government, and the Governments Wore running together. He ctoritvtulrd that it did not matter murh to which (hwvrunu-n: the member belonged so long as he on.» a member of the party. Mr. FRASER said that he "we uttrgnfwvi It the hon. membcrmho Mats the mu: hhocli- Mr. MACDOUGALL (Simcoe) said that the Government at Confederation had de. cided thataman could not sit in both Houses, and the logical sequence of that fact was the present resolution; and the question now rm, whether either House, by its action in conferring patronage on any member of the other, had given rise to any abuse. After criticising the appointments referred to, he said that a certain suspicion always attached to such appointments. What he took exception to in the honourable member's resolution was, that it per- mitted of temporary employment be- ing given, which might be abused. lie maintained that they had every interest in maintaining the, independence of the Do- minion Parliament. He therefore moved in amendment to the amendment, " That the word 'annual' be struck out and the word ' temporary' inserted in lieu thereoi." - a'--u one"! BULL" work to that particular 'lei't"ci'di'. Mar-r Ross was the second case. He was employed temporarily to arrange certain matters for the establishment of Model Schools; and he was appointed to the work because he Was a member of the Central Board of Education, and eminently fitted for the task. The remaining case was that of Mr. Irving, 12.C., who had been appointed to the Crown business: in the City of Toronto. The House would not care to discuss the comparative merits of profes- sional men, and he did not think his hon. fricnd would desire to do so. It had been urged by the prcSent and Fast Governments that it was desirable, as far as possible, that the Crown prosecutor should not be a resi- dent in the district in which he acted. The exception to the, rule for many years was l that of Mr. Mackenzie; but when he was ' elevated to the Bench it was thought not to l be expedient to continue the exception any longer. The discharge of the position in Toronto required a much longer period of attention than a similar position elsewhere. Mr. Irving had considerable time on his hands, and he was not a resident in the county. Since his appointment he had dis. charged his duties in such a manner as to be spoken of in the highest terms. The duty had been performed by him at least as well as it could have been by anybody else. .It would not have been in the public inter- est to have precluded the Government from appointing these three gentlemen to the particular positions which they had or do now till. lie was satisfied that the Govern- ment had acted rightly in making these up. pointments, and therefore objected to the morion as it stood. In order that the House should have an opportunity to express an opinion upon the matter, he would more, in amendment, that all the words after " that" in the original motion be struck out, and the following words substituted in lieu thereofr-llust it is not expedient that hereafter any person, whilsta member of the House of Commons or the Senate of Canada, shall be appointed to any permanent or an- nual oftice or employment in the service of the Government. of the Province of Ontario, at the nomination of the Crown, or of the Lieutenant-Governor, to which any salary or fee, allowance, or emolument in lieu of salary is attached, other than to such an oftice as coroner, justice of the peace, or notary public." (Cheers.) special reason . . "J. 'L ",,.A - f0? gIVIng that peculiar