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Mr. HARDY said the hon. gentleman's friends had stated that he was to be their leader. t The same hon. gentleman had' condemned the action of the House with re. I gard to the indemnity, and by implication i condemned his own triends, and particularly i his predecessor, the former leader of the" Opposition, who had favoured it. (Hear, hear.) With respect to the contention of the hon. member for I'eterlroroagb, that the House would cease to e.xist on the 2nd of February next, he argued that the House was not properly constituted until all the writs issued at the last general elections were returned, including that of Algoma. Tao hon. member tor I'etorborough had taken the ground that the House was com-- plete on the 2nd of February; but the only direct precedent they had was that of the, Parliament of Quebec, as far back as 1820, 1 during the time of Sir Peregrine Maitland. The Parliament was called together before the writ for (iaspe had been returned, and the House, on that account, refused to transact any business. He contended that the writ tor Algoma not being returned on the 2nd of February, 1875, the House was not then complete, and consequently the present House would not be defunct four years from that date. His hon. friend had also referred to the re. , arrangement ot the constituencies, and designated " as a great crime. The organ of his hon. trieuds opposite had advocated j legislative union, and hon. members in the ' House had proposed to abolish their owui constituencies when they proposed to limit the number of members. Ho challenged hon. members opposite to go to the people upon that subject. It was the good old Tory doctrine of restricting the rights of the people. Headviscd those hon. gentle- men who were going to weed out constituencies to begin at home and abolish their own. Ho denied the i statement that the Iooplo of Ontario I wero the moat governed in the world. The State of New York had a House of 128 members, and a Senate of 32, makin r anotal representation of 160, with a port ulation of 4,382,000. Pennsylvania had a House of 191 members, a Senate of 50, and a total of MI, with a population of 3,500,000. Missouri had a llouse of 143 members, and a Senate of 34, in all Vit, with a population of 1,721,000, almost the same " that of Ontario. Massachusetts had a House of 240 members, and a Senate of 41,with a population of 1,600,000,letnstltaa that of Ontario. He ingtanced other States whose representation was ina similar pro. portion, and said that the more democratic of the States had the larger number of re- presentatives. These statistics showed the absurdity of the statement that Ontario was the most governed country in the world. lie apprehended that if hon. gentlemen opposite went before the country with the cry of reduction in the number of members they would be very glad to recent the pro- mulgation of that opinion. Wear, hear.) Hott.gettuernert opposite were going to dis. tribute the surplus. Ho predicted that in two years there would not be a remnant left of the policy which had been proponn. zded by the late leader of the oppositioiif . his hon. friend from London continued in the leadership. This cry for the distribu- tion ot the surplus was entirely contrary to Mr. MORRIS said he found that the de. bates in this House were somewhat personal, which he regretted. At the first meeting thathe has: attended in East Toronto, in St. Lawrence Hall, he had stated that he was not a candidate for the leadership, as it was a question to be settled by the members of this House in Opposition. (Oproution cheers.) tor the policy that had been promulgated by gentlemen opposite for mail, "at. past. The only general charge that had been made against the Government was that the annual expenditure had increased. It was impossible that a new country could keep its expenditure at a tsttstionatfigure. What had been the record of the Government of Mr John Macdonald on that point? In nineteen years of administration the increase" had been about twenty millions of dollars, or about a million dollars a year. He asked hon. gentlemen to put their hand on one improper increase and it. could be attended to. He read a number of statistics of cities and counties tit show that their expenses had almost doubled in six years, and argued that expenses of civic, county, and Provincial Government alike must of necessity increase " the country grows and develope. It was true theGov. ernment could effect reductions-hi the administration of justice, for instance. The expense at that had increased from 1871 to 1877 $597,000, while the number of prisoners had increased from 6,000 to 13,000. It they were going to reduce this expenditure, they must do it in one of two ways: they must cease to prosccute oiIend- ers or throw them upon the counties. Would the people of this country submit to that? (Hear. hear.) The expense ot asylums and public institutions hag ill-l ' creased $255,000,and the number ot patients: Ihad increased from 616 to 2,941.; In ( education the increase in the expenditure . was $198,000. Would hon, gentlemen re. 1 duce these expenditures by throwing them I directly upon the people 't While the Gov. ernment Were endeavouring to relieve the local burdens of the people. hon. gentlemen opposite desired to increase those burdens. I When they objected to any expenditure it ', was their duty to show how they proposed _ to reduce it, and then the House would be prepared to discuss it in a reasonable and intelligent manner. (Hear, hear.) If hon. gentlemen opposite ended the session as they had begun it,it would end in the Home nut knowing to what party they belonged or what creed they believed in. (Checrs.) Mr. MEREDITH said every One would acknowledge the ability of the Provincial Secretary in debatc,,but that non. gentle- man had chosen to make a personal attack upon him. tli, called upon any member of the House to say whether during the seven year: be (Mr. Meredith) had occupieda Seat. in tlu8..Hiousrthe had personally attacked any member. (Opposition, cheers.) lie Wu willing tolet his personal character stand against that bt the hon. member in the country, or among the members ot the House. But he could expect no better treatment from a party which had gained power in Ottawa by steahug private letters, (Opposition cheers, and "Oh,oh.") With regarildo the indemnity, he was prepared to accept his lull responsibility for the in- grcusc. But who was it that made a speech, whim the doors were closed, in {Main oi the increase, but did not say a word when the doors were opera-who but the member for South Brant? topposition cheers,) Mr. HAitDY-...I did not speak oithcr in secret or in open session on the subject of the indemnity. I said no word one way or the other, and my hon. friend is entirely wrong. Mr. 1IAltUY-.1 have to say that what the hon. gentleman states it incorrect, without foundation, untrue. Mr. MluuilDn'H-r.agttin ttVert- Mr. "Alloy-The hon. gentleman has no right lo tusert; his statemeutis not. true. Mr. MruuiD1'W1-.1 appeal to hon. members who heard the hon. gentleman make that statement. (Opposition checks.) Mr. SPEAKER said an hon. member should accept a" denial of another hon. member. Mr. MEREDITH said according to the rules of courtesy he would accept it. But no would challenge. the hon. member for South Brant to deny that he uuuleamotion to strike out the indemnity altogether for the pun-p080 of makingalittte political capital. (Opposi- tion cheers.) Mr. HARDY said he did move to strike out the item. Mr. MEREDITH said that now; if hon. gentlemen were in earnest in what they had talked to the country, they had a plain, obvious course to take, and that was to vote for this resolution. The members of the my