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* ho. s <o l Cag P j ' kn wl o n 0_ B o " Pss ies .. e | the books, which he thought was out of * Tof the Crown. Such powers were conterred | ' | place in any office of the Government, upon the Legislature by the 1st sub--sec-- , | {Laughteor, ) tion of the 92nd section of the British Mr. WOOD regretted very much that his North America Act. He thought there . t hon. friend had brought this matter up. If could be no doubt that under the powers | , the houn, gentieman had communicated which they had under that Act it would with himself privately he would have been have been quite competent for the Legisia-- | . x given.to understand that the wholo respon. ture at the-- session of 1874 to have declared | cA '. gibility rested on himself and on himself m'_lf .complete irrespective altogether of ' #os. | alone. (Hear, hear.) By his order the district of Alzoma, 'They might bave | +ad | Inspector had got 200 copies bound, and passed an Act declaring that the general | he was told that they cost just 15 cents & elections of the Province of Ontario should | s ' f Folume, or $15 a hunured, _ (Hear, be held on one day with the exception of fer® L hear.) --He had further directed the the district of Algoma, and that notwith. . o Inspector to address a copy to cath Standing the delay in the return of the writ A k imember of the House, (Hicar, hear.) There L"" that district, the Parliament returned B was no distinction made whatever,; it would y the goneral writs should be an authori-- F | be a most contemptible thing to show any-- kative and valid Parliament, There could | L | thing of the kind, and they were not guilty be no doubt thas the four years should ' L of it on that side of the House, As fast as Pommence to run upon the 2nd of February, 52 | theso books were bound they were dis-- 1875. vThe" wiits" mentioned in the |3 tributed, and he had no doubt every mem-- British North America Act, from the . : } bor would receive a copy within twenty-- treturn of which the four years would ' > f tour hours, As to the taste of the Inspector rommence, did not mean tho entirse 1 | presenting his compliments, he would leave number ot writs directed to all the | & the honourabie gentleman to discuss the constituencies in the Province, but simply | ' matter with himself. _ Ho thougit that those writs which would return--a Parlia. [ fe* question of taste was ir;lmenfiioning the ment, 'The section reads thus ;-- + f wmalter in the House at all, (Hear, bear,) Evety Lusislative ! M o Mr. MILLERK agreed to a certain extent ;hau :gnthg'xo forv ffi?i?afilyt%gn:fiot?;%%??}ff .3 i tte f with the hon, member for North Grenville, oturn of tho writs for the choosing of the same, | o thought it improper for an officer in tho Bo that if it had been declared that the i M : employ of the Government to send books Parliament should be complete irrespective / | Ei in such a way to members of the House, 'L{t Alzoma, then the writs choosing the Par. 5 M i: -- * Mr, WOOV said that it was customary dux;cndt ;"'ij"d_ w]'"f";" been returnable on $ [ '_ 1 for the luspector of Prisons to get a certain tl'w n 19 ubxu.u) He contended that wb he : 4 4 number of copies bound, and have them . On' construction that could be put } e . -- gont with his compliments to institutions in | upon Fie variacs statutes --passed in this : d 3 m the United States, from whom similar | lrov.lnce since Confedcration was that the s t -- b favours were reccived, HMe had no doubt : Parliament was proporly coustituted by the i . wel tho mistake had arisen in that way, for he Erfts as returnable on the 2nd'of--Februaty, ; /.. al was sure Mr. Langmuir had no intention to .e wished to direct attention to the various ' 2s * insult members ot the House, or to cause ill. Acts beuring on the subject.. The first Act | * ol feeling in any way. was the British North America Act, which | 3 \~ wl 4 & provided $hat Parliament should continue 4. DULATION OF THE LEGISLATURE, tor four years from the return of the writs. | B Mr. SCOTT, befors the orders of the oo se m aieee ravianne | ' Ae c. h . e made by this Legislature, providing T y wi day were procecded with, wished to dis-- that all the clections should be held on the | W as -- | cuss thoe question of the duration of the same day, an exception being made in the | | Es 3 prescat Parliament, He thought that Chse 6f Algoing, . 'The Act ?\assed In the j W > the matter' _ could .pr'qpcrly })9 hbrgught second session of 1874 provided that no up as a question of privilege. If the inter. election should be held in Algoma during I 18 fs pretation of the law were right 'tl.mt lar'ha.. seven months in the year, In putting a | --If y¥\ ment would be defunct on the 3rd of Keb. construction on these Acts, it was necersary | i8 & . ruary next, there would not be much more to discover the intention of the Legislature | % P PR > than time before thut'du.te to pass lcgllsln.- ----whether that the district of Algoma | ' .. se tion for the purpose of extending its dura-- should remain unrepresented for seven | ' tu e . ? tion . It had been said the matter was one months in the year, or that the whole Pro-- ' s ,:" h F simply of convenience, but he thought vince should be unrepresented for the same ) xd 7 | such & position untenable, Another reason length of time, (Hear, hear.) Itappeared E M | § for bringing the maiter up as one of privi. to him that the Legislature intended that a C e C | Joge, instead of by way of _resolutxon, was | the smalier district should be unrepresent. J P 5. that any matter brought up in the latter way | ed, and not the greater, It was absurd &4 3&; | wr.smvuna'bly' uc'mc(l as a matter of want of to think that this one constituency s {g; | confidencein theGovernment, e could not l should prevent the representation of all the 33 pae>>. \ agree with the hon. member for Stormont other constituencies in the Province. The / W / S | in his statement that hon,. gent'ecmen on intention of the Legislature, he thought, | -- Mik es :: { that side of the House should, if they was that it was better that that district | | 6 esd thought the House would expire on the should be temporarily disfranchised than | x ' date he had, mentioned, retire from their that the meeting of Parviiament should be | \ O $ places altogether, _ It was impossible that delayed, or the rest of the Province dis 1;'1' e ® ' on a question such as this there should be \ franchised, for the sake of this single con-- 4: ¥ -- unanimity of opinion, In the general elec. xX stituency, In proof of this view, he cited l tions of 1875 the writs were returnable on | sub--section 4 of gection 18 of 32 Victoria,. 4t | f the 2nd of February, with the exception of ) It was a well known rule that when doukt J & that for the district of Algoma, which was | existed as to the meaning of a statute that . o t not returnable until the month of August interpretation should be accepted which ) % following. A prociamation had been issued would involve the fewest incouveniences. [ 0e 4 calling the Parliament together in February | It the intorpretation of hon. gentlemen op-- l § & of that year, and if tho Parliament | | posite prevailed, this Province might be & { : were a Parliament at that time it | | without & Parliament for very nearly & i : ~ was quite clear that it would ex-- 1 | whole year, The history of constitutional a h: pire on the 2nd of February next, The | i law showed that wherever there had been a | 3 ts > | hon. member for Stormoant had discussed | proclamation dissolving a Logislature, gide ' ;'('.':;, t the matter very clearly and candidly, but in | by side with it there, had been a prociaina-- 5 t =» > | his (Mr, Scow's) opinion he had not gone far | tion directing the issuo of the writs for & 4 §# ( | enough, and had left out of view the most |\ new Pacliament. If this Parliament ex-- | § | saliount features of the case, He had | pired in September, we should have to wait | fw:> | pointed out, and to that extent he agreed |for ten or twelve months before another | $ | with his hon,. triend, that under the British | could be called into existence,. If the Gov. of North America Act it was necessary, before etnment were defoated in the House, or if | . tho Parliameunt could be complete, that Al-- the Lieutenant--Governor desired them to go f € | goma should cither be represented or that before the people, it would be impossible & an opportunity should be afforded it of re. for them to learn the will of the people for [ turning a represertative, -- But his hon, about a year, and during that time the Pro-- it friend had not gone far enough, because in vince would be without, a Legislaturo,. It E> his (Mr. Scow's) estimation the matter was was a general presumption that the Legis-- | ho to be decided by whatever construction | lature shoul!d not interfere with the prero-- | 6. might be placed upon the Acts of the On-- gative of the Crown ; but if the interpreta-- J tario Legislature irespective altogether of tion of hon. geatlemen opposite were cor-- | . f 'the provisions of the B, N, A. Act, He rect, the prerogative of the Lieutenaut-- | | s thought it would beadmit.t.ed upon all hands | Governor to dissolvo the Housg was < that they hbad as & legislative body the | taken away for eight or ten months in the 4 right to alter aud change their con. year, as there would be no Legislature to s stitution almost to an unrlimited extent, dissolve. It was also a presumption 't.hat- the 1 f f except so far as related to tho ofiice of the Legislature should not exceed its own ; Lisutenant--Governor and the prerogative | jurisdiction. 'The British North America |