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j ELECTION OF SPEAKER, Mr., MOWAT rose and said :--Mr, Clerk, ----lIn accordanes with what has just been sald on benaif of His Honour the Licuten. ant.Govrernor, and in accordance also with the express requirement of the British Notth Au)-}:c;u Act, our first duty is 'to | elect a Speater, It has been customary \ in the British American Provinces that | the same Speaker should uot occupy the | chauir tor motre than one or two terms, how. ' ever ably and efficiently ho may have discharged his duties, Yielding to that | custom, I have now to propose to the ' ilouse the name of another hon. mem-- | ber as Speaker of this Hougse, 'Lhere 'are mauy bon, members who kave bad the advantage ot considerablo Partia-- mentary expericuce, any oune of whem, l am sure, would make a good Speaker, ind the nomination of any one ot whom would give satisfac ion to this House, When I name one of them, I do so, not at ull thinking that he necessarily possesses more o€f the qualifications required tor the oflice, or that he has larger claims to the ofiice, than several other hon. goutlemen; but I am satisfied, and the HMouse will be satisficd, if I pro. pose one who, at wll events, has qualitica-- ons inferior to none, and claims like-- wisse inferior to none, (Hear, hear3 1 velieve I am doing that which is agrecabie to this House in naming for this purpose the hon, member for Wellington Ceutre, (Cheers,) That hou, geutlemanu has been now a member of the Legislative Assembply of this Province for eight years, 'This is is ninth session, and those who have had the oppoitunity of becoming acquainted with him, whether they sit on that gide or 'on. this sgide otf the House, I -- amn _ suro _ share ecqually in the cslteem and confidence and respect «ith whicn we reyard him, As Chairman of the Printing Committee, as Chairman of the important Cormmitrtee on Punlic Accounts, aud as Chaurman of Committee of the Wuoie, my hon. friend has had opportunities for showing his fitness for the office to which I now nommaile him, and he has elliciently performed the dutres attaching to all these positions, My hon. triend, as a mattor of iastec, has not chosen to iake that part in the |debates of the liouse which tms abilities would have enabled him to do, but no member of the House, as loug as uc'h.'ns teen a meimber of it bas done more eliicient work in ail mat-- ters counccled with the business of the {louse Other than the debates of the House, (Mear, hear.) Aud 1 have all the more sallslaction in making this nomimation because, in doing so, I believe I name that gengleman who has been, perbaps, of all meinbers in the House, the longest Lsorsra tive -- AsszxBur, Toronto, Jan. Tth, 1880. The first session ot the fourth Parlia-- ment of Ontario was opened this alternoon at three o'clock, 'Theeattendance of m:em. bers was large, and the galleries were partially filled with spectators. While the members were indulging in general handshakin«@ and promiscuou: conversas« tion on the flsor of the Chamber, silence was suddenly imposed uporn them by the wrival of His Honour the Lieut,--Governor at precisely fivro minules past threo. llis Horeour, who _ was accompanie d by his aides~de.camp, haying taken bis seat on the throne, Mr. HARDY, Provincial Secrotary, said he was communded by the Lieut.-- Uovernor to state that it was not his de. sire to declare the causes for summoning this Legislature until after they had eloct. ed a Spenker, but that to morrow at three u'clock in the afternoon he would deciave the causes of his calling this Parliament. His Honour then withdro w, After an interval ot about fifteen min. utes, the Clerk, Col, Gilmour, called the House to ordecr, k Fourth Parliamsat-- ONTARIO 1 _ Mr, WELLS--I am very glad that I have been given an opportunity of secund. ' ing the proposal of the hon, the Attorney-- General, Maviug occupied that chaitr so recently, 1 can hardly allude to those qualitiecs which should belong to the Bpeaker of the House, and which Coi. Clarke uuquestionably pogsosses, without reminding myself aud reminding this MHouse of how few ot those quatities 1 possess. But this L can say, that there is no genilemanr who is mors deservedly populat than Col, Clarke, there is no gen. tleman who has paid more or closger atten. tion to the rules of this House, nor more highly enjoyed its respect ana confidence than he--a respect and confidence now avout to be shown by his election as \Speakor, As Chairman of the Comimittec of Ways and Means for the last three or four years, as Chairman of the Whole House, and of Select Committees, he has ucquired a knowledge of many of the d--. tails of Parliamentary practice which can only be acquired in that way, But be has acquired aiso tact and skill in the manage. ment of the House, and that habit of prompt and quick decision which is so necessary to the proper discharge of the duties of Speaker, _ Me has acquired even more than that--that graceful case and pose which cau only be aitained by actuali and sometimes long exerceiss ol the judicial capacity, (Laughter and cheers,) He goes into that chair with the good--wi}l of every member of this House, and with the warm congratulations of every mem-- ber of both sides, 'This is not a trifling matter to him or to the«House, Having the sympathy otf the House he will have its support, and it is the support of the House which constitutes the only sure _and certain foundation 'for the morml authority of the Speaker, The Speaker has often been cailed the guardian and the custodian ot the rights and privileges of the House ; but the House ought to be --is, in fact--the guardian of its own rights and privileges, _ But it can be, I venture to say, more the guardian of its rights and privileges than it has been in the habit of being, 1t is in the power of the House to assist the Speaker to a large extent in the discharge of bis duties, and Col. Clarke will, as L1 think, always ac-- cept with gratitude the assistance of the Mouse in calling attention to any de. parture from the rules, And 1 know it to be one of the most disagrecable duties the Speaker has to perform to call the attention of disorderly members, particu. larly when honouratle Ministers of the Crown are iuvoived (Opposition cheers and laughter) or ieading members of the | Opposition -- (Government choers and liughter)--although I am very glad to' admit that such cases ccour ounly at long time an active politician, My hon, friend commenced his active political life in a very early period, and took part in all those old questions which were conte ted in this Proviace in days gone by, and which are now matter of history. As a political writer, my hon, friend took a very active part in the discussions and agitations with reference to those old principles of representation by population, oi freedom from the domination of an. other Province, and of seculariza ion of clergy reserves, Hoe was also among the carliecst and most persevering agitators ot such measures as the ballot, the reasoun. able cxempiion ot goods of debtors from execution, the abolition of; property qualification for members of Parliament, the extension of the suffrage, and various other _ imatters with which wo are now faimiliar, and as to the propriety of which all parties now -- con. cur, and which now no longer sot di.-- viding lines beiween the ftwo political parties of this country, My hon. friend bas the satis{action of knowing that ali these questions in which ho took s3 deep an intesest have been settled as he wished them scttled--all these agitations have resulted in the iviamplh of the priuciples he advocated, (Hear, hear.) 1 venture to hope that the nomination ot Col, Clarke will be received with the unanimous con. eurrence of this House; for we must all agreoe that there is uo «man on whoin we can more confidently rely to discharge the duties of the oftice with ability, dignity, and impartiality, I propose that Charles Clarke, member for the Centre Riding otf Wellington, do take the chair of this House, (Loud cheers.)