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Fourth Parliameit--First Session. The following is the conclusion of Wednesday's debate on the Ontario Boundary Award question :-- on: the motion for a Commutteo disputed the pro-- pricty of the award, and alleged that matcrial infor-- mation was not befora the arbitrators; that they arrived at wrong conclusions, and that the bounrda-- ries awarded were not correct, 'The Premier of the Dominion spoke on the same suljoct, stating, amongst other things,that the preceding Government, by whom the arbitrators were appointed, had been guilty of an unconstitetional assumption of power in reforring the matter to arbitration,. 'The truth was that the proceedings of the arbitration were well known, and wore not objected to until after the award was made. The question was dis-- cussed in the nowspapers througnout the country, and in this Province the Legislature hid passed an Aot providing that the arbitration should be entered upon and that the decision should be made final. Alil these things woere well known, andi not only that, bus while the proceedings we.c in progress he found that in the session of 1877 Mr. Masson, a member of the Dominion House, in his place in the Mouse,asked ** wnat progress lm& boen made towards the settloment of the question of the North--Western boundary of the Provinge of Ontario.'"' 'To this Mr. Blake replied that "as the hou. gentloman was already aware arbitrators had been appointed, Judge Wilmot by the Dominion (Government, and the Chiof Justice of Ontario by the Government of On-- tario,. Upou the latter gontleman assuming a posi-- tion in the Supreme Court, ho resigned, and the Government of Oatario appointed the present Chief Justice of Ontario in his place. An understanding had been reached botween the two Governments by which Sir Edward Thoruton, the British Minister at Wuashington, would probably act as the third commissioner or arbitrator, Considerable progress had boea made, and this Government had been for some time invesiigating the case, and mastering tno details, which nocessitated many papers being searchod, Communication had been going on for some tim: past with the Government agont in Eng-- land, and other authorities, to complict:, as far as possible, the information fon that .u'ujcct, and it was probable that tho .question might be disposed of in thes ensuing summor or fall." Duwiug the session of 1878 Mr, Mackonzic stated, in answer to a question from Mr. Masson, * that the absonce of sir Edward Thornton, who was selected as the third arbitrator, until late in the auluma made it practically impossible for the three gentlemen to meot, but @verything had been prepared for thew«t meeting, which would-- take place immediately after the session." In view of the lact that the arbitration was well known to be pro-- ceoding with--that it had beon two successive years mentioncd in the Mouse, aud nc suggestion was made that the arbitration was not a wise thing -- it was a curious position to find the head of the Domimon Government taking the position, in his place in the Mouse, that the award was unconstitu-- tional. Tne Committeo was moved for by a member of the House, not a member of the Ministry, but the imotiou for the Committee was supported and Mr, MOWAT in his opening remarks referred to the position taken by the Ministers jat Ottawa on this quesiion. } The Mh)_ilter of J ustice in his speech assented to by the Ministry in their spreches, Tue idea that a Committes of the House could get fur-- ther'important information on the subject would be absurd to thoso who knew anything of what a Parliamentary Committeo could accomplish during a single session. Kighteen months had elapsed since the Government came into fpower, and if they thought there was imporiaut finfor-- mation _ bearing _ ou this question _ of the boundary award, why was it not ob:trined during that time ? 'The absurdity of this plea would ap-- poar stil more manifest when it was remembered that the question of the boundary between the iludson Bay Company and Canada was one which had been the subject of discussion, and in eariier times of war, for upwards of a century and a half. During the wholo of that period the Hudson Bay Compauy, whose rights have now been purohased by the Dominion, were always claiming the greatest possiole extent of territory. 'They put forth. from time to 'ime their simtemoents of the territory claim-- ed by th in, and the grounds upon which that claim was based. 'Thoy were a woalthy corporation, and had agents diligently employed in collect-- ing and procuring evidence as to the exient of their -- territory. _ 'They _ employed the -- ablost counsel in their interest, The matter had been under consideration _ between _ England and France during the last contury, and after France has ceded all its rights to Great Britain the ques-- tion was repeatedly brought up in the English House of Commons. Commutiges were appointed to examine into the rights of the Mudson Bay Company, alljthe evidence possiblegwas provided, and those of opp osite interests took the same course. We find a very important Commnitice of that kind as eariy as 1749, and another one a century later, in 1857. A most elaborate exaiminastion of witnesses took place before theso Commitces, and a vyery large volums of evidonce was iaid before the House on the latter occasion. In view of all this, was it not per. cotly absurd to m?u-ou that the Committee wouid be able, after the Husison Bay Company had made its statements, embodying every scrap of evi-- dence they had ever been able to bring forward, to suppose that the Commuttes at Ottawa could seri-- ously beliere that there was important evidence yet to bs brought to light? After the arbitration was entered upou there were steps taken of the bost possible description in order to procure any ¢vidence that it might be possible to obtain. The -- Goverament -- employed 8ir John Rose to prosecute this enquiry, and all the evidence that could be obtained for the purposes of arbitration on sither side was embod.ed in a priuted volume which was propared for the arbitrators. Ho had no heei-- tation in saying that wharever ob{qot the Dominion Goversment had in forming this Committee, it must be something hostile to the interosts of this Province and not to got further information. (Ap-- plause ) Lt was u«t to collect or consider further evidence, It would be absurd to suppose that The Attorney--General woent into further detail showing that an oxhaustive coMection of evidence bad been made for the arbiirators. He argued ONTARIO LEGISLATURE. to--that the Province of Canada had i::.l'ni;n;rl for Canada West betore Confederation--that Canadian Ministers after Confederation had made the same claim, HMe replied to the arguments of the mover for the Committes and of the Min'ster of Justice as reported in the Mail. When an ar. bitration or a treaty tooik place between two nations it was generally folt that the faith 0: the nation was pledged to carry out that treaty or arbitration ; and it was only in the case of fraud, or some other exceptionally strong ground, that a Governmen: ever questions the -- propriety of confrming an award or a treaty. It was not pretended in the present instauce that such grounds exist-- ed. 'The arbitrators wwra imen of the hignest standing, and they came to a conclusion in the matter after the fullest invostigation. Under these circumstances he hoped, notwithstanding the differences 0' partics existing in the House that the hon. gentlemen in the House would show themselves roady to defend the rights of the Pro-- vince in, being a unit on the resolutions. (Ap-- plause.) HMe had endeavoured to draw the resolu-- tions as moderately as possiblo, in order that hon . gentlemen opposite would have no difficulty in voting for them. (Applause.) He calledl upoun the House to unite with him in declaring that this Province is entirely agreed on the question, and that the award was one which we hau taken all pecessary steps to bind ourseives to accopt, (Ap-- plause.) Mr. CROOKS seconded the resolutions. Mr. MEKEDITH said that what the Attorney-- General had said was in some points,impolitic. By defying the Dominion Parliament they were doing their best to cause the award to be disallowed. When hon. gontlemen . approached a subject of such grave importance they should ' do so with dignity, and not in the manner of ward -- politicians. They § were eondeavouring to stir up sectional feeling. They alluded to On-- tario as the premicr Province of Canada, Well, this -- very -- fact caused the smaller -- and wearker Provinces to look upon us with jealousy . Tooy taunted the Opposition with being unpatriotic, but he would leave it to any unpro-- judiced observer as to which party w?s tiking the most unpatriotic course, _ in the 10th paragraph was contauined a distinct defiance of the authority of tha Dominion Government. 'the award could be justified in a much more statesmanlike manner than had been done,. . The Opposition would support the Government in ary constitutional steps which they may take to secure their rigin:b under the award, _ No member of his .sido of the House would desert his Province when ber rights were at stake, 'Ine ouly member whom ho had heard making an attempt to belittie the award was the member for Muskoka, a support-- er of hon. geutlemen opposite. quito unsupported throughout the country, Hoe was sorry that the Jleoader of the Opposition had not siupported the resolutions of the Attorney--(General without irdulging in the remarks that he had made. ic supposed, though, that the hon. gontleman was in a light placeo. Thqg Lon. goatiqman fol called upon to mustain the Province, while at the same time he could not condemn his leader at Ot-- tawa, Mr, MEREDITH--No, no. Mr, YQOUNG--Thon there was nothing in the AO®D. Gentlicman's arguments. (Hear, hear.) n ©pposition to -- what Nr. Mercdith had said about the Attorney--Gonerai's resolutions being a -- defiance -- to the Dominion _ Parliament. he _ would say _ that the _ resolutions f anything were of too mild a characier. What couid be said of a (overnment which took refuge behind a Committeo and aare not boldly disallow the award ? 'The texture of that Committoo showed that the object of its appointment was to (;_uash (lh(: award, lt contained bui two moimbors from Un« tario besides Mr. Dawson, and it bad four mem-- bers from !fucbuc alone, The gontlemen opposite should be the last to speak of exciting sectional feeling --gentlemen who b:longed to a party which bad lived on thisfvery policy for years. If this re-- ward were sot aside, then Ontario might know that sho was unable to obiain hor rights in the Parliamont of the Dominion. -- In conclusion, he would say that he hoped that the Government would sparo no pains to secure the rights which aad boon awarded at some length that the awari gave Ontario less inlh'td ol more than the Province was fentitled Mr. MILLER said it was woll known that he held a differont view on this maiter from the ma-- jority, if not all the members of the House. In the first place, he did not seo that the enlargement of the territory of Ontario would ba any material ad-- vantage to the Province. And if ths land now acquired was valuable, then it could be more quick-- 1y developed if formed inwo a separate Province. It had been stated that it was desivrsbie to lessen the number ofexisting Provinees. Bat if they would counsider that Ontario wat as large as the State of Now York, and that in the United States there were 41. State Governments, tho spirit in which we dealt with oullying lands now was not calculated to settle aad heip them aloug, Algoma had contribnuied ho was sure J$10 to the treasury for every doliar that had spent there. 'The policy of the Dominion Government, he believed, was to gilllfi 100 d the d nid the districts of Algoma and Nipissing to the territory to the wost, and form out of them @ new Provinco. In his opinion this was sound policy. Mr. YOUNG said the gentleman who had just sat down would find that l}is m:igin:d cpinion was them. Mr. MORRIS held that it was his opinion that it wovuld be m misfortune to make the Dominion & conglomeration of small Provinces, Me would atais that, in answer to Mr, Miller, if the Attorney-- General had desired to gain the hearty assont of the entire House to his resolutions he would have worded them in a differont way to what they were. Ho arguod from the language of the Ontario Act of last session that the righteousness of the award was not so clear oven in the mind of the Attorney -- (Goneral. lic regreited that the bon. gentleman had not takon higher grounad,an i thus secured the moral support of the Mouse. aPEBOVCDY EXERPCCTCC Mr. MEREDITH asked if it was the intention of the Attorncy--Genoral to transmit a cOpYy of the re-- solutions to the Sccretary of Stato, WThe memmbers were called in, whon & VOWD "7" takon, and the resolutions were carried on division by a vot> of 64 to 1, the only dissentient being Mr. Miller, Muskoka. | Chge o6 Ond C OOR called in, whoen a voto wWaf