bo COU * ao Pe NTY OF PERTH -HERALD ~ "County of Perth Herald. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1863. Who are to blame ? We have always understood that the Government of the day were the responsible parties to the Country; and that they alone were to blame for the passing or non-passing of meas- ures. We remember that during the time the Cartier-Macdonald Govern- ment were in power the leading pa- pers in the Reform interest in Upper Canada charged them with being the cause of all the evils under which the Western section of the Province was supposed to be laboring. It was then stated day after day, week after week, and month after month, that the Goy- ernment, if they were so disposed, could pass certain measures which it was alleged Upper Canada needed. These same papers were careful to inform their readers that the Reform- ers, being in the Opposition, and con- sequently in the minority, were not to blame--they were willing to do jus- tice but had not the power. Now, if this be true, and if the Ministry alone were to blame during the time of the Macdonald-Cartier Cabinet, how comes it that the papers in the inter- est of the present Ministry attempt to throw the blame on the shoulders of the Opposition. The Toronto Globe, almost in every issue, says that if the Seat of Government does not return to Toronto this fall the Opposition will be to blame. This assertion on the very face of it, isan absurdity ! Sand- field Macdonald pretends to govern the country by a legal majority of the House ; if, therefore, he and his col- leagues desired .to remove the Gov- emment they could do so independ- ent of the Opposition. How is it pos- sible a minority could prevent a ma- jority from doing what it pleased? If the present Ministry have a majority in the House, as they say the have, they have only to elect to remove to Toronto, and the Opposition, the mi- nority, cannot prevent it, On the oth- er hand, if they elect not to move from Quebec till they go to Ottawa, the Op- position cannot change. their decision in that either. The Ministry are, and so long as they have aright to remain on the treasury benches, must be the strong party--the party in the majori- ty, consequently they alone, and not the Opposition, who are the weak party, are responsible for whatever is done or whatever is not done. This must be apparent to every one. All the Opposition can do is to object to what they believe to be wrong. They have no power, however, to right that wrong unless the Ministry are willing. Just as soon as the Opposition become strong enough to dictate to the Minis- try. the Constitution requires that the Minisiry shall resign and allow others to iake their place. The Globe devotes far less time and space to prove that the Macdonald- Dorion Cabinet are good, and that the country has improved under their management, than it takes up ina vain effort to blacken the characters and deprecate the measures of the late Macdonald-Cartier Ministry. It gen- erally concludes its articles by insina- ating that although there may be rea- sons for finding fault with the doings of the present men, there are a greater number of faults to be found with the doings oi the present Opposition while they were in power. In order to lead its readers to believe that it is the Op- positidn who will be to blame if the Seat of Government be not removed 'o Toronto this fallin accordance with 'he alternate and established system, he Globe suppressed te discussion vhich took place on the floor of the ifouse in reference to that subject, and then, in an editorial, insinuated that the whole trouble was caused by the Opposition. The matter was thought of sufficient importance to be noticed and condemned not only by members of the Opposition whom-it was intended to injure, but-by.mem- bers of the Ministry also. Sandfleld Macdonald said his remarks were mis- represented allogether! Now what confidence can any person place in the remarks of a journal whose editors are capable of acting in this manner. Sandfield Macdonald said he wished it to be distinctly understood that on no account would the Ministry con- sent to go to Toronto! This was the policy of the Macdonald-Sicotte Cabi- net, and it had not been changed. -- Messrs. Holton and Dorion expressed themselves in equally strong terms against the renewal or reviving of the alternate system, and that when the Government left Quebee it would go direct to Ottawa, not to Toronto !-- Who are to blame then in this matter? The Ministry, the strong party, say they will not on any account come back to 'Toronto--that this has always been their policy on the Seat of Govern- ment question: yet in the face of this the Globe informs its readers that if the Seat of Government is not removed to Toronto again the Opposition will be to blame!!! Again we ask how can the Opposition be blamable in the affair? The whole thing is in the hands of the Government, and so long as they have a majority in the House they can do just as they please. Mr. Brown's motion to appoint a commit- tee to enquire into the present condi- tion of the Public Works at Ottawa, in the face of these facts--in the face of the plain, positive, and unmistak- able declaration of Ministers that wn- der no circumstances will they allow a.removal of the Seat of Government to Toronto, is mere bunkum. The Ministry say the Buildings at Ottawa will be ready for the Session of 1865. Is it to be supposed, then, that they will not manage to establish, right or wrong, this statement before a com- mittee? Mr. Brown thinks to gain a little popularity in his own section of the Province by this course, nothing more. He is just as well informed now in regard to the whole matter as he will be when his commitiee shall have made their report. This continued effort on the part of Ministerial journals to throw the blame upon the Opposition will serve no good purpose for them in the end. The 'Ministry and not the Opposition will bear the blame of whatever is done amiss or left undone just now. The Globe persistently endeavors io throw the blame of the abandonment of Representation by the present Min- istry upon the Conservative party.-- It 'may sueceed in inducing a few of its readers--ultra Grits who are prepared to swallow all that Mr. Brown tells them--to believe this, but the general public know and believe different. How is it possible the Op- position are to blame in this matter so long as the fact is before the public, that the present Ministry have ignored that question altogether? How can the Opposition be blamed when it is a fact that Mr. Brown, the would-be chapion ofthat reform, refused to move or second a motion in its favor but a few days since? The men' who are now in power claimed heretofore to be the advocates par excellence of that measure--they boasted while in op- position that were they in power they would take it up and settle it. They are now in power, and if they choose to abandon their former principles-- if they. choose to ignore the question of Representation--if they refuse to attempt to.carry out the Reforms they advocated while in:Opposition, .are they not the culpable party ? Let these men take up those great questions' of Reform 'which they, while in Opposi- tion, declared to' be of so much im- portanivé to the peace and well being of the country, and let them make an attempt .to earry them through" the House--whether they succeed or fail they will then have done their duty and will not be to blame. But_let them not attempt to blacken the char- acter of others for not doing that which is clearly the-work-of the Ministry-- ibe work of the majority--and which they not only do not attempt, but ac- tually refuse to perform!! Suppos- ing the Conservative party did not do all in some matters which they might bave done, or in-others did more than enough, is that any reason. why the present pretended Reform Administra- tion should do wrong. in every thing? These men, while in Opposition, claimed that the Conservative party while in power were by their conduct injuring tae country, and that they so soon as they obtained power, would make all things right! Have they done so? Theiracts say no! Who then is to blame? They have not remedied one single evil which they said the coun- try was labouring under; they haye not passed one single measure which they said the country required; they say they are unable to perform the Retrenchment they promised, and must -therefore resort to direct taxa- tion! In view of these facts who are to blame ? We cannot do better for the present than give our readers the opinion en- tertained of these men and their do- ings by one of their own party: Mr. Dickson complained of the treat- ment of the settlers in Huron and Bruce. He said the treatment of them by the Qartier-Macdonald Government was bad, but that by the Macdonald-Dorion Adminis- tration was worse. Numerous complaints had been forwarded to him as the represen-, tative of the county, as well as for claims to be settled. He had gone to the Com- missioner of Grown Lands and endeavoured to get him to attend to them, but he was generally as sour asa crab, (Laughter.) He said the distribution of money from the improvement fund had been most unfair to the hardy, enterprising settlers in his county, and it seemed to him that the ideas of the Commissioner in regard to this mat- ter had changed as much as his views with regard to representation by population. (Hear, hear.) At one time the Commis- sioner was, or appeared to be, the firm friend of Upper Canada and the rights. of that section of the Province, but now he (Mr. Dickson) was sorry to say that Minis- ter was worse than gentlemen. opposite. [{Laughter.] He had, as he said, gone to him frequently about the cases of which the settlers justly complained, but he never for a moment listened to or took into consideration what was right or wrong ; and his mode of treatment of these questions depended upon the temper he might be in. [Laughter. ] He asked was it fair that these people should suffer thus unjustly, even although they were people who had been whitewashed at Grosse Isle. [Hear, hear.] They had fine land in the Huron District--in Perth and' Lambton, Huron and Bruce--and._ all that was wanted was improvements in some sections, but the only money spent. there from this improvement fund, or any other, was $60,000 along the coast of Bruce, and this had been spent under the Cartier-Mac- donald Administration, [Hear.]_ These counties contributed annually $200,000. to the reveaue of the country, and the Goy- ernment withheld eyery encouragement for opening and improving the country. The last Government did little but the, present did nothing, and proved unequal to the task of improving the countrg. {Hear.] These people did not beg; and all they wanted was fair play and justice. He complained that the money accruing from the extra price of half a dollar per acre placed on Crown Lands in that section, by order of the Council in 1860, and appropriated to improvements in the localty, had been directed to other pur- poses. This money he demanded should be expénded in the manner intended when the price of land was increased. The last Government was to blame in: this. matter and also the present. The commissioner was unequal to the task of appreciating what necessary improvement was required in this country. He seemed to have missed his. mark in entering that office. He ought to have been a Jesuit [laughter] and he [r. Dickson] was sorry to say thai the Premier, if it was true what he said about emigrants at Grosse Isle was iio better." (Hear.] He wenton to condemn the Goverment sivongly and concluded by:asicingy< was he going to support a do-nothing Government against @ bad Government, or should he take a better than either." Volunteer Review in Brantford. Grand Thursday, the 3rd inst., was the day fixed for holding the Grand Review of the Volunteers at Brantford. To en- able all persons desiring. todo so to be present, the Mayor had issued his proclamation recommending the ob- servance of the day as a public holi- day" All business was accordingly suspended, and a very large num- ber of persons from Stratford and neighborhood availed themselves of the opportunity thus afforded them to witness ascene new to many of them, and the like of which, in all probabil- ity, many will never witness again. Wednesday was a very pleasant day, but towards evening the clouds began to gather thick and fast, and night closed in with every prospect of a soaking wet day on the morrow.-- Many an anxious glance was cast to- wards the starless sky, but little com- fort could be drawn from the observa- tion. At daybreak on Thursday the prospect was still gloomy. Heavy clouds in dense masses floated across the horizon, but an occasional break gave renewed hope to the sanguine, and preparations for departure were quickly completed. The Buffalo and Lake Huron Rail- way Company had advertised to start their train at 7 o'clock, and in order to be ready in good time, Captains Imlach and Service bad ordered their respective companies to parade at 6 o'elock. At that hour both companies were on hand, and having been join- ed by their officers and the Brigade Major were put through a short pre- paratory drill. A few minutes after 7 o'clock the two companies were formed into line and marched down to the depot by fours, headed by their band playing a quick march. On ar- riving at the station it was found that the train had departed without them, having, in fact, been filled to over- flowing by the civilians. The God- erich train. however, soon came Up, and the Stratford 'Volunteers joined their comrades from Goderich and Seaforth. The weather had by this time clear- ed up, and all indulged the hope that they would yet have a pleasant day. They were not disappointed, for until the Excursionists returned weary and jaded the following morning, the wea- ther was al] that could be wished. The trains commenced to arrive at Brantford about 9 o'clock, and from that hour until 11 a constant succes- sion poured Volunteers and spect: tors into Brantford. The Goderich train with our companies on board arrived soon after 10 o'clock, after a rather tedious, but by no means unpleasant journey. The good people of Brant- ford had taken careful thought for the comfort of the Volunteers, and as each train came inthe companies were marched into a large engine house where refreshments were provided. In addition to the Volunteers. there were on the ground ten companies of the Prince Censort's Own Rifles, Hamilton, and Capt. Holt's Battery of Royal Artillery, Hamilton. The Review was to have commenc- ed at 11 o'clock, but in consequence of the late arrival of many of the'trains it was 12 before matters were in rea- diness. The whole of the forces, Re- gulars and Volunteers, were then form- ed into six Battalions as follows : First Battalion. Prince Consort's Own Rifle Brig- ade, Hamilton--ten companies, 460 men, not including officers, under cormmand of Lord C, Russell. Second Battalion--London. Commanded by Captain Fitzroy, 63rd Regiment, Lieutenant Kinahan, 63rd, acting as Adjutant, composed of Captain Taylor's Infantry, London-- three officers and forty-six men ; Cap- fain Chisholm's, Londen, under com- mand of Lieutenat McPherson--two officers and forty-eight men; Major Jackson's, St. John's--two officers and forty-eight men ; Captain McDonald's Windsor,--three officers and forty-six men; Major Stanton's, rifles, St. Tho- mas--two officers and twenty-seven men; Captain Aitwood's, Komoka-- three officers and twenty-eight men ; Captain Graliam's, rifles, Delaware -- three officers and thirty-nine men; Captain Lewis', rifles, London--three officers and forty-eight men; Captain Barber's, Tecumseh rifles, London-- three officers and forty-six men. In all--9 companies, 23 officers, and 378 men. Third Battalion. Commanded by Colonel Villiers, Brigade-Major, Hamilton District, with the band of the Woodstock com- panies attached--Ist company Major Algers, Brantford--three officers and forty-six men ; 2nd, Captain Richard- son, Woodstock--three officers and forty-seven men; 3rd, Captain Gregg's, Beachville--one officer and thirty-two men ; 4th, Captain Davis' York River, one officer and forty-two men; 5th, Gaptain Jackson's, Caledonia--three officers and fifty men; 6th, Captain Grant's Highland Rifles, Brantford-- two officers and thirty-eight men; in all, 6 companies, fifteen officers, and 255 men. : Fourth Battalion. Composed of the 13th Wentworth, under command of Major Skinner, 8 companies, numbering in all 18 of- ficers and 253 men. Fifth Battalion. Commanded by Lord E. P. Clinton, Rifle Brigade, made up of the follow- ing companies :--Ist, Captain Oli- ver's, Ingersoll--three officers and fifty-three men; 2nd, Captain Smith's, Chatham--tbree officers and fifty-six men; 38rd, Captain Dawes', Thames- ford--one officer and thirty-four men ; 4th, Captain MeMillen's, Harriets- ville--three officers and forty men; 5th, Captain Ellis', Mount Pleasant --three officers and thirty-four men ; 6th, Captain Howell's, Drambo--one officer and thirty-eight men; 7th, Cap- tain Conckeil's, Beanisville--three of- ficers and thirty-three men ; 8th, Cap- tain Barnett's, Clifton--two officers and thirty-six men. In all, 8 compa- nies, 19 officers, and 324 men. Sixth Battalion. Commanded | by Brigade-Major Baretto. ist, Captain Ross', foot ar- tillery, Goderich--three officers, and (about) 45 men; 2nd, Captain Imlach's Stratford--three officers and fifty-three 'men; 3rd, Captain Colman's, Sea- forth--(about) two officers and_ forty men; 4th, Captain Donaldson's Elo- ra--three officers and thirty men ; 5th, Captain Seymor's, Goderich--two of- ficers and (about) forty-five men ; 6th Captain Wates', Galt--two_ officers and thirty-six men; 8th, Captain Ser- vice's, Stratford--three officers and fifty men; 8th, Captain Higginboth- am, Guelph--- (about) two officers and forty-one men. 'The total number in this Battalion being 20 officers and about 340 men. Artillery. Captain Holt's Battery of Royal Artillery, Hamilton; about 150 hor- ses, 240 men, and six guns. Major Booker's Volunteer Artillery, Hamil- ton; twenty-six horses, three officers, thirty-six men, and two guns, Cavalry Troops. Commanded by Captain Powell, M. T.--Captain Burgess, London, twenty-eight horses, two officers and twenty-six men; Captain Cole, St. Thomas, twenty-four horses, two of- ficers,-and twenty-iwo men ;-Captain.. Bingham, Burford, twenty horses, one officer, and twenty men. ~ Indian Tribes. There were two companies of In- dians also on the ground, who, though taking nd patt in the Review, expres- sed 'their desire of being included amdng the volunteers. They were under the command of Col Johnston, and numbered twenty chiefs and 200 men.