THE LATE SESSION OF THE PROVINCIAL PARLIAMENT. NO. I. INTRODUCTION. Nil admirari prope res est una Numici THE opening of the Session of the Provincial Parliament which has just closed its labours, was looked forward to by all those who had given any attention to the public affairs of the Province, with more than ordinary interest. The reins of government had just been assumed by the nobleman now at its head, and possessing, as he was understood to do, explicit instructions upon the principal subject of controversy in the Colonial Legislature, it was anticipated that the communication through him, of the views of his Majesty's Government, would relieve the several branches of the Legislature from the uncertainty which had hitherto most unaccountably been allowed to exist upon this head, and which there was reason to believe had widened a breach that might otherwise have been prevented, and might now, it was hoped, be at last repaired. Nor were there wanting other subjects to which the public attention had been for several years past called, and in relation to which diversities of opinion had existed, that in like manner could not fail to occupy B the Legislature and to fix the public mind upon the result of its deliberations. The public, in full possession of the course pursued by the Legislature upon these important objects, looked forward with some anxiety to the speech of his Excellency the Governor-in-Chief, at the close of the Session, as being likely to contain indications at least of his Excellency's opinions upon these subjects, and as affording an index to the policy which his Excellency was likely to pursue. If the language used in this speech was not the most satisfactory to all, it had at least the merit of being free from ambiguity. His Excellency was pleased, not merely to express his approbation of the conduct of the Assembly, but introducing a term somewhat novel in the measured language of the public communications between the different branches of the Legislature, declares in the opening of his speech, "I cannot close the present Session of the Provincial Parliament without expressing my admiration of the unremitting attention you have bestowed on the public business of the country, and your unwearied exertions in performing all your other parliamentary duties." And afterwards, "The measure of my thanks would have been complete, had circumstances enabled me to assure his Majesty's Government that the propositions on the subject of Finance, lately submitted to you by the King's command, had been favourably received." As one of the persons represented in the Assembly, I may be permitted to exercise the right of enquiring into, and of judging to the best of my ability, of the public conduct and the public measures of the representatives of myself and of my fellow subjects; so, too, as a free born British subject, my right to express publicly my sentiments thereon cannot be denied; and if these sentiments should not be in entire accordance with the opinion of the noble individual now at the head of the Provincial Government, I trust that this will not be imputed to me as a crime. I am quite aware that there are men, with good intentions. who will be disposed to consider inquiries like this, as trenching upon the respect justly due to high office. These discussions, to be useful, I readily own, must be conducted with the strictest decorum; and freedom of discussion is not impaired by a studious regard to the proprieties of life. A free press is the soul of a free constitution : It must, however, be borne in mind, that licentious scurrility is as adverse to the freedom of the press, as a servile time serving silence, or a corrupt subserviency. It is a very old error, which many are interested in propagating, that public discussions produce what they do but disclose; and that the unseemly objects which they are sometimes the means of bringing under our view, owe their birth to this cause, when in truth to it they owe the air which is to purify, and the light which is to heal them. The ostrich is not the only biped which thinks itself safe so long as it keeps itself in an obstinate voluntary darkness. In our days, however, nothing is better understood than that the freedom of the people and the safety of governments are alike consulted by freedom of inquiry in all matters touching the public. This truth, universal as it is, applies with peculiar force to governments so remote from the source of authority as colonial governments are, environed too with so many causes of error, and with such inadequate means of protection against them. With these preliminary explanations, I may be permitted, without incurring the reproach of disaffection to his Majesty's Government, to say, that after carefully following the proceedings of this Session of the Legislature, step by step, and exercising upon these proceedings the most impartial judgement in my power, I find myself unable to participate in the sentiments of admiration expressed by his Excellency, and utterly at a loss to conjecture what may have given occasion to them in his Excellency's breast. Had his Excellency's emotion proceeded from any cause other than one of a public nature, I would have felt little curiosity to enquire into its source, and if that had accidentally come to my knowledge, I should have felt it my duty to pass it over in silence. But as to things of publie concern, I have already said that I think our duty imposes another rule. These are legitimate subjects of free and public discussion; and the more elevated the rank and the office of the individual who becomes the subject of it, the more minute and careful ought to be the scrutiny. This course is surely a better one than that which has hitherto been too often pursued, of pouring forth a full measure of flattery to Governors whilst they are within the Colony, to be replaced by an equal measure of indifference, if not of abuse, when they leave their government. Disposed neither to flatter nor to abuse men in authority, or out of authority, I shall submit to the judgement of the public a general outline of the proceedings of the Legislature, which have called forth the expression of the gratitude of the Governor-in-Chief, with the view of ascertaining the sufficiency of its grounds. And I will conclude with stating some reasons for doubting whether the rejection of the measure proposed by his Majesty's Government for the settlement of the difficulties which have been called the financial difficulties, may not have produced other and greater inconveniences than the absence of that complement of his Excellency's satisfaction, which he is pleased to inform the Legislature and the public, that its adoption would have afforded him. |