North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1840-08-19

never increased 10 any great numbeF. lie
Us examine the first point, viz. the conpo
sition OF the Legislative Council. Ia man,
Of The old English American Colonies
which Great Britain had just lost on ,hii
Continent, some exercised the privilege
Of naming both branches Of the lie.
eislature, whilst in Others, the King reserv,
ed To himself his preroga,ive, and appoint
ed his Councillors. Ii was a we'll ascer,
tanned fact tina, those Colonies who enjoy.
ed the elective franchise 10 the greatest ex'
tent, were the O politically educated
and consequently the first 10 raise the cry
against British oppression and British in
reference in their local legislation. The
more the people are educated, the more
will they thirst for liberty I; this is a truth
which annot be denied. The English
Ministry having before their eyes the sad
result of their unjust & tyrannical oppres-
sions on their former Colonies who now
had risen to the mighty stand OF an indie
pendent nation and wishing not TO offend
the Canadians who were loudly asking
for a constitutional government, resolved
upon granting the request Of their Cana
dian petitioners. But at the same time
they determined upon saddling an aristo-
cracy Of birth and wealth upon those Pro-
vinces so as TO counteract, if possible, the
banefm effects of rising democracy in the
adjoining States. Such was the real OBJ
ject Of the late Mr.. Pitt when he consiitu.
ted the Legislative Council of the Cana
das as prescribed in the constitutional act
Of 1871. With bare mention Of the abb
of creating hereditary titles, it may
be well TO observe that reserving to His
Majesty the prerogative Of naming the
members of these Councils, was putting
into the hands OF the Colonial Governors
means OF Exercising az unuur nn"-
ence on the legislation Of the country. If
the half Of that body had been elected & the
remainder named by The Crown; il would
have balanced the power more equally be-
tween the Crown and the people. But
constituted as it was, the Legislative
Council could not but prove an incubus
upon the welfare of the Province. When
the act OF 1871 was being discussed before
The Imperial Parliament MI. Fox the cell
ebrated political antagonist of Mr.. Pitt,
made a powerful speech in which he pre-
dicted the consequences Of the compost
ton Of The Legislative Council and urg-
ed upon His Majesty's ministers the rem
of that branch Of the Colonial
Government elective. His advice was
and the Canadas were destined
TO be the prey of English ambition and
ruined aristocracy. That in a country
like Canada where independent fortunes are
rarely accumulated, a body created on the
same principles as the House Of Lords in
England, where an ~aristocracy both oil
birth and of wealth, does really exist,
be attempted to be saddled upon the
people, is the climax Of presumption and
infatuation in those who carried the mea-
sure through the English Parliament.
Had the English laws existed in Lower
Canada, there might then have been an
excuse for So, great a political error, as The
OF primogeniture would Of itself create
an aristocracy. Bnt thank Providence,
such cursed legislation had not yet dssola-
ted that land, consequently an aristocracy
of wealth could moi be created in favor OF
the eldest son at the expense OF the mis-
fortune and miseries OF his younger broth
ers and sisters. 1t really puzzles the mind
of a thinking man to find out exactly what
the c%oncociors Of this pretended liberal
act meant by the creation Of such a body,
unless we suppose it TO have been a mere
experiment they were trying, with
the avowed intention Of repeating the act
as soon as il was found not 10 work WELL
and not TO attain the desired effects.
The second defect we find in the Act OF
1871, Is the sanction and continuation oil
the leudal tenure in the Province oiLower
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