New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-06-29
Responsible Government ut TorOnto-Pnrlia.
mesiary Reform In the Canadas.
Conespordence Of The Tnblne.

Correspondence Of The Tribune.
TORONTO, Monday Jure q.
believe there is E call Of the House on an early
day to consider Mr. Attorney General L aiontaine's
bill lof which wrote you last week for increasing
the number of Members in the Legislative Assem-.
bly, Of Province extending from the Gulf Of st.
Lawrence 10 Lake Superior or the Rocky Mount
airs. The importance of this measure induces me
to rechpitulate not its features merely, but to state
the exact condition in which it would leave the
elective branch Of the Government, If carried into
effs 1T, Which fear much lt will not be.
This is a Government or Cabinet measure agreed
on its details by Mess-s. Lafontaine Baldwin, Les
lie, Hincks, Merritt, Price, Tach6 and Caron, the
Executive Council aud it contemplstes-
!. To increase the popular representation in As
sembly from "a TO $50.
,. To continue the almost obsolete custom Of
grouping the ele otions. All the voters of Quebec
snd Montreal are to vote for three Members each :
all the voters in a. counties and in this city 10
vote for two Members each; to the remaining &c
constituencies only is that greatest of all modern
improvements, the Single Electoral District sys
tenn, intended to be applied.
Some Of these counties contain from one TO forty
millions Of acres. 1t would be just easy to divide
the constituencies into single districts and thus 10
bring the right Of fair and free choice much nearer
to the people, is TO unite for electoral purposes
constituency larger than some OF your States.
3. To create the greatest possible inequality in
the Electoral Districts as regards population.
The counties of Ssguensy, Montagnais and Bagot
are TO send altogether only two Members, from an
extent of country far larger than The State Of Vr
ginia, with population Of $4,000 persons, residing
in many townships, seigneuries and settlements
while the six villages of Cornwall Niagara, Brock
ville London, Three Rivers and Parish, and Sher.
brooke, the aggregate population OF which IL actu
ally under 90 900, are to elect six Members
Some counties with $4,000 to $4,000 inhabitants
are to send two Representatives each; others with
$4,000 to $4,000 are also TO send two. Neither
wealth extent Of country nor population, nor any
possible combination Of these, are considered as a
basis OF Misrepresentation. Your Ohio, New.York and
Pennsylvania Editors talk OF Gerrymandering.-
Send them herel
4. In the towns and villages householders as well
as freeholders are 10 vote-househ0lder only if
they occupy tenements paying SAC year OF rent
In the counties reeboders, their equivalents 10
the seigneuries; householders, if tenants are ex-
Guided.
5. Although the electors must be thus qualified,
they are not, even then, to be intrusted with tho
free choice Of their Representatives, but confined
to the choice Of candidates worth =, 400 each OF
freehold estate In their session OF ls39-40, the
last Upper Canada Parliament-mercenary and
ued in defiance of public seniiment-inyited the
Imperial Parliament to pass an act uniting the Can
adss with clause in it requiring OF candidates for
seats IN the Assembly an ESQ currency freehold
qualification. DisregRrding this request the Lords
and Commons made it $500 sterling
g. The Crown reserves to itself the power OF all
ing the Parliament together at any place it chooses
within the Canadas-of calling it together on any
month or day it pleases between the L st Of Janu.
airy and the 3lst of December no stated annual
time or place oil meeting is contemplated.
7. Ii is an excellent regulation with you, land in
England also, if mistake not that brings on every
election throughout the Commonwealth on The same
day. IL helps TO prevent double voting violence,
riot and disturbance and contributes greatly TO the
freedom Of the electors in making choice Our
reform I" Ministry" have left that feature out Of
their programme Their practice is, to order an
election In one county on one day, in another sew
eral days later to day in tow, in another town
that day week and thus to spread the general
election over space Of several weeks, 70 enable
land owners, especially those spectators who WI
property in two, five, ten, or even twenty towns
and counties 70 give vote IN each locality, while
the owner Of one farm can give bat one vote. The
practice also has BEEN to cause the elections sure
for the party in power 10 come of first
g. The County Of York, like Yorkshire ia Egg
land, is divided into Rulings, which are TO send
two members each Other larger counties, which
II would be very desirable thus to divide on ac
count Of their SIZE, especially in Lower Canada,
are TO be kept undivided for electoral purposes.
sHsd your Judges Of the Supreme Court been
chosen, one each, in the .hirty.two Senatorial Dis
treis instead q grouping their elections into eight
mammoth districts, the legal profession would have
bad less Influence and the people 4 great deal
more. Here, the lawyers, in Upper and in Lower
canada, are organized as two powerful private
cofpoFaions exercising privileges dangerous to the