The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-10-03

complaint against the deiunct ministry. Their
neglect of all demands for parliamentary reform,
for retrenchment, and for sundry other changes,
has done much to heighten their unPoPularity
and to hasten theifdowniall; but, after all, the
real source of their dilemma, so far as Upper
Canada is concerned, is their abandonment OF
principle in reference to these ecclesiastical
grievances.
Mr.. LAFoNTAINE, of whom the Commercial
.4deotiser speaks, has long been the recognised
leader of the French or Lower Canadian par
ty, and in that capacity has done much to de-
termine the course of legislation Essentially
conservative in many of his political opinions,
and strict member of the Roman Catholic
church, Mr.. LAFoNTAINE has from the first OPP
posed the secularization of the Clergy Reserves,
with the declared object of preserving from at
tack the immense endowments of his own
church in Lower Canada. With few excep-
tons, the French members have followed their
leader en- mdSse, and have thus for the time de
termined questions pertaining exclusively to
Upper Canada. The circumstance has on
many occasions given rise to angry debate and
invidious comparisons; and the Upper Canada
members of the ministry may attribute not a
little of their unpopularity to the prevalence of
the impression that they have succuInbed to
Lower Canada influences. In future it is pro-
bable that the French Canadians will have
some other leader than Mr.. LAFoNTANE, who,
it is understood, is about to retire from public
life.
The vital question in the Lower Province is
the Seignorial Tenure-the tenure under which
vast tracts of land are leased by the seigniors,
or holders, to the censitaires, or tenants. The
tenure is essentially feudal in its nature, being
that which was created by French kings centu-
ries ago, to promote the settlement of the lands.
Now days, however, it is felt to be wholly
inapplicabe to the wants of the community its
general result is to check improvement, and in
numberless cases it operates exceedingly UNI
justly on the interests of the censitaire. Dur
ing the last session of Parliament Mr.. LAFoN-
TAME resisted the abolition of this tenure, and
by that proceeding provoked miniature revolt
amongst his followers. In connexion with pre-
vious occurrences, this seems to have produced
Mr.. LAFoNTAINE's long threatened resignation.
In many quarters there has been a dispo-
sition to seek dissolution of the union Of the
two portions of the province, with a view to
restoring to Upper Canada more complete con
troll over its local questions than it now en-
| joys. This event is not likely to occur, how
ever and, with this conviction on the part OF
| the leading politicians there is a growing de-
sire to seek for a Federal Union Of all the
British North American provinces. We note
that the project meets with favor from in
fluential journals, especially of the mercan-
tile and moderately -toned class. The "Clear
Grits'-reiormers of another grade-agitate
for the application of the elective principle
to the Governor and the Legislative Coun-
Gil and for other organic changes of similar
nature. With so many conflicting elements, il
is impossible to predicate the future of Cana
dian politics.