The Portland daily press., 1865-03-09
Provincial Politics. -
ST. Jouu N r.. March, A, 1886.

| sweeping into thls pay, ana the iohs' noaeing
slio that adjusts the grade OF the landing,
were thropged with, should judge, one thous-
and people, men and boys, assembled to honor
the arrival Of the twenty five passengers CON-
PEELED by the urgency Of business to make
this FIRST trip Of the season.
The isolation of winter is over. The cheer
full steam whistle sounds the reoeille of re-
awakening trade. Three hundred miles of
wilderness marked with the incrustations of
winters snow, no longer separate this enter
pr;sing and wide-awake people from Portland
and Boston, from our great country and the
great world.
Yesterdays gossip of State street and the
comments of our daily press upon the move
nents of Sherman aed Grant, and the hopeful
fortunes of our great war, are the current
news here of this morning. Save that we
miss the inevitable blue coat of the Yankee
soldier, which disappeared at the boundary,
one would hardly know he had got beyond the
limits of native land. sasa8 4ssai 8
Nor was the first boat, gay with flags, and
painting against the strong tide currents of the
Day vi INC Ouiy bOhcH IHO
fountains of rain in the heavens have been
| opened, and yesterday and to-day torrents Of
muddy water have channeled the icy pave
ments of the steep streets running towards
the river, and stood in pools in the hollows of
the wooden sidewalks that fringe the river
| side streets. s erts-
But all this cold water did not in the least
cool the ardor with which ConfedGrdtionists
and ants-C Com ederationists have contested,
during these two days, the election in this
city. Hacks, sleighs, wagons and sleds,
with dripping flags blazoned with the names
of the candidates, which at top speed could
hardly be kept from whiting around the flag
stats, rushed through the streets bringing
steaming, screaming voters to the polling pls
ces. Yesterday the election of members Of
the Provincial Assembly for the county, and
to-day for the city, took place. In both cleo
tions, and so far as they have yet voted
throughout the Province, the scheme of inter-
colonial confederation has besn repudiated by
the people. Confederacy seems to be an. obi
GUS word just now everywhere.
For the county of st. John, Messrs. Cudlip,
| Anglin, Wilmot and Coram, and for the city,
Messrs. Wetmore and Troop-all anti conted-
erdtion-are elected. 1t was thought that
the acknowledged ability and great populari-
| ty of the present city members, Messrs. Tilley
and Waters, who have been members Of the
Provincial ministry-the former as the premier
for six years-might save them. Personal
considerations influence the electors here far
more than with us. An able man asks and
expects to get votes outside of the ranks of
his own party from his personal friends, ad-
rnirers and clients. Many who will not vote
the ticket, will compliment their friend by
what are called pIumpsrs here, and with US
mired or split tickets. r..., g !. s
The mode of conducting an election here is
English rather than American. Upon dis
solution Of the Legislature, the sheriffs OF
each county are commissioned to notify the
le gal voters, who must be qualified by having
q freehold or an income of four hundred dol
lars, to elect a new parliament The sheriffs
fixa day in each county for nominating can
didates and subsequent one, generally about
a fortnight later, for polling the vote. On the
/ AAob VI tACcO 0dJo buO CdAuiudtCo dIO uOLlild'
ted by their friends, and they are expected to
announce the measures they intend to sup
port, and are not preclnded either by custom
or any sense of dslicacy, from vaunting their
zsal for the public service. and using all the
arts oforatary to solicit the suffrages Of their
constituents. They do this not only at the
hustings, but also by published cares over
their wn names in the public journals. Here
tofore the discussions quite as warm as with
us, owing to the absence of distinct political
issues, have turned considerably upon the per-
sonal merits Of the candidates, as these have
not only been Wanted on the one side, but
| bitterly aspefsed on the other, the elections
have generated animosities, and served to
bring the general discussion of politics into
proverbial dIsrepute. We can find parallel,
| to this stage Of growth in those periods, when
we had nothing better to debate than the mil
itary abilities of General Jackson and of Gen
| eral Harrison, and what the table spoons and
forks OF Mr.. Van Buren, cost the national
treasury. Our twenty years, debate upon the
slavery question, which some shallow persons
deprecate as a mschievous agitation, has
served wonderfully to educate the masses oil
the people and to bring their enlightened minds
and cons ciences to deliberate upon and decide
questions affecting the welfare and security oil
the State. -,,s-,.,y
The Provincial people have now submitted
to them a vital, domestic question, and justly
fesl that their fate is linked with its decision.
So to-day the election has been in the spirit OF
all our elections during the stern period that
we have been combating the slave holding
conspiracy. Principles and notm men has been
the watchword. No agitation has ever been
so full of interest as this, and by no general
election have the people been so thoroughly
aroused, educated, taught to rely upon them
| selves, and prepared to be the intelligent con-
stituency of democratic republic, as by that
now TRANSPORTING in this province.
Mr.. Havland, one OF the Prince Edwards
Island delegates to the special conference at
Ottawa, in speech at Confederation meeting
with the exaggeration OF oratory: al
AssThe question of Colonial Confederation is the
greatest, the most momentous, not only to the ex-
istng generations in these Provinces but to gener-
ations yet UNBORN that shall come after them that
has ever agtated the public mind in British Ameri-
ca, since first the British flag waved triumphant and
| supreme over any portion of American territory;
| and it is pregnant with greater and more lasting
results, than any which have arisen from any chau
4 ges-even the greatestwhich as directly affecting
the best interests and destnies of British races or
British subjects in America, as yet occurred on
| this side Of the AtLanticn -I8
The scheme of Confederation adopted by the
delegates to the Canadian Conference I can
| not give in detail. Its outline is as follows
A general government with its seat at Otta-
was presided over by an Executive Chief ap
pointed by and representing the permanent
sopereigrty of the Queen aud her successors
on the British tarone. The legislature to have
an upper House of76 members, appointed for
tye, and distributed little more than one