The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-06-01
Dominion Matters.


In the Dominion Parliament the otherday Mr.
Ferguson charged Mr.. Wood with corruption.
Wood retorted that il was lie, whereupon the
former threatened ''to slap Woods face"
The opposition press of the Dominion style
the Treaty of Washington, which the dominant
party has passed, the Humiliation Treaty.
The defeat of the bill to provide that the cleo
tion of members of the Dominion Assembly
shall take place in all the provinces on the same
day by the ministerial party, is bitterly de-
nounced by the opposition press as giving the
government an opportunity ''to arrange the
holding of elections in such way that they can
concentrate their forces and WELD their cor
rupting influences with the greatest ease and
the greatest certainty of success for themselves.
They always plan to have the elections come off
first in those constituencies where they feel
most assured of their own strength The sue
cess of ministerial nominees in them, is vaunt-
ed as an evidence of general popular favor, and
is made use of to influence other constituencies
which come later into the contest
The Dominion House, Tuesday, occupied
nearly its entire session in discussing an i'm
portant question raised by the motion for the
second reading of Private Bill to give relief to
certain bondholders of the Houlton Branch
Railway in New Brunswick. The point simply
stated, was whether Provincial Legislature
could legalize the local grants in aid of rail-
way constructed under the authority of Do
minion Act. The Supreme Court of New
Brunswick by it's decision had invalidated the
bonds ON the ground that the local legislature
had exceeded its powers in authorizing the
issue of bonds to Railway Company whose
road passes into a foreign country. The bill
was assigned for Monday. nj 81 sJrg
The recent educational act of New Bruins
wick has not only caused deep feeling in that
province. but has now become the subject of
warm debate in the Dominion House. Aside
from its inherent importance, the question be-
fore the House involves the extent of the au-
thority of the local governments under the act
of confederation. Mr.. Costigan presented the
following resolution which was defeated by the
goyernment:--.a-.I. Id ..fatl.- l1nfg 90
THAT it is essential to the peace and prosper
ity of the Dominion of Canada that the several
religions therein prevailing should be followed
in perfect harmony of those processing them in
accord with each other, and that every law
passed either by this Parliament or by the Lo-
cal Legislature disregarding the rights and
usages tolerated by one of such religions, is of
nature to destroy that harmony That the
Local Legislature of New Brunswick in its last
session in 1871 adopted law respecting Com
mon Schools, forbidding the imparting of any
religious education to pupils, and that that pro-
hibition is opposed to the sentiments of the en-
tire population of the Dominion in general and
to the religious convictions of the Roman Cath
olic population in particular That the Roman
Catholics of New Brunswick cannot without
acting unconscientiously send their children to
schools established under the law in question:
and are yet compelled like the remainder of the
population, to pay taxes to be devoted to the
maintenance of these schools That the said
law is UNJUST and causes much uneasness
among the Roman Catholic people in general,
disseminated throughout the whole Dominion
of Canada; and that such state of affairs may
prove the cause of disastrous results to all the
confederated provinces. And praying his Ex-
cellency, in consequence at the earliest possible
period to disallow the said New Brunswick
ocho o Law yslidsI,dRG tsaa, siF
substitute has been proposed asking the
Home Government that a bill be passed amend
ing the British North American act, SO as to
! confirm the right of education as demanded by
those who are opposed to the New Brunswick
act. 1t is asserted that this amendment will
secure the vote of majority of the government
members. .er ..-.ef g. IN