, 1875-01-20

ned IN complaining of, and he could only won
der that any one could blame him for calling
attention to the manner in which the Govern
ment had been treated by the Council, had
been kept in the dark regarding a matter of the
utmost Importance.
Then, in last meeting, a Member of the Coun-
Gil had expressed the opinion, that the Govern
ors expressions were so Objectionable that the
Chairman ought to have called the Governor
to order, and regretted that the Chairman had
omitted to do so.-The Governor found this
opinion very singular, and would beg to say
that it shows great misapprehension of the
Governors position and prerOgative, which
place him altogether beyond being called to
order by the Chairman of the Colonial Council.
Neither the Councils Rules of Business nor
the Colonial Law gives the Chairman any such
authority or any authority whatever over the
Governor, who Is in this place the representa-
tive of His MajeSty's government, and as such
he would state. that he neither would nor
could abide by any vote Of censure proposed
in the Colonial Council. The Council is legal
ly Incompetent to do such a thing and, if it is
introduced, it is the duty of the Chairman to
prevent its progress. But if the Hon. Chair
man, as in this instance, omits to check the pro-
gress of an illegal motion, and supports it by
entering it for discussion, the Governor IS
obliged to use his authority and the power he
legally holds, by f~orbiddfng the progress of the
motion and he would now Inform honorable
members that he would not allow the present
discussion to proceed. He used this line of
action, because he did not wish to make honor
able members responsible for the consequences
which the progress of the Resolution would en-
tail, and because be supposed that amongst
hon. members there were some who did not
know all the bearings of the case-althOugh,
no doubt, they ought to know-and who feel
confident that a measure supported by the
Chairman of the Colonial Council is, at all
events, fairly in accordance with the Councils
Rules aud warranted by the Colonial Law.
Hence the Governor had abstained from doing
what would certainly have been the most
natural course 10 dissolve the Council when
he received the information that the Hon.
Chairman had allowed and the Council had
resolved the discussion Of the Resolution now
entered on the Order of the Day. For the
reason stated he had waited patiently for 2
months, as he would again to-day offer the
Council an opportunity of overcoming the
difficulty by withdrawing the Resolution, but
without discussion.
Tile Chairman said that at all events His
EXeellency would not object to that he, the
Chairman, and the Members of the Council re-
piled to the charges which His Excellency had
made against them in his speech to-day.
Tie GoccrHor said that Hon. Members
might DO that within certain limits.
The Chairman sal that it was his right and
duty to define those limits.-IIis EXcelIency
could not While the Council was assembled d.
rect the discussions.
The Gorcynor said that the limits to which
he alluded were those laid down in Rules of
Business and in the Colonial Law-if those
limits were overstepped, as hey had already
been in the Hon. C~hairm2n's permitting an
illegal Resolution to proceed, be, the Governor,
would stop the discussion.
The Chairman would beg TO ask His Excel.
lency to point out any enactment, either in the
Colonial Law or the Rules Of Business, that
had been overstepped by the treatment of the
item now before the Council. lie was not
aware of any such enactment.
The G00crnor said that he had already
pointed out the enaotments which define the
Governors position and the manner in which
the Council may complain of him. But outside
those enactments the Council cannot legally
proceed, and o Resolution like the one in ques.
ton cannot be legally discussed here.
The 9Th Member for st. Thomas Iamb)
asked if His Exeellency would allow him to
make a few remarks. He would not say any
thing about the Resolution he had proposed,
but he would make some observations on the
stand taken by His ExceIlency. And in this
regard he would say that he as a Member of
the Council would submit only to the decision
of the Hon. Chairman, and that while he re-
snectad His Evcallenov "a the Chief Maois-