Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-09-23
Canada's Government.


Icomplexion is:Conservatives. 132; Lib
erals, 81, majority. As. The leader Of
| the Conservatives, Robert Laird Bor-
! den will succeed Laurier. the Liberal
veteran, as premier.
The landslide in favor of the Con
servatives suggests the natural disso-
luton of a party long in power. It
had the accumulation of years of OPP
position to contend with. Lauricr was
and is, beyond question, Canada S
grand old statesman. the greatest she
has produced. At 20 he goes down to
honorable defeat and retires from ac-
| tive politics. He announces that ne
cannot undertake to lead a minority
party against the government.
by the terms of the British North
| Ontario and Quebec, known also as
| Upper and Lower Canada, Joined with
| the Maritime Provinces of Nova SEQ
tia and New Brunswick To form Il Fed
cral Government under the name of
the Dominion of Canada Since that
| thine the original number al provinces
| has been Increased to nine by the adj
mission of Manitoba, british Columbia.
Prince Edward Island Alberta, and
! saskatchewan. the last two formed
out of the Northwest Territory which
had been purchased from the Hudson
Bay Company; but the Constitution
drafted in 1864 and embodied in the
act of 1867 is still in force
Based upon the general principal ot
the definite Lewiston of powers between
the Canadian Constitution differs from
that of the United states iii the fact
that all powers not explicitly assigned
to the provinces are reserved to the
central Government. Under the eX-
elusive jurisdiction of the Federal leg
islature are the administration OF the
public debt and property, the IMPOSE
ton of taxes for general purposes. the
Organization of the public defense. in
GLIDING the militia the subjects of
banking. paper money, promissory
notes. legal tender currency, and coin
age; the regulation of commerce. nav
igation, and shipping; the coast SER
vice, the postal service, census, statis-
tics. patents, and copyright; natural
ization, aliens, and Indians; marriage
and divorce. The subjects within the
scope of the provincial legislatures are,
among others, those of taxation for
local purposes the regulation of local
commerce. the erection of municipal
corporations, the borrowing of money
on the credit of the province. on the
questions of agriculture and imnigra
ton. the Federal and the provincial
legislatures possess concurrent juris-
diction; but il is provided that in the
the law of the Dominion shall prevail,
Although the powers of government
have, in this manner, been definitely
portioned out, there has been no lack
OF sphere of the other. on such ocea-
sions, when compromise has been
found impossible, the principle Of the
superior authority inherent in the
central government has been adhered
to. Striking examples of this predom-
in1na.. r,e IL, 4.
General to disallow within a year
any law enacted by the provincial
legislatures and the power OF appoint
| ing the Governors Of the
provinces
| The lawmaking of the Federal gov
| eminent is vested in the King OF Great
Britain or his representative, ard the
| Dominion parliament The parliament,
the seat of which is at Ottawa is
composed of an Upper House or Sen
ate and Lower House or House OF
Commons. The members Of the Sen
ate. who are appointed for life by the
Governor General and Council must lie
subjects of the King, 80 years Of age.
residing III the province whence they
are summoned, and owning property
there TO the value of $1,000. At present
there are 81 senators, of whom q are
from ontario, "a from Quebec, 10 from
New Brunswick. 10 from Nova Scotia
| 4 from Prince Edward Island, from
Manitoba, from British Columbia, 4
| from Alberta, and 4 from Saskatche-
wan. The House of Commons is elect
ed practically by manhood suffrage for
! five years, on the basis of population.
Officers OF the civil service and gov
eminent contractors may not sit in
parliament, II is provided that Que
bee shall always have IS representa-
| lives in the Commons, and the other
provinces a number bearing the same
ratio TO their population as So bears to
the population OF Quebec on the ba-
of no Of