It Is A Principle Inseparable From Every Government That
Ever Gave Extended And Important Services To A Country, Because All
Governments have been more or less confederations in their character.
Spain was a Federation, for although it had a king
Reigning over the
whole country, it had its local governments for the administration of
local affairs. The British Isles are a quasi-Confederation, and
the old French dukedoms were confederated in the States-General. It is
a principle that runs through all the history of civilization in one
form or another, and exists alike in monarchies and democracies; and
having adopted it as the principle of our future government, there were
only the details to arrange and agree upon. Those details are before
you. It is not in our power to alter any of them even if the House
desires it. If the House desires, it can reject the treaty, but
we cannot, nor can the other Provinces, which took part in its
negociation, consent that it shall be altered in the slightest
particular.
"Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to have detained the House so long, and was
not aware till I had been some time on my legs, that my physical
strength was so inadequate to the exposition of those few points which,
not specially noticed by my predecessors in this debate, I undertook to
speak upon. We stand at present in this position: we are bound in
honour, we are bound in good faith, to four Provinces occupied by our
fellow colonists, to carry out the measure of Union agreed upon here in
the last week of October. We are bound to carry it to the foot of the
Throne, and ask there from Her Majesty, according to the first
resolution of the Address, that she will be graciously pleased to
direct legislation to be had on this subject. We go to the Imperial
Government, the common arbiter of us all, in our true Federal
metropolis - we go there to ask for our fundamental Charter. We hope, by
having that Charter, which can only be amended by the authority that
made it, that we will lay the basis of permanency for our future
government. The two great things that all men aim at in free
government, are liberty and permanency. We have had liberty enough - too
much, perhaps, in some respects - but, at all events, liberty to our
hearts' content. There is not on the face of the earth a freer people
than the inhabitants of these Colonies. But it is necessary there
should be respect for the law, a high central authority, the virtue of
civil obedience, obeying the law for the law's sake; for even when a
man's private conscience may convince him sufficiently that the law in
some cases may be wrong, he is not to set up his individual will
against the will of the country, expressed through its recognized
constitutional organs. We need in these Provinces, and we can bear, a
large infusion of authority. I am not at all afraid this Constitution
errs on the side of too great conservatism. If it be found too
conservative now, the downward tendency in political ideas which
characterises this democratic age is a sufficient guarantee for
amendment. Its conservatism is the principle on which this instrument
is strong, and worthy of the support of every colonist, and through
which it will secure the warm approbation of the Imperial authorities.
We have here no traditions and ancient venerable institutions; here,
there are no aristocratic elements hallowed by time or bright deeds;
here, every man is the first settler of the land, or removed from the
first settler one or two generations at the farthest; here, we have no
architectural monuments calling up old associations; here, we have none
of those old popular legends and stories which in other countries have
exercised a powerful share in the government; here, every man is the
son of his own works. We have none of those influences about us which,
elsewhere, have their effect upon government just as much as the
invisible atmosphere itself tends to influence life, and animal and
vegetable existence. This is a new land - a land of young pretensions
because it is new; because classes and systems have not had that time
to grow here naturally. We have no aristocracy but of virtue and
talent, which is the best aristocracy, and is the old and true meaning
of the term. There is a class of men rising in these Colonies, superior
in many respects to others with whom they might be compared. What I
should like to see, is - that fair representatives of the Canadian and
Acadian aristocracy should be sent to the foot of the Throne with that
scheme, to obtain for it the royal sanction - a scheme not suggested by
others, or imposed upon us, but one the work of ourselves, the creation
of our own intellect and of our own free, unbiassed, and untrammelled
will. I should like to see our best men go there, and endeavour to have
this measure carried through the Imperial Parliament - going into Her
Majesty's presence, and by their manner, if not actually by their
speech, saying - 'During Your Majesty's reign we have had responsible
Government conceded to us: we have administered it for nearly a quarter
of a century, during which we have under it doubled our population, and
more than quadrupled our trade. The small Colonies which your ancestors
could hardly see on the map, have grown into great communities. A great
danger has arisen in our near neighbourhood. Over our homes a cloud
hangs, dark and heavy. We do not know when it may burst. With our own
strength we are not able to combat against the storm; but what we can
do, we will do cheerfully and loyally. We want time to grow; we want
more people to fill our country, more industrious families of men to
develop our resources; we want to increase our prosperity; we want more
extended trade and commerce; we want more land tilled - more men
established through our wastes and wildernesses.
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