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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1879-5-29, Page 22 POLITICAL MEETING IN EXP.- TER. X +- TER. Mr.,ftxeredith then advanced and was received with ringiug cheers, He was glad to see such au orderly and atten- ti' a meeting, and judged from the apt pearanee of those he saw around him that they were mostly all voters, and had come to hear what reason could be advanced to show, the necessity of overthrowing the Mowat Governmeut in the coming oontest. It was not his intention, nor was it his custom to appeal to any partizan prejudices, But he would lay •before the people iu as clear and criticise a manner as Possible a record of the Government which he opposed, and which it was to the inter- ests of the Province, as he would by facts and :figures show, should be over- thrown. He would ask the electors to hear him patiently. He would appeal only to the reason, believing that the nititnate and permauent success of any party depended not on a snap verdict obtaiued in a uiomeut of . popular ex- citement, but upon the sound judgment and reasonable oonoiusious at which the people arrived in their otalm mos rants after careful deliberation. If he could show the people that the Govern- ment of Mr. Mowat was detrimental to the interests of the oonntry, if he could satisfy the people that that Govern - meet had been extravagant with the funds of the Province, he thought the farmers of the k'rovinee had sufficient intelligence to see the necessity of withdrawing their confidence front that Government. He would therefore ask all who ware present to throw aside party feelings and divest themselves of eetrty prejudices, and judge of the com- parative merits of the Ewe parties by the facts which he would give thole. He regretted the absence of Mr. Biellop, as, if he were prese;rt, he would have an opportunity of defending the Mown,t ,C-overnmeut and justifying the votes he gave its the House in opposition to •taoonolny, for 11Ir. Bishop had deter- minedly voted against every motion to 'cut down the expenititore of the Prov- southwest of Exeter had been reclaim - ince, and throughout his career in the ed. Before alta drainage Act these .Assembly had given his influence in favor of that policy of extravagance which the dlowat Goverument has pur- sued. One of the stock arguments used by the Government and their snppert• era was that the Fantle with which the Administration of the Province was carried on did not come from the pe pie. It was tree that it was not taken directly from the people's pockets, but it was equally true that. it was the property of the people. Thia revenue was the property of the people even to •a, greater extent than the revenue with which the Ad .:iniatratiou of the Dom- inion ie (serried on, for the ptiuoipal par Of oar Doluittt)it reveitue way de rived from duties, while the futile of Province wore gr•ente•t to the Provinces dor the parn•i:iasof Atmiuistration. 7115 xevornle of the Outariti (x'vernlllent was derived from the following sources. a,ud was ab tut the same am tent evel y ;year ; D .eniniau sob-idv, Fi'+ea alai Feed, Licensee:, Sale of Law Stamps, inc mule train P lbli° Iuyl•itutinil+, and the stele of •vied Ita•td I. Weer, Sitndfield 11l:eedoetil ! formed his Government, he took into e•iii ttleratiort the fact that the Pr..viticial revennp, unlike diet of the D rniuiou, was at a fixed °$ ester. He eon: tee ne eesity of g••ndrnct and economy in the neat,sl.geru•'.e of our far. fairs. H toed( into his Cethi•let awn the Pr.vutoe. •It,eywon]d lend von to in -vll.tut the country had every c ertfi- believe that. they bad !to exceptiouta] deuce, end e everee.l solely in the inter semreze of reve:)tee. Beet at thee time .,I' est of the peepie. He was a Refornnaer, 0 tnfederiation a portion only of tile it Lit without allowing the (louse to say whether any of the railways should not be assisted. Another objection taken to the Government of Sandfield Mac- donald was that four of the Ave mem- bers were lawyers, and only one lay- man, his friend the Hon. John Oarliug. In his place in the Hoose Mr. 13ltute declared that there should be more laymen, aud his (Mr. Meredith's) opiu• ion was that we ought to have more laymen iu the Cabiuet. But although they cbjeoted tv there being four law- yers and only one layman in Sand - field Macdonald's Cabinet,they thought it all right that the Governtnent of Mr. Mowat should be composed of five lawyers audouly one layman. Anodes er objection taken to the Government of Sandfield Jlaodonald was that it was a coalition. Under cireumstanoes then existing, the Speaker did not see auy- thing wrong in that. The leading men of both parties had united to bury the differeuoes of the past, sod were gov- erning the oeuutry economically and wisely. But did not Mr. Blake take in- to his Cabinet Mr. R. W. Scott, a Tory of the Tories, and a member of the old family compact. Mr. Sandfield Mac• donald, during his terra of otlies, ac- onmulated, by practising economy con. sistent with the requirements of the Province, the spm of $5,224,809.82, which amount did not include what was due us from the Dominion Govern- ment. Sandfield Macdonald was charged by the friends of the Mowat Government with hoarding up the eur- plus in the treasury. There never wets a more uufounded charge thou that, and he denied it most emphatically. While fzlr. Macdonald eaved a large sum of money, he did all that lay in his power, indicioasly and eoouomioal ly, to itnpn-eve the Province. In tine counties of Essex and Lout lets drain- age Aot was the gleans of reclaiming a very largo cpututity of land which hith- erto bad been practically worthless. He didn't know whether it had been of mode benefit to this comity or net, but he believed that a large tract to the lands were 05e11.55, now they were las good as any in the Province. It %teas worth, previous to the passage of that Act, from $2 to $3 per acre. By ju- dicious expenditure the laud was drain- ed, and uow brings frons $20 to $30 per acre. Indeed it is considered the very garden of Canada, • &EI'. Ml.edon. old also operlt large SUMS On public lu• stiiutimis. It was under his regime that the L iudon Asylum was coust•ructed. The deaf and Dumb and Blind Asy lunisi the Central Prisou, the School of Tecnuulogy and several iustitutious were oleo ivaugurated by his G;)vern • went. These were some of the gree+ pubIit works which owe their inscrip- tion the late P. etnier•, and the man who says that etandfield ilacdouald d!d ),d.r stony the interests of the cntautry, duee not ltuow the hist ry •tf the Pr,evince, Theo, 'Lobe it had been 111e boast 01 Reformers Ina the Coeservativet were tale corrupt party, and the Reformer, the ec:,uou)ical and wi-e legislators. It these •giautleruen had beau as c'Lretnl of the fauda as they ought to !MVO boon, ',leey (aught tet have ed leaf to the 511r plus left thein by fehtml$ •1(1 elmao:luutel(1 But what i, then me •rei ? 'Taey hate geaucter.•d fully $2.600,000 •'f the sur. plus whie r i it . i1i•tenouatd put b.• through economy f tr the interests u+ and n evert:ere according to lietfereu prinOiule:', and tnauaged the expeudi- tura •if the Previte:i in ouch a Aay that at the slid of every seer there was a tut the oldruv P t oa of (,tautatleL was as - mimed by the Doinlrhmn,the inteYest ()aerie's share of which was .$144,833 leaf yearly, which was deduc+.ed truru lace° surplus o , hand after the exoen• the •-ubsi•fy down to the `bilis Act in ditures weer. deducted. But the Grit 1878, eleech relieved the Province of this burden. The man received by' Mr. Mowat s Gevermnent eines that. Act,ir I excess of what 1'[r. Saudatsld l�iaadon- ai(l's G rver'ln)eut received, %roonat.i.ro( $1,604,166.08, They also received t0 party iu Ibis e •nntry railed egainst this 711au, and nlisrepree.e►rted (the in every way Ile wad riot at all times very careful in what be said, and these slips of the tougne were taken advantage of and circulated through tete couutl,y to raise $1,564.674,the proceeds of the collet: - the feelings of the people eglaiu3t hiren tutus of the Municipal L•tau Fund debt, He was represented as all axe -grinding as settled by the Act or 1873. Also um. Premier, a corruptiouist and every- wards of 01,200,000 for interest upon, thing that was vile. Hi- railway ,lot. the monies iltvested by Snudt°eid Mao. iey was bitterly opposed by the Oppo• donald's Sauce' nenet)t. They also re sition of that day. They demanded (salved $533,299, proceeds of the sale that he should submit to the Iliitrse iu 1872 ,et' timber limits On Lake 11n1. - the details of all grants which he in. ore 616,308, $15,308 from the sale of tended to make to the railways instead the Mimioo fern -emu[ $25,000 payment of .tusisdng cu the House granting by the Loan Society -malting a total a eertaiu sura, which the Government exceptional reveene of 14,042,430.03, should sherd only in assisting those So that it wilt bo been that these gene new railways which were intended to wind' had received Prem exeeptionl►l open up to settlement back ports of sources within $87,483,02 of whtat.ihey the Province. Sandfield Macdonald bad expended on Bailie/ter Aid Trued thought this was snaking tbe Govern. and Surplus Thistributittn. Then let us mevb merely a ooutpiittee of the Howie come to the expendithre of the Prov. and $coned not submit t tl e g iucr Tilts was a m e t iron t t Rob - ):lid D3. would hardly be fair to say bis o pensee were one thousand five slut Bred dollars, because the amount spin on hie barn was. spent on capital a oeunt, In this Nay he $scald Ere the affairs of the Province, stud wool deduct iu the expenditure of each yea the amounts spout on public Works ( course which cur readers will obsery we have faithfully followed in our ed toriale). In 1808 the expenditure wa $1,182,$88, from which must be de dented es not being ordinary ourren expenditure $125,840, expended o public buildings, leaving as the tee ordinary' expenditure of the year $1 056,542. In 1871, the last year o Sendfield Maodouald's reign, the tots expenditure was $1,816,866, fro which must be deducted rot not beiu ordinary exdeudituro $643,289, leaviu as the net ordinary expeu'litur $1,173,598, or au increase of lees tha 12 percent. upon the expendir.urenf '68 What has been the record of the Mow at Ad.niuistration 7 The exdenditur inOrerteei! so attain 1878 it arnountedt $2,608,534, from which is to be de ducted the sum of e298,618 expend() on public worke and buildiugs, leaviti as the net ordirtaly exp'en(iittne of th year $2,109,916,or all increase of $930, 318, or 80 ue,' cent. upon the expen diture of 1871. Ought this state o things to co•,tinue ? Theiuevitable re atilt must be direct taxation. Lookin at these figures, he asked his hearer if it was out abont time to go back t the men who would expend the merle of the people iota judicious and econo 1111051 manner. y They urged as an ex cue° fur these inureassd expenditure that the public i)istrtutions lout in crewed. He would ask, Ditl not til popnliation iliol'ease as rapidly ? Th fact was that the expenditures wer only inureaeed 12 per cent. in Saud field el thee, and by 80 per cent 0uefer the Refnrin Governments. Ir regard to the cry raised by the sup porters of the present Government the the Oppo itiou were iu fever of break i':g tap O•enfederatiou. Mr. Meredith said he utterly d hied the charge, Tit Cuu•.t'rvatives were instrumental i bringing •ebout Ct,ufederatitln, and they were net tee pay to raise t,.eir band t%1 destroy that whiob they had erected (Cheers) The very opposite was th • The ° •n-ervatives asked the pen pie to strengthen their halide and r)re serve a Canadian nationality in this o�'ur•try. (Applause.) Their opponents were the the0 wbo were etriking a blow at out o.eof derated systere. (Cheers. He then flaked the attenti,tt, of the 'oldi- e/roe to note the increases in the depart 108111e uttder the control 01 the Govern- ment. There were enormnn. increases glade sine: the Rein. Governmeu1 carte in- to u .wer, as the following figures we old ante t. i.ient. Goverreor'a Oflics,1871, eti 1.rie., .$1,'200, 1878, $2,400 ; in - twelve, $1,200. O'•ntingeuctes, 1871, ;rb05, 1878, $950 ; iuc, ells+', $644 - Area d \• G enet.tl'n Office, 1871, satar, le , $7,639, 1878, $11,660 ; inorea•e, $4.020. ,(; lri i eg;e, cies, 1871 $2,002- 1878, .;$8,271 ; i••e• t n,e, 8669. Tteas. Pry D'eg':a meet, 11571. salaries, $8,- 765, 1878, $12,299 ; increese, $3 534, el,n,ru1 ,e cies, 1871, $1,819, 1878. $2,423 ; i Orese,5, $1,103. See: slaty 1a of te, 'jil r:ir (. x0(11+tot? et' Sitatistie: al Bev ell). 1871, salaries. $9.495, 1878, 19,200 ; Pec e •.e, $5 7;15. 11.wtiiigs- 11ci. , Iri71, $1.908,1878, $2,231 ; in- ei'ase. $1,137 Pub to works, 1871, sah,•1e.-, $10 865, 187•`1, $18.6555 ; iri• ere:d..;e- 05.611. (Juargl' i to work-, 1871, $2 678 Crown Lamle, 1871, 1878, rra 0., t, ing&.fides, 1871. 88,451, 1879, $10.120; increase, $1,- 412, lnttte.o.i.t, .f l'ri nus, 1861, sal- ari s, $2,484, 1878, $5,941 ; increase, $3,457. 0 'lttineenciee, 1871, $715. 1878, $2.129 ; iuoren,e, 1,411, Leeis- .ttie'u. 1871, eateries, 8,725, 1878, 11, 300; ie�creete, 25,950. Sesentio t miters, 1871, 4,212, 1878, 8,043 ; at- tests, 8,881. S:.ttiotiety. 1871. 11,• 412, 1878. 18,728 ; increase, 7.816. Ptl•yruet. is to Oro , tr Cenusel, 1871, 7,. 89, 1878, 18,161 ; iuorease, 5,171. O the la•dt item there was room for uy a►non •t of corruption. Members f the Do.uinion Parliament were en- leg;et] to attend to the business of tele. n, but he mafutained that in a 'ablest ooutainin• five lawyers this nsinees should he oouducted by them nd. the amount thus spent saved to he people. Now iu regard to these 5(54185, he would say that the Oppo. i,tion, taking into oousideration the tringeney of the tunes and the urgent eoessity for economy in every depart- ment, deemed it to be their duty to tove for a reduction in the salaries of )e officials, who•hiad mnclt less work lc D- at d r a e work for tlzoir salaries. The Sobool of Practical Science which the Opposiliou proposed should nob be maiutained any longer at the expense of the Gov ernrnont, received $5,100. The people would ask how many pupils were In it. Perhape they would say 100, or 50, as $5,00 was required. But would the people credit it ? There were only seven pupile, and we proposed to cut s off that expense, Lint the Governmen aided by Mr. Bishop, voted down uu t motion, Altogether we proposed a x n duction of $85,000, and would, if re 1 turnednow, see that the expendita ,• was reduced by that amount. It bed bee f asked of ns what retrenchment do yo 1 pr'oposo ? As many would have ob ea served (luring; the late session of th g Legislature, the Opposition put reso g lenient; before the House, which, i e their opiuion, were in the interests o 1 the people and which were denisude • by the electors. They proposed to re - duce the Speaker's salary Froin $1,50 e to $1,000. Mr. Wells, in addition t o his salary, Bets $800 sessional allow - anee, and all be does for that ; 2,30 d is to preside over the deliberations o g the Assembly for twelve or fonrtee e weeks out of the year. The Oppositio - asked that his cedary be reduced b - $500, and that the sessional alio rant f be $600, which together would giv - hint a sum of $1,600 for his services g I -Is thought that amount sufficient, Lin s the Alowat Government and their sup o porters thonlrht otherwise and voted i y (10.411, and amongst them was Mr. A - Bishop. We next proposed to rednc - the salaries of miui,aton's by $500. Bo s the proposition to lower their Wade - was also defeated by the supporters o o Mr. Mowat, your member beiu e alnengst them. Another rosolutiot a was to reduce the salaries of tli, • Deputy Heads of Department, to $2, . 500, and the officials receiving $800 i and over by 10 per cent. The appeal- - tion, on the whole, proposed to reduce 1 the expenditure by $85,000. Dir. Fra- - ser eaid the other day that was a mere bagatelle. Do the people know e diet the saving of that am<innt means n a capital saving of $1,600,000 to the people. Mr. Fraser and his friends say s its of no account, that the Proviuce is . rich, and that it is not worth while talk - e ing about. He referred to immigration. - on which theyhad expended $5(39,071,- - 76, or an average of $51,295.96, pe auntun. He felt that the majority o the people would agree with hint in the opinion that the Government might ) have employed this money in a mush better manner than in bringing out the • surplus population of Europe, for the purpose of overstocking the labor tear het of thio country. He bad nothing to say against honest immigrants coin ing to this country, but he thought the people's money should not h+tve been • spent in bringing them out. The Ger. rymanderfng Bill passed at tete close of the last Parliament was next alluded J to. Mr lviowat, feeling dubious about his election in 1875, set about gerry- mandering the County of Grey. He felt that it was neoeesary to so arrange. 1 it that a certain c,)hstitueucy stould be imade to return a supporter atf his Gov- ernwent.. So he took one t1ewosbip from North Grey and put it into Last Grey, and took One township from East Grey and put it into Nnr.,h Grey. 'That was a vary innocent thing of itself, but he always forgets to tell that the town- ship he tot k ont of North Grey was St, Vincent, which always voted Grit, and whiOL promised materially to etreugtllen East Grey. He then placed holland with North . Grey, end fr in this it night be nope osed thrLt it stret+gthened ,a Co tservative constituency. Butt it so happened that they not require Hol- land,seeing that it had returned a Con- servative by a majority of 412. Vufortn ntately,however,his well planned scheme failed, and with the aid t f St. Viuceut East Grey retua'ned a C enservatly' by a majority of one. Mr. Meredith also explained the actions of the Govern- ment in w similar respect with regard to the enmities of Cardwell, South Sim- coe, Dufferin, Cornwall and Niagara. The injustice of this was illustrated in this county, where although nearly half of the ooustitneuts were conservatives, they had not a siuglerepresentative out of the three ridings. Mr. Mowat had at acted fairly in this respect, and ho (Mr. Meredith) telt confident that the people would not or it at the coming; election. It is a singnlaihing, there- fore, they have been totally unable to deal with the two great questions whish have been agitating for tilt last two years. One of these was the extension. of the jurisdiction of Division Courts. Thaler the existing order of things, a claim of ,$100 can be entered in the Division Court,, but it it should: happen to exceed that amount,. it is necessary to resort to the County Count.. At the former the costs will probably amount to $5 or $10, while at the latter they will amount to $50 or $60. The Op- position proposed, to allow Division Courts to deal with al] summits me to ``x,110 ; but they were opposed by the Government. And what WAR their ex- tent) ? Only that wine 01 the y edges weto opposed to it. \Vila meson did" Mr. Mowat take to find out to fated? etid MAT 29 ,.t�379' ereenese the opinions of those most interested ? Did he appeal to the moi-sb lits 7 No ; not at all. 11:e 50111 circulars around to the lawyers who were interested only in keeping it up the old way and the objectionable way. `Alis is hardly what• would have been expected from the• Premier that Mr, Mowat claims heis ; and on that 'paltry exonse he allows this notion to inereaso the jurisdiction= t, of the Division Courts to be voted down. r Among those who voted it down was• a- your member, Mr, .Bishop. Another' - question which has been disoneeed for ro four years was exemption from taxa - n tion, A committee bad been appoint - u ed to investigate tbe meteor : nd yet they have been unable to remedy it, Ho also referred to the mannerin which the National Polley had been brought into the present 5olltest, and although he felt that it should be excluded was always willing to refer to it wbeu an opportunity afforded. IIs characterized t it as a pleasure catettlatod to do a vast,/ amount of good in the country. He felt "from his experience among the peo:- ple of the Province that they were wil- ling to give it a fair and honest trial, and grand results were antioipated. He read two extracts from tbo (x'lobe of the 22nd of March, quite contradio- tory,one stating that the farmers would not get any more for their oats, and the other that a cabman in the city of To- ronto who kept six horse° would loose $60 by paying the increase(] price on oats. This was the kind of argument e n f (1 0 • m • 0 f 1 u y e e t used against the National Policy. Ho a would ask the Reformers preeeut if t they could be led astray by any such e stuff as that ? In cololu.si"n he nrged f the peaple to votefur Apr. Jackson. Tltey g had beard him speak, and he weniti be 1 •a credit to the Riding. He was infinite- ) lyMr. Bishop's superior. He was evi• • dontIy a clear -beaded businese•nen and was tabic to come to correct conclusions upon public questions and would bo able to express himself clearly and forcibly upon the floor of the house, fie had failed to support trite reform, and was always found voting a„aiuet any motion for ec(lnomy and retrenchment, and should make way for some one who would look after the interests of the people. Mr. Meredith thele took his seat amid loud applause, having been listened to with the very closest atten- tion, and having, we are convinced, by I'. his clear and logical reasoning, end in• f controvertible statements, made a good i epression upon many of the Reform- ers present, many of whom were ern aware how extravagant the Mowat Gov- erntnent had really been. 9 1 u u D a 5 e u u 0 1 propmsa . s _ or au art tl 11 his (Hr. Meredith'$;) opiniou Mr. tent, res 11 affected the wellbeing of the t tsedor)ald would have done wisely people. Sandlot(' Macdonald saw that 0 It was uecessar•y to keep expenditnrce p down to the lawo(t1 point 00051815121 ti with the efficiently of tho Pe bile service. e In speaking 'of the oxtl^,trliture, he 0 wooded put it 111 such a 'way that the o people would easily understand him. If d f. faruter had au iuc(ilne of one thee- t] elle 005eton'he brought down a bill for some dollars tend opera sue thee:laud tl r•rsilWz7 aid, blit grouped the rsilwaye five hundred, dollars, five httrilred of t'ud Carried the resolutieus fn fitsc of which was ie building a barn, it t 0 (l0 tlilarl pentane holding positions f tl'ust in differeut portions of: the revinees. They also thonglrt tet,. iu. 1e interest of the people, there was no xcuse for paying two men where. one nuld do the work. That's what any raillery busllie;s lean would do. We , idu't want geutleulen eimily.to• drew lets salaries. What they desired: was let public setvants should tie filzriy nd reasonably remmeerated, and that bey alma perforin a fair amount of to have given way in this case, end to allow the representatives of the people to control the expenditure of these l,Lroe sutras of money which were :;rant- ad to rhs railways. But Mr. I3iake's method of dealing with the irailevn,ys wee no improvement. At, the clime of T11tT.ST•CLASS NEW BUGGY FOR SALE CHEAP. Apply at TxnnEs Odle°. , A. LAKE, Commissioner, Insur- _C9_ • auce. Land Kiel. �sgent. Ofrioe.-- nestdoornorthBoyal FIutel, Exeter. Wilsons Hotel, Hensa 11,,verr Afond& t'. DRIVATle FUNDS to loan at 8 per. Dent. 1 'TORTGAGES BOUGIIT. OA -Money Loaned on good NOTES, ('IONVEYANCINC•r - Deeds, Mort- en, Cages, Willa. kc ,drawn on reasonable tame N' OTICE IS I-IE•I:I.l+BY GIVEN 1 That the (mutt of Beviaiou of the Assess- ment roll for the vn.ngo of r.xeter fat 1879 will be told at the Market House. lesetnr, on TUESDAY 97th itfay,1870, at ten o'clock, a.m. By order. Ai. l:)ACBP T , Clerk. THE EXETER Planing ill Sash, DOOR AND LZND PACTQII.i ALL KIN KIN DS Or TUR Pone to order. Lterilemberbbeplaee Dearer rpt llOW3. d Eros. JU'oT RECEIVED. A ear load. of American Plaster Pais,. EINE QUA/.ITT. SAS LOAD Beachville White Lime frost. CUT NAILS, GLtiSS, HINGES,. LOCKS S & HARVE,SS TOOLS,. AT r,Ott' rn1038.. Next Door to 8amwell rt Piolrard's, Alain street.,. 1_1.4 :to1'e ]IOrLZt FLOUR and GI= MIL% . Being in good working order gives every 11.01001 - dation _possible in 01.4134 and flouring, Plow and mil flied delivered to partioa 1(eavil4 their orders betoro Erne o'clock at J, til.Lld`t3 iiatlery, or O'13S Yil}.H 4. CO'i3, •or at nail stage day, TEEMS' tl. A.SF1. w e. arsTEICpts;, •