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But for these new elements the Reform party would proV)ably have an easy victory at the general elections of this year ; for the people take no stock in the charges which our Conservative opponents have mad« or are now making against us — (applause) — and the hopes of their party now rest on the temporary divertiion which they are anxious that the P. P. A.'b and the Patrons of Industry may make. Neither of these recent or- ganizations may he in sympathy with the jjresent Opi)08ition, but the notiim is that they may serve to wiilnlraw votes enough to defeat some Keform candidates, and thereby to defeat the Heform party and the Reform Government of the Province. The Opposition think that, the obstacle being removed which has hitherto kept them out of office, there is a chance for thorn in the uncertain condition which the new House may present. In this I hope in the public interest that they may be disrqipointed. (Hear, hear.) Both the P. P. A.'o and the Patrons appear to be extensive organiza- tions and to have nuiuy members. Of the t^o bodies, I am most sur- prised at the existence of the P. P. A.'S IN PROVIN'CIAL POLITICS, for the Opposition worked their cries at two general elections, and work- ed them in vain. We were able on both occasions to satisfy the Re- formers of the Province, and such Conservatives also as were not uuwill- ing to be satisfied, that the pretence of there havin" been pro-Romish leanings in our legislation and our administration of affairs was without foundation. But we have now the same charges made again, and others equally without a particle of truth. APPOINTMENTS TO ROMAN CATHOLICS. Thus it has been said that almost all appointments are given to Roman Catholics ; that the offices and public departments overflow with them ; and I am told that this statement is being repeated, though we have demonstrated its groundlessaess by publishing an exact official ac- count of the number of Roman Catholics and Protestants respectively in every department and public institution to which the appointments are made by the Government. No error in any detail of this acccint has been shown ; and, while probably all .intelligent persons who are will- ing to be convinced Lave been convinced by the publication there are still many P. P. A.'s who regard the disproved story as Gospel truth. The document showed that in number of appointments, the Roman Catholics had less than might be deemed their share according to their proportion of the population, and that the ajigregate salaries of the Ko- man Cat^')lic appointees are very considerably less than that proportion. ECCLESIASTIC DICTATION. Protestants are told also of ecclesiastical dictation in the procuring of laws as to which no ecclesiastic had ever even communicated with us, BALLOT FOR SEPARATE SCHOOLS. Protestants are told that Roman Catholics are prevented from voting by ballot for School Trustees at the instance of the Roman Catholic hier- archy ; while the tact is, that the Koman Catholic laity are not asking for the ballot, and there i'' not the slightest ground for doubting that the great majority of them do not yet want the ballot in the election of School Trustees ; and very probably they are all the more against it for the present, because Protestants want to force it on them from a Pro- testant and anti-Calholic standpoint. The professed object of doing so is to enable the Roman Catholic laity to resist the wishes of their clergy as to School Trustees ; and yet another P. P. A. statement is, that in elections to the Legislative Assembly, where they have the ballot, Roman Catholic voters notwithstanding the ballot give what is called a solid vote for whatever candidates the clergy favor. ENGLISH HISTORY. Protestants are fu;tber told that a recent departmental regulation (afterwards rescin<'ed) as to English history, had for its object to pre- vent young Canadians from acquiring a knowledge of the pare which ihe Roman Catholic Church had played in English history ; while the fact is, that such an objt-ct was not thought of. The regulation was merely that pupils should not be subji'ct to examination on the subject of Eng- lish history ; and it was to be taught orally. The regulation having been misunderstood in another respect, it was afterwards rescinded, and is not now in force. INSPECTION OF ROMAN CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS. Another story circulatied is, that while Protestant institutions under the Provincial Government are open for inspection and Govermnent regulation, Roman Catholic institutions similarly circumstanced, it is said, are not so ; the fact being quite oiherwise. By law and in practice, all the institutions referred to, Protestant and Roman Catholic, are alike subject to inspection and Governmental regulation. OTHER COMPLAINTS. In other repppcts the Reform Government a>e blamed by the P.P.A,'8 for not doing things which under the Constitution che Prct^iuciai Legis- lature has no power to do. These few aie but specimens of the mistakes wbioh the upright mem- bers of the society are led into, and of the misrepresentations which others are making to mislead. The time would fail me to repeat and refute all the stories which have come to my knowledge ; and it i« ex- tremely improbable that anything like all have reaci)ed my ears. ' % - 8 ► RELATIONS OF PROTESTANTS AND ROMAN CATHOLICS. Tt is a good thing for Protestants who earnestly believe, to be zeal- ous and watchful for the religion they love. But it is not a good thing to be ready to believe everything which may be said against Koraaa Catholics. There is no merit, and there is on the contrary great de- merit, in believyig what is not true against them. Our duty is to prove all things, and to hold fast that only which is true and good. As Pro- testants we do not pretend to vindicate the Roman Catholic Church ia respect of anything which history may have recorded of it, or in respect of any of its theological doctrines. But Roman Catholics are here; they constitute nearly one-sixth of our population in Ontario, and nearly five- twelfths of the population of Canada. Amongst the Roman Catholics whom we know, most of us can testify, Protestants though we are, that many are good husbands and wives, good sons and daughters, good fath- ers and mothers, good masters and Servants, good citizens, and benevol- ent and humane in character and conduct. (Hear, hear.) To thought- ful men and women who are not P. P. A.'s, it ought to be obvious that Protestants will not induce Roman Catholics to become Protestants, or make them better otherwise, by persecuting them, or by refusing them employmeut or business, or by excluding them from Municipal Councils and the Legislature. On the contrary, such a course is calculated to make them more than ever anti- Protestant, and to bind them more closely than ever to their clergy, who sympathize with them, and must more or IcFS suffer with them. It is surely obvious that to excite the animos- ity of Roman Catholics is not the way to liberalize them. Reasoning that does not unnecessarily antagonize may do something with them, and kindness may do something. Let us reasv^n with them, then, as we will or can! Let us be kind and considerate in our bearing towards them. Let them see th?.t we recognize their rights, whatever these may be. Don't let us proclaim to them that, by reason of their con- tinuing in the faith in which they have bee«; brought up, we hate them, or are ready to believe everything bad of them, and, in a word, will have nothing to do with them that we can help. In a Province in which over five-sixths of the population are Protestants, and have an earnest, devoted and exemplary clergy, danger to Protestantism from Roman Catholics or the Roman Catholic clergy, I have no hesitation in saying, is simply out of the question. (Applause.) When attacked as a body, thoy may unite as a body to resist the attack, as every other class in the community would do. (Hear, hear.) PATRONS OF INDUSTRY. I am now to say something as to the Patrons of Industry. As regards the Dominion Parliament, the aims of the Patrons of In- dustry are the same as the aims of Reformers ; and the Society consists largely of Reformers. It is impossible, therefore, not to regard them with friendliness, and not to regret that their course towards the Re- form party should weaken the joint pt 3r of the two parties to pro- cure those reforms in Dominion affairs which both desire. These re- formti are immensely more important to farmers and the public in general than anything that could be accomplished by defeating, or enabling Con- servative candidates to defeat, Reform candidates tor the Provincial Legislative Assembly. The article of the Patrons' platform which affects Ontario politics might reasonably be left in abeyance for a time at all events. The article referred to is as to the local election of the Provincial officers who reside in the respective counties. Some of our friends, who are not Patrons, appear to regard with favor the view ex- pressed on this su'yect in the Patrons' platform, or, at all events, look on it as a view which might be accepted. I shall, therefore, state the principal reasons why the Government has not hitherto advised the change now proposed. These reasons, and the facts bearing on them, do not appear to be generally uiuiarstood. I do not anticipate any ultimate divergence of opinion between the Reform Government and the Reform party in the future, as there has not been^ny in the past. (Applause.) Meanwhile let our reasons for what we have done, and for what we have refrained from doing, receive from all concerned the con siJeration to which these reasons may be entitled. (Hear, hear.) LOCAL ELECTION OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. The article on the subject in the Patrons' platform does not deal with details, and it is understood tliat Patrons are not yet agreed as to whether the change should be to election by the County Council, or by direct vote of the municipal electors of the county. As regards the individual members of the Order, I am told that some are for making the change applicable only as vacancies occur, and nou so as to affect present in- cumbents who have been efficient officers i»nd been guilty of no wrong ; that some woull cancel all existing appointments without exception ; that some would limit the change to officials not connected with the administration of justice ; that some would confine the change to Registrars and Sheriffs, though the Sheriff is connected with the ad ministration of justice ; that some would have the elected officials to hold office for five years ; that some are for a shorter term ; and that some desire to have the elected officers hold their offices during good behavior, as in practice the officials have done hitherto, and as in prac- tice municipal Treasurers and Clerks also do. I do not discuss any of these details at present, though the assent or dissent of many may de- pend on the nature and extent of the change proposed or contemplated. I have elsewhere expressed the opinion that election by direct vote at the polls would be better than election by the County Councils, if the choice were between these two methoda only. The question of th» mode of choosing the officials does not itself in* volvfj the question, whether the proper or best mode of remunerating the Ji is by fees or eala.y — as to which I shall speak later on. Nor does it involve the question as to the fitting amoimt of their renuineratiou. As to that, I only observe that if the, present statutory reductions should be thought to leave xnyof the incomes too large, any further reduction may be either by exacting for public uses a larger percentage of their receipts than now, or by the other method of funding the fees and pay- ing fixed salaries. The official incomes may be reduced in either of these ways, whatever should be the mode of choosing the men. ELECTION OF OFFICIALS BY THE PEOPLE AT THE POLLS. 1.. It is sometimes asked why, as the body of electors are qualified to choose members of Parliament, they are not equally qualified to elect the Registrars and other Provincial local officers also 1 And the queption is sometimes thought to be conclusive. But it is not so. The case of shareholders in a banking company, or other large joint stock company, illustrates the difference. The shareholders choose the directors, and they leav% to the directors the selection of the officers of the company. No one questions that this method of management is in the interest of the companies ; it is for this reason that the system is universally , adopted. So, under the school law. the people choose the school trustees, the trustees choose the teachers. Under the municipal law, the people choose the members of the Council, but the Council choose the munici- pal Treasurer and Clork, the assessors, co^ectors, and other officers. 1 ' There are stronger reasons in the caae of the Provincial otficials than in those cases wliich I have mentioned ; for an elector's choice in voting for a member of the Legislature depends, not^merely or principally on what ne may know of the integrity and business ability of the respective candidates, but also, and largely, on tho jjolitical and other parties to which they respectively belti.ig, and the professed principles and his- tory of each party. The merits or demerits of parties are the daily or weekly cubject of discussion in tho newspapers throughout the Province. The subject is interesting to all who read the public journals, whether they lire electors or not, and is as interesting in other constituencies as in the elector's own constituency. Wherever he goes these matters are talked about, and they are of continued interest and of continued im- portance from one election to another. The discussion of them is a political education as to the voting for members of the Legislature. But the electors have no such advantages in jiulging as to the comparative personal (pialificatinns of candidates for such an ( llico c,s County At- torney or Local Master, or any of the other cilices now under discussion. The two cases will, therefore, on cons^ideration, be seen to be entirely different. WOULD IT BE A BENEFICIAL CHANGE ? 2. When any government or legislative change is proposed or con- sidered, the first and most important question to be weighed is whether the change is likely to be a beneficial change. In the present mat- ter it has not been suggested hitherto, so far as I have seen, that tho work of the otticers aimed at would be better done in case of the offices being filled by county election or appointment. We have the experi- ence of ou.- neighbors across the line as to the election of such officers, and there is no pretence that they have elected better men or more efficient officers than as a rule our officers are, by whatever party ap- pointed. In fact, the very contrary is the case ; our officers are as a rule superior to theirs. (Applause.) LIBERAL PRINCIPLES. 3. Again, we cannot go for the change to local appointment or election from a notion that the proposed luethod follows necessarily or logic- ally from Liberal principles in Oi.her matters. Ou the contrary, I have failed to find that municipal election or appointment of such officers is in use under any Liberal or Democratic Government in the world except the United States, or that it has been demanded by any large party of Liberals anywhere else. I refer to these facta to show that a man may be a good Liberal here without favoring local appointment 'r election to the offices in question. That method prevails, as I have said, in the United States, bat I hope that, however kind our feelings are towards that country, none of us have such a love for whatever exists there that the mere existence of the proposed system there is suflUcient to make us determine to have it here. Let us have in Ontario the best modes, and the best laws, whether they corres[)ond v^ith those of our neighbors or not. Several of our institutions, and many of our laws, are in ad- vance of theirs, and as regards these we should be retrograding, and not advancing, were we to adopt theirs in place of our own. Do not let us forget that the Provincial Government represents the people — the people of the whole Province — quite as much as the elec- torb or municipal councillors of a county represent that county. (Ap- plause.) Under responeible government, the vGrovernment consists, in effect, of a committee of the Legislative Assembly chosen by the people, and the Government must have the support and confidence of a ma- jority of that representative body. Thus, what is done by a Govern- c ment under the responsible syHtem.ia recognized as done l>y the people An appointment by the Government is quite as much an appointment by the people as an appointment by a County Council would be, or as an election by u direct vote of the electors on the specific appointment. Thb difference is, that an appointment by the Government is an appoint- ment by the people of the whole Province; while either of the other modes would be an appointment by the people of only a small section of the Province. Some things are bettor done by a municipal section, and other things are better done by the Province as a whole. The present question is, to which class do the appointments in question belong ? 4. Again, under the elective system in regard to public oflicers it is found by experience that the mass of the people do not really choose. The choice is made, and perhaps necessarily made, by a few members of each of the respective political or other parties who meet in caucus or otherwise for this purpose. The choice of the electors is limited to one or other of the candidates so chosen. An elector who does not vote for one of them throws away his vote, for no other can get votes enough to be elected. In 99 cases out of 100, perhaps in 999 out of 1,000, it is party, and not the qualification of the candidate for the ortice, that de- termines the electors' choice. (Hear, hear.) OFFICES WHICH ARE IN QUESTION. 5. I understand t'uat the otlicials whose appointment some propose to withdraw from the Provincial Government and transfer in some form to the counties are some or all of the following : Registrars of deeds and instruments affecting the titles to lands. County Crown Attorneys, Sheriffs, Local Masters, Local Registrars of the High Court of Justice, Deputy Clerks of the Crown, County Court Clerks, Surrogate Registrars, and Cierks and Bailiffs of Division Courts. As regards all these officers their duties are not municipal. The laws with which they have to do are Provincial laws, and in a few instances Dominion laws, not municipal by-laws or regulations ; their duties un- der these laws are of prime importance to the whole Province, not to the county only ; and under the present system the Government is re- sponsible for the efficient discharge of those duties. The article in the Patrons' platform embraces county officials gener- ally, not those of the Province only. Dominion offices, and Dominion local offices, must have been in the mind of the Patrons, as they "except" County Judges, who are appointed by the Dominion. Amongst the Dominion offices which might as well be filled by local election as those now in the gift of the Provincial Government, are postmasters, local inspectors of weights and measures, local inspectors of wheat and other Canadian products, local inspectors of gas and gas meters, local inspec tors of petroleum, IochI officers of the Exchequer Court, and others. PRINCIPLE OF PRESENT SYSTEM, 6. The general principle on which the present system proceeds is, that it is for the public interest that the Government of the country, in other woids the people ot the Province as a whole, should be responsible, aj far as practicable, for the administration of justice in the whole Province, and that for this purpose the chief officers appointed for the administration of justice and the security of titles should be appointed by the General Government or Central Authority as representing the people of the country as a whole, and should be under their supervision, and subject to dismissal by such Government. The proposed system would, of course, relieve the Government from this responsibility, as regards all officers whom the Government should not appoint, and over whom they would have no control. ^- GOVKRNMKNT INSPECTION. 7. Tnke. aa Iteming on tli« Huljrct, the matter of governmental inspec tion. Every one wl:o Iihh ^'\v* t\ aiiy attention to tlie BuVtject knows the exreedinf; in portHiice of ifiHpectinn, in order to the efUciency, Gdelity and Hccuracy of- |iul»lic < HicerH of every class and kind. Accordingly, the Province has, with uiimistakealile atlvantage, Inspt^ctors of Uchools, Irspectors of Prisons iind Charities, an Inspector of Legal Offices, an In- spector of Itejistrv Ollices, jin IiiHpecior of Division Courts, and In- spectors of Kact'ries. The Dominion has Inspectors of Postdflioes, In- spectors of Penitt'nt,iari»8, InepectnrH of Fisheries, Inspectors of Customa, and "tht r Inspecors wit'i lii-e duties. There me no » flicers in the service of the Province or of the Dominion wiiose otlioes are of morn valne in their respective departments than those of Inspectors. The Gover. 'nent, on their report, corrects any- thing wrong, and hns now the power of enforcing attention by suspen- sion or dismisHul. The efr*-ct oi this power, and of the occasional sus- pension or dismissal of an tilloer for good cause, is most valuahle. But whf-re there is local appointment or election, the officirtls are independent of the Government and its officers, and are of n ;e8sity responsible only to those in the locality who appoint or elect th' rn. If the tenure is for a fix>'d term, the official is practicnlly secure t at term, however faulty he may become, short perhaps only of ' Unless his mis- conduct is very sjross and -pert, il may n(»t evei. ^l ' in the way of his having a second t rm. Officials of every class and liowever chosen need authoritative inspeciion. REASONS GIVEN FOR PROPOSED CHANGE. FOR.MKR PRACTICE. (1) I have stated some of the reasons which there seemed to be for thesH appointments being left as hitherto with the Government of the day having the confiileoceof the people. What are the reasons given for the propofied chaiiiie? One reason fjiven i.«, that the local appointment or election of the Provincial ;^ both tetnperiince rnt-n ami others who dcBirud to H«e the Iienuice man who did not or does not regard appointnit'nt by the (joverninent as an' improvement, and a great improvement, as compared with either of the former methods, whatever his opinion may bcj i\h to other otlicials. (ApphiutHe.) Of the other Provincial oUicers in re>;ard to whom tl)e olmngo to county appointment or election is proposed, not one was ever appointed by a County Councilor by popidar vote ; not one. LKUIHLATION AS TO MUNICIPAL COUNCILS, (2) The pretence of the OppoHition is often put in u general form as if under my Premiership not only had patrona^^e been wrongly diverted by the I^egislatvire from Municipal C^)uncd8, l)ut as if other jurisdiction had been improperly withdrawn from these Councils. That also is not 80. The only subject (other than the licjnor license law) as to which, so far as I recollect, the jurisdiction of the Municipal Councils has been diminished is in regard to granting boiuines in aid of railways, or for promoting manufactories in the nuiiucipality. The restrictions in such cases were made at the instance of the ratepayers, who desired these re- strictions on their municipal representatives, and the adoption of such restrictions hud the general (though not unaninious) approval of the House, including me' jbers of both political parties. Nor has there bren any indication since, that the peojde desire the former power of the municipal bodies on the subject to be restored. On the other hand, there have in my time been various additions to the jurisdiction of Municipal Councils in other matters. OFFICIALS ARE NOT PAID HY MUNICIPALITY. " (3) But the principal reason given for the proposed change is, that the^e oHiciiils in each municipal County, it is said, are " paid " by the county municipality. The article in the I'atrons' platform is thus ex- pressed : — "(7) A system of civil service reform that will give each county power to appoint or elect all county officials paid by them, except County Judges." But the Provincial officers named are not paid by the municipality. Any of them who receive a salary are paid that salary by the Province and not by the county. Tlie county pays no salary to any of the ofHi^ers whom it is proposed to elect. The county pays fees to the Sherift' for business done, but the Province also pays him fees, and the amount paid by the Province exceeds considerably Che amount ))aid by the countv. Thus, in 1S92, the aggregate amount paid to the Sheriffs by the Province was $t.3,015. The aggregate amount paid out of county funds was not much more than half that sum, 823,040. INCOMES OF OFFICIALS. The chief part of the incomes of all the officials named comes, not from either Provincial or municipal funds, but from the individuals who from time to time happen to have private business of their own to be per- formed by these officials. All that the County Council does for any of them, exc'^pt the Division Court Clerks and Bailiffe, is to provide and furnish offices in the court house, and to supply these offices with needed fuel and light (Municipjil Act, sec. 46G). As to the Division Court Clerks and Biiliffs, they have to find their own offices, and the only ob- ligation of the County Councils to any of them i , to furnish certain books to those of them whose fees do not amount to $500 a year. 9 The court room for the DiviKion Court hftB to be auppHed by the local miinicipalily within which tlin DiviHiun Court in hold. Not only tlo not th« incomes of the otlioiala referreil to come from niunicipivl taxation, nor from any fund of which thro'igh the County (^V)uncil or otherwino the county has control, but the greater part of the elertors of the county have never any liusines:. at any of the ofticea named, and are not even amc.ng those who pay such fees. Of those who do pay the fei's, there are many who do not reside in the county, and many who, though they reside in the county, are not elec- tors there. If the election ought to be by those who pay the oHloials, those who pay the fees should make the appointment. If the electors generally makt; the choice, it in plain that in most oases those who do not pay will have, by many times, greater weight in the choice than those will have who do pay the incomes of the officials elected. (Aj)plause.) (4) Again, it is not to bo forgotten that whatever evils should bo found to result in th(! Province from the change proposed, it would be impossible to retrace our steps. Other inteiesta and influences would spring up which would give streniith to the new system apart from its merits and despite of denxtiits. This has been the invariable experience elsewhere. Local election of officials gives increased local importance to local wire-pullers and to individual voters, and the local influence grad- ually absorbs into the elective system the high officers of State and the Judges and Magistrates, as well as the local Provincial officers. It would be folly to shut our eyes to this. ELKrnoN OF JUnOES. (5) The idea of electing the Judges shocks most of our people now, and it is im[)ortant to bear in mind that, were the change made which is now proposed, we shouM be opening the door for the election of our Judges. It is true, that, in ^ho Patrons' platform, County Judges are excepted from the proposed change. But it is to be remembered that when j)rovision was first made in the si^veral States of the Ameri- can Union for the election of other officers Judges were not included, yet the exception w:t3 afterwards swept away in most of the States in which it liad at first been made. The eb'ction of Judges appears to have been adopted first by Mi88isbi|)pi in 18;V2, and then by New York in 1846. The New York constitution then adopted provided for the elections of all the Judges, county ofiicers and clerks of court ; and many of the other States liave since followed the example of New York. HOW THK .SYSTEM WORKS ELSEWHERE. (6) How the proposed system works in the United States is thus stated in Mr. Sterne's Constitutional History of the United States, published in 1882, p. 257 : — '* At a general election the voter is bewildered with the number of people he is called upon to vote for, and ho finds it, there- fore, more and more difficult to determine upon the fitness of candidates and is thus put at the mercy of political wire-pullers and leaders, who make the selection for him and call upon him to vote, aye or nay, be- tween two or at most three candidates for the same office. This diffi- culty has not yet met with an intelligent solution at the hands of Am- erican statesmen." The same author has the following observations, (at p. 255), with fes- pect to the election of Judges in the United States: — " The opinion of the bar, as expressed by organized bodies of lawyers, has been almost uniformly in favor of a return to the system of appointment by the Executive : as the people as a whole, under existing American political conditions, are scarcely the proper custodians of the power wisely to 10 select from among the bar the men who are host qualified for judicial functions, ard the methods lesorted to in order to secure nomination for judicial offices are oftentimes in themselves bo demoralizing that it degrades the office in poimlar esteem, even if the selection of the people as a whole were as wise as that which could be made by the chief cx- ecuti'.e officer of the State, acting under a sense of his responsibility to the people for making a proper selection." I may add some short extracts from Mr. Seaman's work on the Ameri- can system of government, pp. 123 and 165 : — " Under our party machi< nery and present system of electing officers, the Judges, sheriffs, constables and police officers are all too dependent for their nomination and election upon non-taxpayers * * * to secure good officerd, a faithful admin- istration of law and justice, or an tfficient police. * * * Among an educated and reading people, the most of the electors will acquire sufficient knowledge of the acts, history and character of a few of the leading men of the State, whose names may be presented for Governor, to enable them to vote intelligently for a proper man for that office." The same remark applies to the election of members of the Parliament and Legislature ; but " the multiplication of elective officers • • * often renders it impossible for electors, who are oonstantly occupied with their own private affairs, to acquire sufficient information of the qualificatious, characters and fitness of numerous nominees for office, to enableythera to discriminate properly and to vote intelligently. On the contrar , the Governor and State officers are employed and paid to devote their whale time to the public service ; and, it is the Governor's duty to inform himself in relation to all candidates for office ; and he has the aid of the State cfficers in their several departments. He is responsible for his acts ; and more likely than the wire-workers and managers of party conventions to make good selections." Under our system of responsible government, it is the Lieutenant-Governor in Council who makes the appointments, and the Council that is responsible for them to the people. Prof. Bryce, whose book on the American Commonwealth has been much praised in the United States, speaks of this method of choosing Judges as throwing " this grave and delicate function into the rude hands of the masses, that is to say, of the wire-pullers. • • • • Popular elections throw the choice into the hands of political parties, that is to say, of knots of wirepullers. • • • The mischief is serious ' • * has malign effects." Most of the State officials are now, in nearly all the States, elected by direct vote of the people. One of the startling incidents of the popular election of Judges and other officials in the United States, is the custom which the system creates of assessing every candidate for an elective office, for a certain sum for the election fund of his party ; and no one is nominated for any office who does not submit to this assessment. Sometimes candidates for the judiciary outbid one another, in order to obtain the party nomi- nation. At a recent election in New York a candidate for the judge- ship of the Court of Common Pleas admitted having ex[)ended on the contest, $10/500 ; another for the Supreme Court admitted the expend- iture of $7,000. Two for the City Court admitted $7 898 and $6,450, respectively. Another, for the office of Civil Justice, admitted an ex- penditure of $6,543. The larger part of these expenditures was paid in each case to Tammany Hall. Much more is believed or known to have been expended than the candidates admitted, but how much mere cannot be known (Forum, April, 1893, p. 149). I should like to avoid any risk of like calamities coming upon us m this Province. (Applause. ) 4 i n I have said that it is proposer! t xcept County Judges from the pro- posed change here ; but local Mii.^ters are not excepted, and they are judicial officers as well as the County Judj/es, and nmy deal with larger sums and more important questions than heioiig to the jurisdiction of County Courts. There is thus greater reason for excepting local Mastei's than for excepting County Judges ; and if local MaHters are not to be excepted, we have at once an ifidication of what would soon he done with County Judges, though County Judges are excepted at the stait. PARTYISM IN APPOINTMENTS. (7) Another argument for the proposed change is, that if appoint- ments were made by the County Councils or by popular vote, appoint- ments would not be influenced by partyism. But that is a mistHke. It is quite certain that there would be the panie partyism, however the appointments are made. It is so in every State of the tTni(m where such officers are elected. It has been said that the G >vernment in making an appointment does not consider whether the duties of the office will be well performed or not. That is a misrepresentation. Fitness and the due performance of the duties have always been insisted upon by the Ontario Reform Government as an essential condition to every such ap- pointment ; and all party considerations have been suVyect to tha^ con- dition. It has been said that the clerks and badifi's and other officials appointed by the Government have continued to be active political parti- zans, and have used on voters the influence of their < ffioes ; but all that has come to my knowlodjie is the reverse of this. We have found that, as a rule, to give an (iffice to an Hctive friend is to deprive us of his ser- vices politically ; and we expect that result from every appointment. Our experience is, that the appointee almost invariably regards his position as disqualifying him for political partizanship. I say almost invariably, for I do not say that there are no exceptions. But of officials who are more or less party rcen notwithstaiKliug their ollices, some are active against us. One of the chief agitators and speakers against the Reform cantlidate in North Bruce was a Division Court Clerk. We have not removed anyone on this yround, though every Government has a right to insist that officials shall not take an active part against the Govern- ment ot the dty. In tliH American States in which such officers are elected they always and without exception continue to be active pohtical partizans during their wliole term ot office ; and we could not expect it to be otherwise under the same system here. Active and useful partizansliip is their only chance of getting anoiher nomination when their term expires. GOVEKNMENT PATRONAGE — ITS PllliSTIGE. The Conservative Opposition urge the change to local appointment with refeieiice to the Reform Govertnnent of the Province, but do not want it with reference to the Conservative Government of the Dominion. While our opponents pretend in Provincial politics to object to patron- age as giving a Government too much power, sorye Kel'ormers would favor its being withdrawn from the Provincial Government because it appears to thf^m to be a source of weakness to a Government rather than a source of strength, in'ismuch as several friends are disappointed when- ever an appointment is made. I cannot say that patronage is on the whole a weakness ; but. it is the presiige which belongs to the ri^ht of patrunage that gives to it its chief advantage to the party in power. For this piirpo e it is valuable, notwithstanding its disadvantages in some other respects. The prestige of the Dominion as compared with the Provinces is al- ready quite great enough for the interest of the Province ; and as the VI possession of patronage gives a certain prestige, the Province should not be deprived of that pns'ige while ihe local prestige of the Dominion is left untouched. The Dominion Government now appoints our Gover- norsandour J udgesjulaimsand exercises power to appropriate our railways and our public works ; vetoesany ofour legislation which happens to be dis- tastetul to its friends ; and has a larger exclusive legislative jurisdiction than the Congress of the United States has. It is important to Provin- cial interests that while this constitution lasts, nothing should be done to hsseii the prestige of the Provincial Government, the representatives of Provincial jinisdiclioii and authority. ATTITUDE OF CONSERVATIVE POLITICIANS. The recent attitude of Conservative politicians on the subject of the local Provincial officials was not their attitude when they were in power in Ontario, is not their attitude now as regards any Dominion officials, and is the reverse ff a Conservative attitude. In fact nothing could be more anti-Conserva! ive than their attitude now. ' SUMMARY. Some of the reasons which I have been mentioning may be summar- ized in this way : — The present officials are an upright and efficient class of men ; it is not supposed, and there is no ground for supposing, that either of the pro^v-aed changes would give us better men or more efficient officers. Such of them as receive salaries receive them from the Province and not from the county. Less of the fees of any of them who receive fees is paid out of county funds than is paid by the Province. Where responsible government and representative institutions exist, there is no oljection on acknowledged liberal or democratic |)rinciples, or on business principles, to the present mo'le of appointment by the central authority in the Province instead of the county in which the official performs his duties. The election of judicial or executive officers by direct vote has not been found to wurl* to the public advantage where tried. Election by the people of representatives to the Legis- lature, to the Municipal Councils, to School Hoards, and the like, stands on a different footing, and is necessary for a country's freedom and best interests. Jt is, on the other hand, in the general interest that the Gov- ernment of the country should be responsible as far as practicable for the administration of justice in the whole Province, for the security of title deeds therein, and for the inspection and supervision of the officials engaged in those departments of the public service. So at least all our predecessors thought ; and so we also thought. THE FEE SYSTEM. I have now to say somethiag regarding the fee system of remunerat- ing these officials. I have already pointed out that if any of the in- comes of any of the officials are thought to be too large, the adoption of the salary system is not necessary for the reduction of any of them ; the object may be accomtjlished by exacting for public uses a larger percentage of the officialb receipts. In view of that alternative the question is, Which of the two systems is in the public interest Y 1. The present fee system of remuneration was not created or intro- duced by the present Ontario Government. It was in existence in re- gard to every one of these offices at the time I became Premier, and al- ways before, and had been maintained, as regards the Provincial officials mentioned, in preference to the salary system, by all former Govern- ments irrespective of party. It is to be noted also, that the systam of pa\ ing some public officers by fees has been the practice everywhere as well as in Ontario, and is stilK to a considerable extent, bhe practice in 1 13 1 1 other ProvinceH and other countries. I have not been able to obtain an exhaustive list of officers so paid elsewhere, but I am able to say, thit up to a late date, and I presume up to the present time, the re- munerati sequence of increased experience and < iliciency in tliose who got the in- creases. If the number has doubled since 1871, the business has more than doubled. Thus the number of writs issued from the process office in 1872 for Queen's Hench and Common Plens was 891, while the num- ber for 1^92 was 2,097. Besides, since 1872 the work of the < fficials has been increased, not merely by the increase in the number of actions, but still further by there having been an increase in the number of de- partments which the busineas has occasioned. It is since 1872 that we have had a Muster in Chambers, an Inspector of Legal Titles, a Master of Land Titles, and the shorthand report rs to the courts. The work done now by the < fficials at Odgoode Uall is far more than double the work done in 1872. I have had an examination made of the comparative amount of fees on the one hand, and of salaries and incidental expenses on the other band, at Osgoode Hall from 1885 to 1892 inclusive] and what is the result ? The fees at the Land Titles office in its early years were exceptionally large, and exceeded the expenditure ; but taking the aggregate amount ot the s&laries in all the offices at Osgoode Hall which are analogous to those under consideration, and it is found that the salaries alone have ahvaxs largely exceeded the lees. In 1872 these salaries amounted to $55,777, besides the expenses which are borne by those officials else- where who are paid by fees ; while the fees; as ascertained from the stamps sold, amounted to $37,000 only. The amount named for salaries does not include the salaries of the Accountant, the Inspector of Titles, or their clerks, nor the salaries of the shorthand reporters. Adding these, the excess would be by so much greater. The figures for the preceding yeitra sliow substantially the same result as the figures for 1892. SUBSEQUENT EXPERIMENTS. . 7. The present Government, by the authority of the Legislature, made some other experiments in the same direction in the case of certain judi- cial officers in the county towns, who hud theretofore been paid by fees, there being tiiought to be other reasons than those of economy for sub- stituting salaiies tor fees in these cases. It was not desired, however, to jiive salaries exceeding what would probably be the income from fees; and the salaries were to hr fixed on that basis-. We made the experiment in the case of Surrogate Judj/es and Local Masters, two of the highest classes of officials in the public service, and the result demonstrated that as much cannot be realized from fees when they go to the public as when they go to the officer himself, liowever honest and honorable the officer is. It was under the Judicature Act of 1881 that our experinent was made. LOCAL MASTERS. That Act authorizpd the commutation of the fees payable to Local Masters and Deputy Cieika of the Crown for a fixed annual sura, not exceeding the av.Tage income from fees for the preceding five years. Untler this Act, between 1881 and 1889, eight of the Local Masters were succe8!