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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 LIBERAL PATRIOTISM .If t* % %' M Qr BY AN OLD CANADIAN. isl I'ebruary, 187^ ^ ^ / .:.•> Speech with which it is suggested His Excellency sAcru^^L WBSfopen the approaching Session of Parlia- ment at Ottawa. Gentlemen, — In calling you together at this time, according to anntial cuntoni, to hold your deliberations on laatters att'ecting the interests of the coninnmity at large, I will avail myself of the opportunity to place before you, and invite your attention to the consideration of some matters which appear to me of paramount importance, as atlect- ing those interests; and in dohig so, I think it well to remind you, first, of the position, character, and peculiar circumstances of your country, as affecting in some degi'ee what are practicable, or what are judicious objects for you to promote, or to aim at promoting. First, then, it is well to bear in mind that the Dtiminion of Canada, although including a territory innnense in extent, yet, with reference to that portion only of this great territory which, on account of clinuite or capacity for cultivation, is desirable or suitable for the habitation of man, it is very limited, and consists, principally, of merely a long narrow strip, extending from ocean to ocean, with the Uniced States occupying all between it and the sea-board on the south, and limited on the north by frosty and n)cky regions, extending away to the arctic. The country, then, with reference to the settled or settleable parts of it, is very limited, and is of an awkward shajte to deal with in ad- ministering its aft'airs; it has but one Atlantic i)ort (Halifax) open in winter, and that not likely to be much used for central Canadian objects, because of the length of the circuitous route by which it may be reached, and the sevei'ity of winter weather along that route, while from United States ports (ahvays oi)en) the Province is much more readily and more conveniently reached. Then, of the poi>ulation of this l«mg, narrow stiip, amounting to about four millions, (including th'j inhabitants of your cities, towns, and villsiges), probably .nine-tenths are poor, or of the classes whose necessities require their daily constant exertion to provide livelihood for their hons5eholds. There are comparatively few persons of wealth in the Canadian conununity, and they are mostly of the wholesale mercantile classes, residing in the cities. Again, you are very deeply in debt, for moneys borrowed in England, to carry on your public works — canals, railroads, ttc. ; and, I believe, the yearly interest of your present liabilities amounts to several mil- lions of doUai's, Some of the works for which you have incurred this debt may ultimately pay the interest of their cost, others will not such, for instance, as the intercolonial railroad, &c. Under these circumstances, econoniy in the administration of your public affairs, is, of course, desirable; and retrenchment in regard to the expense of c(mducting those affairs, should be sought, and adopted where i)racticable, as there is no doubt you will, in various instances, find it to be; and that, doiibtless, also, in some cases, ctmsistently 'fith an imprt)ved order of administration. Extravagance in the cost of administering public matters, as well as in private living, has for some time past been the order of the day, and, if not checked, must result in public as well as private damage. It is for you, therefore, the (lei)Ute(l guardijins of the puhlic welfare, to aim, liotli by your i»ersonal example, and l>y the enaetment of salu- tary laws, to tliat euil, to check such extravagance, and to procure yoiu' i)ul)lic atfaiis to be managed at a cost more proportionate to the comparative iuiportance, wealth and circumstances of your country. And to this end, I will venture to suggest to y^nx that n(t means within your power to adopt, would be likely to have a better effect in this direction, l>y the iuHuence of its example, than yom- abolishing your own sessional allowance of a thousant that rate— let it be yoiu's patriotically to abolish it, or to reduce it to the liuiits of reason. If you ado[)t this first act of retrenchment, you may with good grace proceed, after asceitaining whei'e it is practicable, t(t retrench in regard to the expenditure in all the Departments; and as to my own othce of (lovernor-General, 1 promise you that 1 will cheerfully relincpiish either the whole, or any particular proportion of the very large allow- ance which y»)i. have made to me. The next Uiatter of serious importance to which I W(nild invite your attention, as needing correction, is the practice, which has become counuon, (»f the heads of the ditf'erent Departments absenting them- selves for considerable periods at a time, from their otlices, and from the duties of those offices, to the retarding of the public business, iV:c. This should be corrected, and it should be made imperative on every l»aid public oliicer, to be always at his post, and giving his attention to the duties for which he is paid. And, lastly, 1 will suggest to you whether it would not be in the in- terests of your constituents, tliat you should seek — through an act of the luiperial Parliament, if nect;ssary — such a change in your consti- tution of government as woidd enable j'ou, or would enable the Gov- ernor in Council, to apiH)int persons (pialitied to the headships of Departments, without the necessity of their having seats in Parlia- ment; thus allbrding to those heads the opportunity, by giving their undivided attention ti> the duties of their ollices, to become efHcient in the discharge of those duties, being also respcjnsible for such discharge. But at the same time, while this much of a change in your constitu- tion is certainly desirable, if no further change shoidd be sought, yet 1 will venture to express the opinion, again referring to tlie circum- stances of the coiuitry, that you should, in the inierests of the people whom you represent, seek a more extended change, to the end of con- solidating 3M>ur eight Provincial Governments, allowing one Governor, with one Executive Council, and one Legislatiu-e, to attend to the duties of government, and the making of laws for j'our four niillicms of pofjr people, thus saving those peoi)le the expense of supporting seven mniecessary governments and legislatures, and thereby propor- tionately reducing taxation, which already bears heavily on the work- ing and industrious classes. TJiere could also be the less argument against this change, since, as it is, each county, j'ud even each township, has its own municipal gov- ernment to hx)k after its local affairs. Placing these observations and suggesti