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i«i ptn^ mill JrAiia'J * I .UutJ/if :. ■*■ HON. MR, HOWE'S SPEECH ON DR. TOPPER'S RAILWAY RESOLOTION. i.is.h!. . (• a HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY. "'"" Monday, 9th April, 1860. The Hod Provincial Secretary sprke as fol Iowa :— It was aaid, Mr Spealcer, of the great orator SheriJan, by the great poet Moore, that His wit, in tlie oombat, as gentle as bright, Never carried a heart gtain' away on its blade. I regret that the same cannot be siid of the hon member for Cumberland, who addressed this house on Saturday evening, for, judujing from my experience, he never draws his dis- secting knife, but some victim is m^de to writhe beneath its gaehes; nor does he appear content unless he can plunge his hand into the bowels of his subject, and exhibit the clots of a rained reputation sticking to his fingers. Let me take, in illuBtration of the hon member's peculiar style and turn of mind, the assault he made on a poor Scotchman, Mr. Moir, who, bred to mechanical en- gineering, prosecuted his calling, in the mother country, 21 }ears, and who, in Nova Soqtia, fof five or six, has hcted, with credit to himself and benefit to his employers— and who seeks, by the exercise of his skill, with integrity and honesty, to support a wife and children who are dependaut on him for their maintenance. Behind him, in HootlanJ, he may have left some aged father and grey haired mother, to whom the character and reputation of their son is as dear as the apples of their eyes— and who, descending to their grates in green old age, look anxiously for the news of that son's well being from the far ofiF land, to which, in a spirit of honorable emuUtion, he has beun attracted. Imagine tbeir agony of heart, if, without knowing the circunistanoes— ttie speech of the member for Cumberland were to meet their eyes. How did he treat that Scotch meoha- nio T . I discard from my mind all that he has said of myself, all he asserted with respect to the hon Chairman of the Railway Board, all his attacks on other public men, his equals in ability and position, and with chances and advantages to cope with him in debate I take the single case of this poor man Moir, who, not being in a position to defend him- self, is entitled to the protection of this hou«e and country, and I give the assault on him in proof of the rancour and bitterness— the spleen and venom, characteristic of the hon gentleman's speeches. The member for Cumberland may construct rhetorical sentences, and I may •• build the lofty rhyme," but Moir can construct the locomotive ; a skilled meobauio, with bia humble, unrhetorical intellect, he wields a power of which neither the member for Cum> berland nor myself can boast. Xow, what does Moir say for himself T That, harassed to weariness by one of the late Coamiasion«)r8, whose sole object seemed to be how he could supplant his principal — harrassed by Mr. Mosse, who wa^ utterly ignorant even of the phraseology in which directions for the work- ing of the line should be giv3n— driven al- most distracted, and wearied from day to day, he did, last May, yield to temptation. [A voice in the gallery caused some inter- ruption. ] iflon Provincial Secretary — I say, sir, that annoyed almost to distraction by those who assumed the position of his masters, Mr Moir last May yielded to temptation, aad, it can- not bo denied, took a glass too much — per- haps many too much,— and then went away and remained a fortnight from the works, in New Brunswick What was the result? The absence of the man proved his value— con- clusively evidencing that Mr Mosse and the Railway Board could not get on without him ; for, after he had had time for reflection, they were glad to take him back and reinstate him in the position he formerly occupied ; and, from that period up to the present, the man assures mc that he has not been led astray for a single hour, but has continu<>d to be and is a strict and consistent member of the Temperance Association with which he con* nected himself— a»i strict and as consistent as any within the walls of this house or else- where. If this be true, what shall be said of the cruel, uoprovoked and unjust assault on that individual, made by the member for Cumber- land, on Saturday T For excuse it may be alleged that Mr Moir stands in that hon gen- tleman's way; that he will not consent "to strike" — to hamper and embarrass the go- vernment, or to throw the works over which he has chtrge into confusion, and therefore it is, sir, that altaouirh for ten months he has been continued in office upon the line under the adminisiration of whi"h the hon Provin- cial Secretary was a leading member, that gentleman chooses to treat Mr Moir as a man utterly devoid of feeling, character, or repu- tation, and to act towards him on the prin- ciple of *'kiok him. for he has no friends." (Laughter.) Had I never seen Moir, or acted ih friendly relations with him as his superior in office, I should have felt myself bound to support him when such a charge was preferred against him; but how much more incumbent is it on every temperance society in Nova Scotia to fliunt their banners in indigaatien at hia aaeailant, and raise them ereafter; but, in the meantime, lot m deal ^ith gentlemen at both sides dispassionately, honestlj, and generously, and not apply a strict rule to one and allow the privileges of others to fly open like a five-barred gate. I give the member for Cumberland another • illustiation : Two winters ago we saw the member for Annapolis at the table of this house attempting to pass a bill which had for its object the relief of one of his clients from pecuniary difficulty. He himself avowed the fact, and fought for the interest of his client, being here at the same time in the capacity of representative for Annapolis. The mea- sure did not pass then, and, in the following session. I, having become acquainted with the circumstances, gave it my support, because I thought the case a hard one. But what would be said if I rose in my place, attacliod the learned member, and sought to . apply the rule that the member for Cumber, land tries to apply to Mr MoCully 7 Another member of the house was said to be for many years, if not the partner, the paid agent of mail contractors. Did we at this side ever tling that in his fuce, and charge him with bribery and corruption 7 I think not. Let us then have something like gentlemanly treatment and fair play at both sides. Mr ■MoCully came here openly in the face of day to claim a balance, and anked that his client might have leave to sue the government in a ojnrt of law ; the request was refused. I now come to a portion of the hon mem- ber's speech in which he went far beyonu the licence that a public man ought ever to take in debate. I allude to his treatment of a young Scotchman named Smellie; I presume he too has a father and mother, and if he died away from home, where is the charitable Nova-Ecotian woman, who, in the language of one whose act has become immortal, would not, for his mother's sake, kiss him before burial7 Is there one that would stand by and see him choked by a rude hand, while life was trembling in the balance 7 And is there one who will stand by- -is there a man who is not a craven, who will ftand by, and while Smellie's reputation, dearer than life a thou- sand times, trembles in the scale of doubt and apprehension, will permit the member for Cumberland to anticipate the trial — to prejudge the evidence, and to pronounce a verdict against this young man , who, by all the rules of law, and the courteous usages of society, we are oound to presume is innocent until he is proved to be guilty. That young man was in the Railway Office, was intelligent, punctual, and unsuspected. He conducted himself in private life as a gentleman. While I was at the Railway Board, I siiw nothing but what was fair in his conduct or character He has become surrounded, however, with perils worse than death. He stands charged with a criminal act, with being faudulently concerned with ^ailway contractors, and with falsfying turns, to which, it must be borne in mind, others besides himself had access; and the late government have direct* ed that an action be brought against him. With J. W. Ritchie, the couosel for contrao- tors, whose interests Mr Smellie honestly op. posed, and Mr Laurie engaged as his oppo* nents. that young man has, at this moment, fearful odds against him ; and stands between respectability and disgrace, between honor- able employment and a prison. And I ask any gentleman at the opposite side, was it decent, was it British, was it honest, was it humane, to bring that young man's name here as it was brought on B.turday, and attempt to cover it with charges of fraud, while he was a'most in the dock, and while his reputation and standing in the country were assailed, perhaps by columny.but at all events by all the terrors and machinery of the law 7 What shall I say of a man pre tending to have the feelings of human nature, who stands forward, while his victim is so bound, and throws the weight of his public character into the case, for the purpose of crushing, before trial, a man that we a*e bound to hope is innocent? We are coming to strange times when this can be done in the Legislature of our country, in the midst of a British community. We are told that Smellie. Cameron, and McCuUy, are j'i)ined in the one leash. We heard the language of fraud, '• frightful fr«ud," hurlad against this young man. Oh, Mr Speaker, in the words of the old adage \ may say, *' We are all born, but are not buried" ; and I some- times think that it the member for Cumberland would pause for an instant, and reflect a little on his own position, short comings, and obli- gatiotis, he would give us more pleasure, and elevate his own character in every body's estimation. Hugh Miller, in his " Foot* prints of Creation," has a passage which may be worth reading to the house. He siys : *' I am disposed to regard the poiBon>bag of the venomous snake as a mark of degra- dation. It seems, judging from analogy, to be a protective provision of a low character, exhibited chiefly in the invertebrate families, ants, centipedes and mosquitoes, spiders wasps and scorpions. " The higher oarnivera are, we find, fur- nished with unpoisoned weapons, which, like those of civilized man, are suffioiently elfect- ive, simply from the excellence of their con- struction, and the power with which they are wielded, for everv purpose of assault or de- fence. It is only squalid savages, and de* graded bushmen of creation, that have their feeble teeth or tiny stings steeped in venom , and so are formidable." Now, sir, with a sinoere anxiety to see the member for Curaberlaud live a useful public man, and go down tu posterity, having a higher reputation than he has yet achieved, I would, with kind regard to his future character and position, advise him to read that pawage occasionally, when he stands up to discuss public que&tioas here, or elsewhere, and to leave the poison bag at home. (Laugh- tor and cheers. ) You were told on Saturday that Mr Mo- Cully might have more interest than that or counsel in Cameron's contract; yet the mem- ber for Cumberland said that he was not touching that hon gentleman's private char* J (8) aoter . He deMribed him u ft tyrtnt, » Jnpot, » bad man, capable of taking bribea^But mark, b« Bays, I am only dealing with bia public character. I, for one, would not be much ioolined to accept a diacUimer of that kind, and I do not think that Mr McCully of his frienda will draw such nice distiDotions Tbe member for CumberUnd eaid that that gentleman made free, drank wine and ale at the public expense; but, after every stab, he told us, But mark, I do not touch his private character. While the ohampegne was going down his throat, w^ are to suppose, he drank it in his public capacity. The chairman might be refreshed, and the gentleman ever so thirsty— (laughter) I regret much that tbe story ofSmelliehas been brought here, as I think it ought not. I do not feel obliged to defend any one farther than is just, honoriible, and humane. Mr Smellie is nothing to me; I merely extended the courtesies of my house to him while he was engnged in my office ; bu^ I am bound to say all that I saw of his conduct was creditable and to his honor, — and this should never be forgotten,tbat he defended the public treasury, and the interests of thin country, before the railway committee, against a powerful com- bination of contractors, when others shrank frjm their duty. The hon gentlemen has made statements twenty times over about Dan Cameron, the burden of his song is ever this D^a Cameron. Who is this person? He happens to belong to the yeomanry of Piotou, one of a class whose hamlets you may ride round for a day, and not see the marks of destitution or degradation or rascality among theji. — He was one of those railroad contractors who did not please Mr Laurie, who would not support the late government, and the mem- ber for Cumberland never brings his name here, but coupled with ignominy and fraud of various kinds. But the learned member will be disappointed iu his efforts, even though he should make thirteen other speeches on the subject, when the facts and contrasts, to which I will now turn the attention of the house, come to be widely diffused and under- stood by tbe country Dp to the time when I left the Railway Board, we heard but little of the extras, although they have formed such prominent topics since. I ask gentle- men to allow their minds to accompany me back for a few moments while I refer to these questions. During 1864, 5, G, and the first quarter of 1857, tbe Railway Board over which I presided, expended about half a mil- lion of money, over as difficulty a country as any subsequently traversed. The contractors were mostly poor men, hardly one of them owning £5U0, and yet they contrived to live and carry on their work, and after an ex - penditurc of £500,000, very little was heard about extras. I left the ofBoe on the Slst of March, 1857, and we soon then began to hear of bottomless lakes, fathomless bogs, oppressive contract? and defective surveys. I happened in the summer of 1857 to go up to the Lieut. Governor, and His fixoellenoy handed me a statement amounting to about £36,000, which, I wfta told, consisted of extras autboriiad by me. That I denied on the inetant, and aft«r< wards, in a public letter, in which I charged myeelf and my colleagues with all the extras of which we had any knowledge. I admitted that Mr Forman had paid, and was paying, other extras for draining and such work, which he conceived he had ft right to pay under the contracts, but which I denied bis right to pay till thev were reported to and sanctioned by the bjftrd. Some of these I found bad been paid without the sanction, and sometimes without the knowledge «f the Board I charged myself, however, with all the extras for which I considered the board responsible. The custom Wds, lor Mr Forman to send down a report, on any change, or modification, or new work recommended. In every case the subject was sifted and discussed. ••Approved" with my signature, or the Board's initials, was marked on each of these Requisitions. These papers are in the Rail- way office, and will speak for themselves. Taken together, they include £19,282 IDs. 4d., ot which, at least, one- fourth were only re- ported and authorised in Feb. 1857, just be- fore I retired from ths Board. The extension into Windsor, which cost £8627 Os. 8d. can hardly be called an extra, as it increased the length of rood by a mile. But, it will be perceived ly tho house that about £86,000 of extras had been authorised by the old Board, or sanctioned by Mr Forman, before Mr Laurie came into the country. It is but fair to all parties that this should be known. When I saw the list months after I left office, it included heavy sums to cover the Lake fillings east and west. Towards the autumn of 1857, the Government papers rang with defective surveys and contractors' claims.— The unfathomable lakes and difficult bogs got deeper every day, and we wore told that the contracts could not be finished. By and bye the plot became developed, and wo found that a combination of Contractors was formed against the interests of the country — formed a^i closely and compactly as if it had been in- corporated by act of parliament. When the house met, it was discovered that for months they had been obstructing and bullying the Boarc". on one day, and the Engineer on ano- ther, and making all the interest they could with the existing government. In this way tbe public works were delayed, and the board was rendered comparatively powerless to deal with the difficulty, because those contractors had friends at court and be- hind the socles. When the hoube met, the member for Annapolis came down and re'< ported a committee to whioh these olaima were to be referred. I think the learned member might, before forming that committee* have consulted me, as knowing somewhat o^ these claims, and have asked me to form a committee to take charge of these affairs and do what Aas right to all parties. Instead of that, he reported my name as one of a com- mittee, on whioh there was a decided majority whom I knew would controul me. I retired accordingly. A committee composed of the learned member's own friends, went out. (•) tzaminail, tnd reported, and then it appeared that these oontraotora had trumped up olalma to the extent of X70 ,000; and that, after I had been but one jear abient flrom the board, they bad been paid bj the late goTcrnraent, not only all their ten per cents' security for completion of the worli, but £'20,000 lesldea. A oommittee, oompoaed altogether of suppor- ters of the goTernment, reported certain principles, and Mr Laurie wsi directed to make measurementa of the woi'k. Against the adoption of that report,* I contended with all my might, and I warned the house and the government, tba. they were in fact hand- ' ing over the public treasury to a body of unsorupulous men Ltst year Mr Laurie's reports were partially brought down , but the amount paid, or to be paid, could not be as- certained. We haTo now befot'e us the results of these sublime operations. We can now count the coat, and a fearful account it is. I am not going to repeat the sweeping atser- tion attributed toMrMeCuUy, tuat Mr LADove their contract pricea, or 821 per cent tu set against Dan Cameron's fi. But the crowning contrast ia that to be drawn from the case of Johnston & Blackir. These men had boen trained in the school of Tom Brossie & Co. , and I think I may say of them, that they were apt scholars No men ever came into this Province more a Iruit and audacious in pursuit of their own iuter..at. Johnston and Blaokie were conoerui-J in lour contracts, under which they were entitled tu receive, wUhout reference to extras, £00,799 GsSd. Thevdid receive £132,809 lUs lOd., —being £41,570 Ss 7d over and above the amount of the contracts, or 40 per cent of extras, to set against Dan Cameron's 5 ! Yet we are told that Cameron was petted and favoroJ by Furman and Smellie— that he was a cunning fellow, and that all these par- ties, with Mr McCuUy, were engaged in " frightful frauds upon the Government." Who, with these facts before them, will be- lieve these slanders? Whu, wi'h these facts before him, will fail to perci../e who were petted and favored? Where the strong scent of suspicion lies —on whom rests the burthen of proof that there was not collusion, corrup- tion and fraud. Let me ask gentlemen all around nie, on both sides of the house, — nay, let me ask every man from end to end of this country, does it rest on the men who got £4,940 10<< 9d of extras, or on those who got £88,000 7 On him who was favored to the extent of 5, or on those to whom extras were paid to the extent of 40 per cent 7 I need not pause for a reply— there can be but one opinion in this house or in this country. Look again, sir, at the contrasts furnished by the treatment of Block, Irons and Mc- Donald, Creel'nau and Tuppcr, and Donald Fraser. Those were all poor men, and they had to struggle with heavy works and all the ordinary and extraordinary difficulties. Upon £87,300 7s 9d of contract works, these men have been allowed, by Forman and Lau> rio together, £13,043 Os Id, while Cameron got but £4,946 lOs 9d upon £98,944 ISs 3d. Yet for three years we have been told that Cameron was Forman 's pet ; and now we are asked to believe that he is a rogue, capable of instigating frightful frauds upon the Railway office. These three contractors got nearly 14 per cent of extras ; Cameron got but 5 ; and it is therefore clear that he was the least fa- vored and worst paid of all the resident con- tractors. But when we contrast his 5 per cout with Blackie and Johnston's 46— his £4,946 of extras with £41,570, the suspi- cion, nay, the almost positive assurance of fraud, somewhere, is forced with a painful amount of suspicion on the mind. We are driven to the conviction that these enormous sums were corruptly paid, or t^at the 1^^ Govei:ume][it ai^d its ofBoera -arere Utett of (7) reanon. Sir, when I look at tKc. papers, and reflect how this Provinae hm oecn be- fooled and plundered by these oombined Cun- traotors, I bluBh for in; countrr Whether the venality or the ignoranoe of the Qovera- nient is most oonspiouous, the Iohs ia euor- nioua ; the money bagged bv theiie Contrno- tors. carried off by hats* full, ia out of all proportion, even to our fears, and oan never be reooverod. If hiilf a million oould be ex- pendtd down to 18C7, with but £20,000 paid .for extras, does anybody believe that this £88.000. taken out of the other half, and paid to these four firms in about two years, was honestly earned 7 I do not. But this I believe : if you oould trace the good seed sowed, that yielded this abundant harvest, you would comprehend the proportion tu which bribery and corruption were hazarded in order to defraud the Treasury . With these fivcts before us, does the learned member from Cumberland think he oan blind our eyes, and bewilder us with a small conspiracy got up at the Railway Office, that we may believe Came- ron a robber, and Blaokie and Johnston ill used contractors, SsaclUe and Forman knaves, Md Laurie a saint 7 These sublime operatlens could nerer have b«en perfected had Mr Forman been stip- ported, and allowed to close up his contracts. But Mr Laurie was brought in and paid £ 1 500 a year. I wish they hsid paid him £3000 to keep away. Let the member for Cumber- land, if he doubts the facts, or seeks to evade the force of the contrasts which I have given to the house, move for a select oooimitiee if he dares, and every figure shall be proved upon which I rept my argument. If the facta are clear, the inference is inevitable, that by some metns, mysterious and inexplioable, these combined contractors became masters of the situation, oontmlled your engineers, •liotated lo your government, ind emptied your treasury. Among the other ohai'ges brought against my hon friend the Chairman of ttie Riilway Board, is one upon which I will only waste a moment. In a very extraordinary letter, pu)iliehr-d by Mr Laurie some time ago, he criticiieN Mr MoCuUy's personal appearance, and declared that he would be lynched for his ugliness if found in Vnu Western States. I do not know much of Mr Laurie, but I have seen the two men, and oan hardly believe thit even the ladies would decide that he wa* the handsomest of the two. I have put a few questions to him before oommitieei, and when he opened his mouth I fancied I was looking into the bhok-hole of Calcutta— (laughter). Julius Tss'^ar was a pretty good judge of men, and he certainly would not have pre- ferred Laurie to McCuUy : " Let mo have men about me that are fat : Yon Cassias has a lean and himgry look ; Seldom he smiles, and Fmiles ia such a sort As if he mocked himself." Now McCully is a jsUy fellow, with some flesh, and some fun in him. Unlike those men whom Shakspeare described as " fit for murder, stratagems, and spoih." Far be it from m« to inslnaata thai Mr LavrU would commit murder; bat, looking at the man aa he figures in the field of •' stratagem" and " spoil " which we have been tracing, I oan hardly doubt the accuracy with which nature ErepareJ him for th« work he has been called are to perform. The member for CumberUnd says that Mr Mo»se is not to blame for the errors in the Qrand Lake measurement, because he t.d- visod Mr Forman ^ put the line further in, by which he says the loss would have been avoided. It is rather a curious oircumstanca that Mr Mosse has refused to hand over to the Qovernmcnt the letter books containing hi correspondence with Mr Forman, running over that period of time, while he has sent in all the other correspondence relating to the works. I will not follow the example of the late government and oitll him a thief and a rubber, ivs they called Mr Forman ; but I will say, that when this book is laid on the table of the house, it will be seen that the state- ments male by the hon member were t>itally unfounded. I have other evidence under my hand which will convict both Mr Mosse and the member for Cumberland of misrepresentation. H«re are the plans and sections of the work through the Gr .d Lake. Let any man examine them and he will find that Mr Mosse has deceived his own friends, and is now epdeavoring to deceive this house. Two lines are run through this Lake, both by Mr Mosse— one a little inside of the other. The deepest sounding in either of these lines is only 60 feet, and the difference between the depths of the two lines varies from 5 to 8 or 9 feet. These are the measurements which were sent in by Mr • Mosse to Mr Forman, his principal. Mr For- ' man chose the outer line, I presume, because it was the straightest. Here are the calcula- tions of Mr Mosse of the quantity required to fill iu the line that was made. He puts it down at 54.000 yards ; it took about 100,000 yards. So here wo have a trifling mistake of 60,000 yards in one filling. There is another matter which I think the member for Cumberland has overlooked, and which should not be forg itten, as illustrAting the science and skill of the famous engineer (Mr L.iurte.) I allude to the celebrated engine house, about which so much has been said and written, and which is believed by ' his friends to be a model of scientific architec- ture. I hold in my hand a section of thia celebrated structure, the interior of which represents a fan, with a turn table for tb« handle. It ia to hold, when finished, (if it ever is) ten engines. Its area is 18,000 feet, and its cost wdl be £6,528. In St John, N.B., I hey have an engine house built in the form of a cart wheel. It will accommolate twenty engines, with a turntable in the centre, and its area is 22.000 feet. It has cost £5,000, independent of tbe foundations. Here are the plans and specifications of both structures. Any body may examine them, and they ought to set tbe controversy on this vexed question, at re&t. I believe I have now gone pretty much (8) 1 ■ I \ over th«M nilwaj itoriri. The bon member for OumberUnd bu tbougbt proper to make thU eeesuU ttpon Mr MoCnUjr • pretlj per- Bonal one. There ii one oherge nnainst uhleb 1 fear I oannot defend blu He bu bed Ibe miitorlune to b»?e been born and bred In (be lame ooontrj village u tbe Dr. Two old woiuen, in • narrow itreet, will ■oold at eaob otber every day. If tbey llted in a crowded thoroaghfitre, tbey would not make thenseelvei ridiouloua. Two bantam oocke, wbon abut up in a^it, will tear eaih other'a e^ee out ; but wben permitted to roam at large over tbe open couoirj, each orowa in praoe on bla own dunghill. — (Laagbter > The member for Onmberland (Dr T) rarely rieea in bia pUoe wiihout oomruenoiug an at- tack upon Mr McCully, while, ifl am rightly informetl, that bon gentleman id hia place, in tbe otber hou^e, parauee a much more dift* niflcd course In Prince EJward laland, before the new Province Houae w*8 built, tbe two obaoibera were divided only by a par> tition. In whiob there waaa vtry onnvtnient knot hole. Wbenever a member of oce houae ■aid any thing def«matory of a member of the othor, tbe man aaaaulted could put bin mouth to the bole and retort, " that's a Up." (Laughter.) I will not recommend a aimilar arrangement here, but I think it would save a good denl of time and trouble, if we had a nutta percba tube between thia houae and the Council Chamber, eo that tbe bon gentlemen might fight it out between tberoselvea. But why is it that Mr McGully has been thua abused and villifled T Simply beoauae he has had the moral courage to make a •aving in a great public work of £4,600 a year. It required bO little nerve and ooarage to do this; tor nothing is so painful as to be obliged to cut down existing salaries. Mr Mot.'uUy, I consider, by the courre he bus taken, has conferred lastiug ubligations on tbe peoi'le of this province, as well as distinc- tion on himself. Are we, then, by pas-ing thia resolution, to punish him fur doiug what every rational man in the country will ap- proveT When E was ChDirman ol the Railway Board, I received £7U0 a year — with four oo-Commiseioners, at tbe cost of another £1000 a year. Tbe B )ird, under Mr Mc- Nab's management, cost £1100 a year, and, besides this, he bad tbe BHoisranoe of Mr * Laurie, aud Mr Forman, and Mr .Vlos^e — Mr MoCully is disobarKing all thore duties without either commisiiouers or chief engi- neer. Without disparaging the valuable •aaistance I receiveJ from my commisxionrrs, I believe that the road can be managed with- out any. If anything goes wrong, we have one man responsible, and we know who to blame This is a question, however, for the hottse entirely, and if tbe house deoiiie that it would be better to have cumaiissioDers, Mr Anderson and I can have our names put into a commission, costing the proviuce nothing; although, even then, I should be inclined to leave the management largely to Mr McGully. Let the house consider for a moment the extent of thia saving of £4,600 a year. It it tka Interest of £70,1)00. In 1840, tbe whole reveone was only £70.000; so that Mr Mo- Cully Mvea an amount equal to the interest of the reveeue for that year, and equal to one tests not ray powers of mind, but my good nature ; and if I think of him at all, it is as of the screaming sea-gull, that dashed its brains out against •the Eddistone light-house, but did not put out the light. The member fjr Cumberland toll us the other day that our railroads are like a mill Btone, around the neck of the Province. He might more approprietely have com pared them to the tiara of a royal matron, which is not only an embellishment to her charms but an emblem of Ler power. Admitting that these roads have cost a good deal, is there a man in the province who would do without them ? Who is willing that while Canada has her thousand miles of railroad, while New Bruns- wick is pushing her road forward to tho gulf, and the neighboring states are covered with them, Nova Scotia should not have a mile 7 No sir, the people of the province are pvoud of their publio works, they are proud of what has been accomplished, and hopeful of what is to come— they foel that they have s-^me evidence of cuterprize in their country, which will enable them to look Etrangers in the I'iice without being ashamed. The member for Cumbarland says I bribed three counties. — Bribed three counties, did I ? Why sir, when I had not a dollar in the world, the consti- tuency of the metropolitan county took me up, and put me in the legislature, by a m-ijo- rity of lUOO, without the election costing mo a penny, and I held my seat against power- ful influcaces for 16 years, winning four eleo- tions, and carrying with me every colleas;ue but one, that ever stood at my eido. There wasuo bribery there — no railroad expenditure. [ did my duty as a publio m\Q, and hold a position of which any gentleman might ba proud. When I went to Cumberland I had no wealthy relatives and friends there— 1 had not the means, if I had had the will to bribe the constituency, and I carried that hitherto tory county, by fair intelleotural conflict, against the combined opposition of some of the moEt icflucutiul and wealthy men of the county, with the Doctor among the number. But, it may be 8 kid, you went with your railway policy. Of the summer election, this is true ; but when I ran the winter election, my policy had been shattered by Lord Grey's Despatch. But at both elections the enemy had their Porthind Company and their RaiU way policy, and Mr Dickey jinglei a bag of sovereigns quite as large as mine. It is true that in the election of 1855 I lost my seat ; but what were the circumstances ? I was away in the United States recruiting Her Mflj' sty's army, then before Sebastopol, and I only arrived in Nova Scotia five or six days before the election. If my friends had only unJerstood the uround, they might have secured my seat, and one besides, by a com- prom'.s9 which was oflerei. I found the whole county deluged with rum, and can- vassed and organized before 1 got there. I had only four or five ''ays to work. There was a strong temperance feeling in the coun- ty, and I had the previous session opposed til!) Maine Liquor Law. My colleague, Mr Fulton, was a strong temperance man, and it was doabtfnl for some time whether he would run with mo or not — in fact, it was only decided the night after the nomination. That election could not be considered as a tept of any body's popularity. I had every disadvantige to contend against— the com- bined Diokio and Stewart interest — tae mem- ber for Cumberland, with his Highland Brigade at his back, and the want of time thoroughly to oanvusi the county. I won the county twice, and would not be afraid to try it again Tho Doctor beat me once, and I am quite content that be should wear his laurels. Before I was invited to Windsor, I had the offer of Cape Breton, and althougli my elec- tion was certain, I declined it — for at that time I was doubtful whether 1 would again re-enter parliament. The township of Wind- sor became vacant, and I was invited by all parties to oH'er, and I have been returned in a most gratifying manner — once for the township, and twice since the county has been divided into districts. But. on the 12th of May, the railway did not help me much. On the contrary, all the influence arising from the expenditure of money was against me. I had those cele- brated contractors, Johnston & Blackie, and Suthevhnd & Sons, carrying their navvieS; drenched with rum, by dozens to th« poll?, and making these poor men believe tiiat it was to their interest to put me out. Where arc these contractors r.ow, who professed then to be the friends of these navvies? Let the poor men of Nova Scstia mark what they gained : these contractors have now cleared out — lefc the country with thousands of pounds of the hard, honest earnings of the people of Nova Scotia in their pockets — and we have notliing to show for it. And where are these poor navvies now ? No work for them to do — no money in the treasury to give them employment. All carried off by Messrs Johnston & Blackie, Duncan McDonald, and Sutherland & Sons ; and the poor fools, upon 2 (10) whom a few bamilreds were spent in rum and debauchery, are left behind to count the cost of these Bublime operations. It is not true that I courte>I the Irish at Windsor, — I never asked one of tbem to vote for me ; and I have won my eleolions twice without their aid, and ye^, at the same time, I will repeat what I sivid at Windsor. I will protect Irishmen iu the enjoyment of their common rights ; let no man break into their houses or molest them. Though I iim independent of their support, they shall have my protection ; and they will find that I have twenty years of confidence and kindness to remember, and three years of injustice to for- get. As regards the railroad, I did not speak to a navvie or em-^lnyeo on the road ; but when I saw these poor fellows dragged up to the polls, and under the influence of liquor, induced to vote against me, I sometimes said to myself, " Forgive them— they know not what they do." There is one thing will not be found in all my railway policy — a batch of conspiring Contractors banded together to support me, permitted to rob the people of Nova Scotia, as the price of their support But are there not other Counties, untouched by the Rail road, where I have won some favor? Did I not go into Lunenburp:, for half a century a Tory borough, and without money or friends, win the County. Can it be said that I bribed that fine County (every seat in which has been won twice over) with my railway expenditure 'f I could have secured a seat iu Queen's, and no one can say that County was bought by railways. Thcu tliere is King's, Victoria, Shelburno, represented by friends, who would give me a seat in either if I wanted it. Who believes that in Yarmouth, Digby, or even Annapolis, I could not have been elected had I chosen to oifer ? To win even Cumberland again, I should consider but an ordinary feat, requiring but a pair of good horses and a month of tine weatlier. But the Doctor tells me I am no statesman. Perhaps not ; but is he qualified to judge ? I hold in my hand a list of some twenty mea- sures, originated and carried by myself and my friends, which were thought to exhibit some- thing like statesmanship. But I ask, what has he done 'I Has he pi'oduced one measure worh a farthing? Has he ever put on the table of the House a single bill that was worth an hour's consideration ? I will fuUow him into his own office. I sat there 4 or years under Sir John Harvey and Sir Gas- pard Le Mai'ohant ; let him turn to the ela« borate reports on the resources of this countiy, which were scat Home during that period, which have become part of the public docu- ments of the mother country, and furnished facts for standard works of reference. Where are the state papers he hns transmitted through his inctimbcncy of -j'J.uq that I may make tlio comparison ? There are none ; and I believe it to be a fact, that during the six years since I left the Provincial Secretary's ofljcp, o.dy one blue book has been sent to England. The member for Cumberland knows right well that ever since I entered this honsd in 1836, my name has been connected withcTery public measure of importance, calculated to advance the interests of the province. Thcaa would remain behind if we died to-morrow. Hislegaoirs would be a few ipl netlo speeches and any amount of personal defamation. But we are told that these railroads have cost an enormous sum. We are now in a * position tocouutup the cost— the road having been complp ' to Windsor and Truro. Here is the result ; The constructien of our roads have cost £1,050 ,412 for 92i miles— being about £10,320 currency, or £8,256 sterling, per mile. Let me first show that our works contrast favorably with those in other coun- tries. In Belgium their railroads cost £18,- 000 stg. per mile; the German roads cost £13,000; the French £20.000: the English £40,000. The average of European railroads is £24,000; so that our roads cost £15,000 leas per mile than those of the Old World , and £4,774 less than the cheapest railroad in Europe. Our roads have been built from £888 per mi'e lees than those of the State of New Fork, and £1.673 cheaper than the Grand Trunk, not including the ooBt of the Victoria Bridge. With all our blunders .whatever they were, and with all the waste fairly chargeable upon the gentlemen opposite, it is apparent that while our roads are hf a superior character, we hive got them remarkably cheap. Let me now estimate the weight of the millstone. This must be calculated by the interest paid, which is £178,000. Our reveaue in 1853, the year before rail- way construction commenced, was £124,514. The increase, to be fairly creditted to the sti- raulis which this expenditure gave to every branch of industry in 1854, 1855, and 1856, without any increase in the tariff, bear in mind, was £58,824, reducing the burthen of the interest to £119,176. In 1857 theCl per cents, were raited to 10, and the revenue for the last throe years, as contracted with our income in 1853, gives us £112,311. Add to this the surplus Railroad revenue, deducting the over expenditure of last year, and we have £4,199; 80 that adding the increase on the 10 per cent, and the income of the roads, and the whole amount has been met by this simple operation, le?s £5G7 only. But take another view of this matter. As- suming that £112,311 represents the real burthen, against this we have £50,000 of Province paper issued expressly for Railroa a number Illation of the Province, and estimating the future by the last year in the series, it is eviJeut that,, (very four yeirs the entire population of Nova Scotia will pass over these roaJs. The coach fire to Windsor was formerly 15s , that to Truro, '20a. Wo go now to the former place for 78 6d., and to the htter for 153. All are not through passengers, but if we H<^sume that 5b, each has been saved to these passengers, wo have £64,871 saved in fares alone— to say nothing of time, health and shelter, and of the .saving on the carri ige of horses, cattle and other freiglit, for the lust five years. Let us hear no more about the burthen of the railroad. With thee .''acts before us, we can see as far into the luill-stooe as tha member for Cumberland himself. There is a point of seme de'icaoy to which I must refer. The hon member for Cumber- i:\ud the other night stat:id that the hon Mr McNab had been dismissed from his office in bomo rude and discourteous manner. Now, sir, I am not aware of any discourtesy; I am qiite sure that none was intended. The moment that Mr MoNab separated from his party in 1S57, and tcolj office under their enemies, it was quite apparent that if we came back to power he must go out. When our friemis met in Fehruary last to answer the summons of the Lieutenint Governor, it w»8 evident that no government could be formed on any other conditions; and I have CO hesitation in saying that after what had taken pltce, I would not have ViV ^.-,. , the people often prefer to go by the roaU ? Some refereuce was made to Mr Creed. We were tM he got two dollars a day. I will not uudertake to say that Mr Creed gets too little or too much. I know, however that he gets just wbfU he has got for a scries of years. He is an intelligent and valua- ble man; he wits so regarded by the lute board; he was employed to supe'inttnd the construction of small bridges, and we paid him at the same rate that others were paid. 1 do not see any reason to comp'aia that he reouives the s me salary now as he has had ever since he bus been in office. We are t( Id that men have been dismissed on account of their politics. But the hoa member will see, if he looks at the list, that whoever has bteu reduced very few persuiis are changed. I am t >ld that it is wrong to cujt down the salary of a conductor or station uastcr. Perhaps it is; but 1 can find fifty young men ofgoud manners and education who will accept the situations and be glad of the chance. I am here speaking in presence 1 d\i not y reaeoa the peo« id voted vondered d fitatioQ le hoable efloction, li a wife ^lethodiBt t in Cam- ^ [he same, , ' sat use ia beautiful Gftineroa Uy had a nbioh this been man- Welsford, d. I had ed to take friend did t Welsford I box came. IS told ttiat lug. trains, ean to eay ■fi up a faw and a few ' ;ht? The rains never toMaitlind ret it until bgine, then, )0;0 a ooun* le purchases I yi\th him. ustlf out by est of tea or the day in E-.iin. Who he lailwfijs Lt,barta8^ed an prefer to ( Mr Creed. day. I will ■eed gets too owever that r a scries of and valu!\- by the lute levintml the Bind we paid J were paii. aiu that he 8 he baa had len dismifsed Dut the bon the l.st, that few persons ; is wrong to ctor or station jan find fifty ,ud eduoutjon ind be glad of ig in presence ( 13) of gcpilc'tiicn all anund mc who know that what 1 say is true. Will not the hoa and le.^rufcil member for AimapoliH give me a (iczen ycuug nieu out of his oouuiy if 1 want thfu 'I Now, tir, I foci that I have goue pretty wtll thrcugii Ihe roraaika of the hon gentlo- ni»u. One emnll mutter btill remaiu;^. He ccmpl lint'd that wc voted £100 for reporting the dt.'cit-i<;n8 cf the Supreme Court t-urcly it we did, that very act bLouM protect us froiu ol;a>'gi'8 cf unJue political b'\s. The jouiig pentleuian \«ho earcs that JClUO m i.ot a fncud o/ ours : his jyaipathifs, to far as I am iuforii-ed, have alvyiiys been on the other side. His circuiiistiinces aro not ulHicnt He is uo pariizvn of mine. 1 btlicve at any time for the list three yearn, he 'ivould have strei.gthenud the hands of the late adnanis- initioii; I l)ol;eve at this moment he would overturn the present. But what then? I ttiink the service he performs is a just and ncccfcsary one, and so I defended that ap» propriatiou agilnst the opposition of those U!>L)U whom he had S'ronger oliims. But do not pay,aiter this, that everybcdy is to be fciiOiificed who does not sympathize with us. It was taid of a great ri;uu, that " nothing in !'fe becime him like the leaving of it." The 8iime may be .said of the learned member for Cumberland's speeoh. The close was the btst of it. The speech was nothing to the peiorat'on; but then, unfortunately, the peroration was not new. Wc were lold, in rather graidiloquctit !;!yle. that his speech was only the irtlude to something terrific thit was to come aftT. Oh ! wait until the law i*h 11 h kve operated, said he ; iheu 1 will move a vot; of waut of coijfidence ; then you will see what you ^hall see. I am cont.nt to wail in silent expietaticn ; but does it never occur tj him, that the sword of jiistice is twoi C'dfied - tiiat if heads are to be sliced off they will drop on bo(h sides. I am coLteut to wait the operation of the law, and when liU the wigs are ou the green, we shall see who is best i.ble to keep the tiid 1 ShojM the law leave hiui mas'er of the f;e;d, whit is to be- come cf our poor frie;id '! How tVaiTul were tiie meaaces. Ji.natbnn M(;Cul y, said he, s'liud od. (Great Laugi.ter.) Tin; tlig^elv' tioa of to-day \i> noihiug to what I iuund. " I will iiiiptaeh" for all soits of criracf', and then iolo.ved a bit of rhetorical buiikum, whivh oJglit ttr. ify ut a great deil more if it hid iiui I ecu borrowed for the ocoision. The le;irned gentleman is nivst clniry of his own tluuidor ; we can hardly make a speech iir introduce a measure, with.iiit being told jliutweave plundering the late government eitlua-of its tlion;;lits or of its policy. Let me now show the house tliat his pcrorntion Wiis stolen from Burku I hold in my hand .Ma- caiilay's Kssny, and iu pa^je 4'.i7 I read from an ;irf icle on the Trial of Wnrren ll;istings : "Tiie chirges and the un-^wers oi 11 istiugs were first re-; This ceremony oocu'>i>'.'' tsYi» whole dayf, and was rendered loas tedious than it would otburwiso have bcrn, by tho silver voice and just emphasis o( Cow per, the clerk of the Court, a near ri'ation of the amiable poet. Ou the third day Burke rtae. Four sittings of tho uourt was ououpied by his opening e;^ eeoh, which was intended to be n general intrcduutiou to all tho ch.trgss. - With an exuberance of thought and isplcu* dor of diction which much more thau tiatlstied the highly raised e.\pectationof the audience, he dtiscr'.bed the chiractcr and in.;tiiutionH of the natives ol Indiiv; recounted the uirjutu- stanccs iu which tho Ablatio empire ot Bri- tain ht'.d originated, and set forth the conflt:. tution of the Company and of the English Presi lencies Having thusattoi>:pted to com- municate to his hearevs an idea of E istern bocitty. as vivid as that wiiioh existed iu his own mind, he proceeded to arraign ihc admin- istration of Hastings, as systemiiticuliy oon- ducted in diQance of morality and public law. The energy and pathos of ihe great orator e.\torted expnssions uf admiration from even the stern and hotitile Chanoillor, and for a moment seemed to picoo the resolute heart of the delendaut. "The ladies iu the galleries, unaccustomed to such displays of eloquence, excited by tho tolemnity of tho ocasion, and perhaps lut un- willing to di.splay their taste and :iensibility, were in a state of unoontr^,ll iblo emotion. — Ilandkerchlet's were pulled out ; smelling bot- tles were handcil round, hysterical Srbs and screams were heard, and Airs. Sluriilan was carried out in a Jit- At k'u;',th the orator concluded. lUihing his voice 1 11 the old arches of Irish oak n sounded , — ' Therclorv,' saia he, ' hith it with ail coulidence bi";n or» dered by thi^ Comnii.ns of Great Britain, that I impeach Warren Hastings of high crimes and mislemcanors. I impench him iu the name of the Commons Ilou^e cf Parliament, whose trust he has betrayed. 1 impeach him iathon)!neof tho peoplo of India, whose rights he has troddeti uudur fu(.t, acd whose country he h:is turned into a desert Lastly, in the name of human raturc itself, in the name of both sexes, iu tho name of every age, in tlie name of every rank, I impeach the common eueiiy aulojipres.-orof all ' " Here wo have tho Doctor's pcroratiun. (tireat laughter.) Overhead wo had soma Lidics ; but the counterfeit orati.ry did not prodiice the same elleot as the true. None ol them api)C'ired to exliiliH any very " uncon- trollable emotion " We saw no "handker* chiofj or smelling bottles handed round'" — no " hystoiicul sobs or scre.uns were heard ;"' and straiiyic to s;iy, however high thealmi- ratiou of the learned gentleman by his tUir devotee.-*, not one of them could begot to feign what she did not feel, or consent "to be carried out ill a ht." ^(.ireat laughter.) Mr Howe closed by up.ilogising tjthc hcuB^ for the time he h.id occupied.