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6
DEMOCRACY OR DESPOTISM.
A PUBLIC MEETING,
/7^
('ONVKNED BY THK
WILL UK HUM) IN THK l,Ali(;E K(»OM 01' THi;
Crow^ii and Anchor Tavern, Strand,
ON MONDAY EVENING, Al»RIL 3(1, AT SEVEN O CLOCK PRECISELY,
I'OU THE I'lIUPOSE OK ASCKItTAININl)
Whether the People of Englund and Ireland will sanction the base proposals of the Whi<>\s
to destroy^ the Principle of Universal Sujjrai^e in the Canadas, and to compel the People
of that Country to he plundered and enslaved by a few ojficiul and irresponsible Persons.
WILLIAM llOARC in iho Chair.
By Order of tlic Committee,
TO THl HONOURABLE THE COMMONS OF
GREAT BRITAIN AND U^ELAND IN PARLIA-
MENT ASSEAIBLED,
The Petition of the luiclcrsigncd Members of the
Working Men's Association and otliers, sliewelh —
That your petitioners are deeply impressed witii tlie eon-
viction that tlie colonial policy of England lius for many
centuries past been fraught with tyranny and injustice
towards the mass of the people.
That by far the greater nmnber of our colonics have been
originated ijy means noways justifiable on principles of
morality, and to establish and secure which, have millions of
money beeu wasted, and millions of our brethren been doomed
to an initimely end.
That when, by these sacritices, they have been secured,
instead of regarding them as auxiliaries to the progress nl'
civilization, and teaching them the most eflicient means of
developing their natural resources, so as to piomotu the
general welfare of Ininianity, we seem to lir onsidircd
them as legitimate objects of our prey, or as |;iaces where
the shoots and underlings of despotism mi<i;ht practice their
oppression, shameless, and regardless of consecpiences.
That the history of our colonial governniciil in the
Canadas is pregnant with evils springing from such a source ;
and now, after years ' '" complaints and petitioning for
justice, we find your honourable house about to stiHc their
supplications by us wanton and Hagrant an act of despoLisni
as that which, when imposed on the American peo])le,
aroused them to proclaim their celebrated Declanition of
Independence.
That, regarding the people of Canada as brothers in
interests, we have careiully inve«tigate(l into their grievances,
a brief outline of ■ which we respectfully submit to your
honourable house, in order that the working classes of
England may determine how far they will sanction the
outrage about to be indicted on their Canadian brelhren,
by your house as at present constituted; how far thi'y will
suffer a brave and oppressed |ieo])lf to be eili^ctnally en-
slaved, to glut the appetites of hungry odicials, ur the pecu-
lating delinquents of an iusignillcant parly.
The Car.adians inform us that though they possess an
extension of the sutlVage almost universal, and have; repre-
sentatives in the House of Assendjly hoiuslly seeking to
promote the welfare and hajipiuess of the whole |)e(jple —
that these inestimable blessings are' rendered nearly useless
by the intolerable despotism of the Legislative and Execu-
tive Councils, whose selfish powers are exercised in thwart-
ing the wants and wishes of the people.
That the Legislative Council is chosen Ibr life bv the
King of England ; that it is for the most part composed of
government otHcers, their clerks, thin dependents, the
clergy of the Established Church, ami a few suecesstiil
merchants; and that this assembly is responsible to none
but the King of I'^ngland, actint; through the officials of
th<! Colonial Office. They complain that this is ;\ body
fiictiously oppo-^i'd to the feelings and wants of the people;
that it ik the stionghold of op|jression a«d abuses, and that
all the beneficial measures of the House of Assembly iiic
rendi'red usrh s>; !>y this irre-pnnsillc body.
They comphiin that the Ivxecutive Council, oi privy-
council of the governor, being ccmiposed of the judges and
government odicers, responsible only to th<: King (or rather
the Coloniu.l Office), have taken all the waste lantls of the
colony, as well as the saleable timber found thereon, which
they dispose of for the personal advantage of their members,
their friends, and underlings; as well as for corrniiting the
representation of the peojile ; and, with the unjust plea of
their being the hereditary possessions of the King, deprive
W. LOVETT, Secretary.
the Canadians of the means of improving their country, or
educatuii; tlieu- children.
They complain that their judges are not made responsible
to the people, iior can they be impeached for misconduct by
the Honsi; ol Assembly, us I'nglish judges can by the
(commons' Hou.sc of Parliament; that t hay are only re-
sjonsibhao the I'Aecutive Conncil.of which<Aey themselves
Jorm apart, and that by tfiis irresponsibility the somve of
justice IS pr)isoned, and cases of the grossest peculation and
delnniueucy have received the countenance and support of
tins body. '^'
They complain that notwith.standing four-fifths of the
inhabitants are Catholics in religion, and that men o<' all
creeds and religious o|)iuions live hannoninn.ly amongst
them, that a dominant church is set up ; and leligious pre-
jndu'cs an^ sought to be engendered by the applicatioti of
oncsevcnth of the whole land of the colony to support ihc
clergy of the I'.stablished Church of England
They complain that the official party seek to foment the
iibsur< prejudices of country and religion amongst them ;
that the whole, administration of government is one of
favouritism and injustice ; that the revenues of tlieir country
are employed and s,|nandered awav by persons not respon-
sibh. lu the iieople ; that they arc unable to get accnra'e
accounts of receipts or .xpeiuliture ; and when delinquency
(iitiir '''' '"'" *'"' ''""''"'' '" '"'"'"'' "'■ •"■"'"'"^ " '"
And .low after Ixaring with these insults and oppressions
lor nearly lial a century-alter every effort to improve
their ,:ountry by wise and salutary laws, has been frus-
trated by these united aristocrat powers, and alter repeated
applicati,.„s and p.-titions Ibr jnstice-tliev have almost
unammonsly ,l,rlare,l that there is no hope fi'ir the adoption
of wise laws and just government, luifil the Lcrjislativc
Council be elected hij the people, the whole rcreiiue
placed under the control of the people, and their judges
mudc responsible to their ou-n Legislature instead of
the King of England.
These reas(niable rei|ucsts having been scorned and
scouted by those in power, the people of Canada have, for
the last lliree .years, leliised to sanction, by the vole of
their asseml.ly.the ajjplication of the public revenue towards
paying the salaries of those' ofiicial persons who contiiun to
mar all their benevolent exertions ibr the jniblic weal.
lu.-tead, however, of your honourable house honestlv in-
vestigating into these grievances, or conceding to tliosi;' just
and reasonable demands, we find you sanctioning ' his
Majesty's Ministers in setting aside the people and their
ivpresentatives altogether, dispensing with their necessary
v()le, as guaranteed by their charter, and payint;tlie salaries
of those official persons in spite of the Cauadiun people.
This conduct appearing to your [letitioners to be highly
lyiannical— involving the (piistion of liberlv for the inanv,
or (Icspotic rule lor the lew— and which iiijustice x.e l(.''pi
satisfied, will never be tamely submitted to by the Canadian
pcoplu, especially when they have the history of tli|. past,
and the bright example of the present democracy of America
to refer to, of what can be etK:cied by an iiiiited pcojile,
when free from tin; mercenary grasp of 'ari:it»cratic orkiu'dy
diimiuioii. Vour piaitioners,' tiierelbre, "
1'
lay your honourable house, that you will yield to the
wishes of the Canadians, and allow them to elect
the Legislative; Council— place the revenue of their
country at their disposal — and allow their pidges to
be made responsibU' to their own Legislature instead
of to the King of England.
And your Petitioners, &c.
I