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GENTLEMEN,— By a 13y-Law of the County Council you are i ailed upon to decide by your votes on the 2yth day of November instant wheth- er you are in favor of burthening yourselves with an indeBnite amount of Taxation, for the purpose of destroying the Town of Ni- agara in vorder to further the aggrandize- ment of tLe Town of St. Catharines. The Ijegislature of tne Province has au- thorized thi« proceeding, and whatever I may think ©t the principles involved in that authority, ray duty now is conBned within the clear bounds of taking care that such means are placed in the hands of each of you as will enable you all to form an intel- ligent aud coixect I'dgment upoa the ques- tion submitted for y^. ur decision. Most of you, I take for granted, are ac- quainted with the early history of this Coun- ty, and many of you, I am persuaded, at- tach at least some small importance to his- torical recollections. Niau'ara was one of the earliest points «elected for settlement by the pioneers of Upper Canada. On its plains the loyalists, expatriated from their possessions by the rebellion of 1776, com- menced that conflict with the wilderness which resulted in producing the pleasatrt homes and fertile fields in which you now live at peace and in plenty, The little town of Niagara (then Newark) became a thriving community, was occupied for a few years as the capital of Upper Canada, and the in- dustry and money of its inhabitants were freely expended in opening up the rest of the county. When the war of 1812 broke out it found the community devoted to iheir country, and ere its close many of them had perished by the bullets of the enemy, aud all of them lost their entire earthly pos- sessions in the smoking ruins to which the ruthless enemy reduced the Town ; and a long and we;iry time they had to wait be- fore the paymi; iit of the war losses aflforded them some slight compensation for the mis- ery and ruin into which the great calamity plunger thorn. They managed to re-build their town, however, by degrees, and the Court House and Gaol, burnt down by the red hot shot of the Americans, was replaced by a new one, the site for whifth was given by an Inhabitant of the Town, and the li- on's share bf the cost of which Was paid by the inhabitauU of the Town aad Town- ship of Niagara. You will not Idso sight ir«-? •: } ,'' J" J /' (P r— • — .. Tuii; PoifNTr T!.)Tr.\ (^'/lisiion. .'/?! of the fact that from tho tuvlurc of things, until the rest of the county wtts in {inigi'.'os of settk'inent, tho taxes required for pubHc purposes were nil paid by the people of tiie Town and Township of Niaj^ara, and thcio fore you can havo Hltle doubt that the laftd- ing roads and bridges, originally opeuiul out and constructed, were so opened out and constructed at tljeir cxpeuse. Bv de- {^rees tho disproportion between tho I'own and Township and tho rest of tho county diminished with the advance of settlement, but even so lato as the year ]S28. (tho ear- liest period, I re,_-ret to say, at which our perfect records commonce) it is manifest^,, that Nia;^ra Town and Township paid ovor^' one-third ,T)f the entire assessments upcn-r this courut. In. tVat year the population of' the several Iccaiities, and the propeity as- sessed in each, were as follows : — Population. Localities. Ass'd Prop. 287(5 Miagtwn&tvvnsp. $2S3,50t 1727 Grantham & St Catb UG.IOO IGIO Oliutba po'jIBO l-i95 vuimshy '•'-■ - *-^«^*91,4-t4 1202 Lo.ith 64,M2 1006 Gainahorongb GI,'J24 259 C^istor 15,512 ioirs' f>.;.j ' 't.i/ jji Totals ■ $679,196 . Twelv^e years late-, namely, in the year ••1840, the' profioitions we.o somewhat al- tered, but the Town aaa Township of Ni- fi^va gitlll contribu.ei very nearly one-third of ,tbo entire assessments imposed upon the localities constitutiug this courity, as you ■will perceive bj^.^be fpUowinif t01o for that years'— -.:, .;i i.iuwiK.:) jdj jiiiiiot li ?. Popillation. : - Localiti(*. Ass'd Prop* $29.3,872. 157,752 .1;{7,M0 . •117,896 :. 89,888 . 81,3-14 30,656 * P * 'I' ' $938,548 4085 Niag twn & twnsr^ .•:';324^"'": Grantham AStCath "^'•''418$,^""! Clinton ^'''OrimBby Gainsborough Lonth €ai9tor ■ - 606 14724 ifir Totals d li Previous to this, namely, in the year 1836, the SaiD;t Catharines people began an agi- tation for "the removal of the County Town.jlV aasigaing as their grounds that the Ooftrt House lyas at ft" inconvenient dist' anee fn'om .the^ tro\v%,;^nd their desire to have it in a central ppiiitiob. The subject was debated some years in Pailiament and out of it, and finally to remove every ground of complaint which they had the power to remov?, and for r. fins! s??ttlerncnt of the question, the inhabitants of the Town at an f'xpenso to *th(^mselves of somo thirty then- sand dollars, eiected a new Court House in tho. c^mIio of tho'J'own, which (.'ourl House is still as good as new, and is i)ronouncpd by all r ompctent judges the very best in Uppi'r Canada. This Court House hns been used for Count/ i)urpose3 over since the Act authorizing It wa;; passed, namely, in 1847, and the only expense it bus been to tho County wag the sum of two hundred dollars a year, spontaneously voted to tho Town by the Council, Avhich sum has been this year reduced lo :ij:150, tnid the To- ii authorized me, ;it the last Session oi' the County Coun- ci', ta.roli+iquish tjje ei\tin.' payment, provi- din,' 3S\'agu.ft is oouti^iued /as the County 'i'own. ■■ The facts I have cijcd sh(rtr, ItbliiA. that Niagara deserves n'oillinr hard nor harsh treatment from ide County of Lincoln on the subject of the County Town. They shew that during a period of sixty years the Town ;nid Township paid the great bull: of the Taxes imposed \i[.'on tuo localities con- stituting the County of Lincoln, and they shew many other things which ivill have due weight upon tlie miiul of every man of or-- dlnavy leelin-i'. From 1840 to 18.^f) Niagara continued to grow until the poj),;ldtion of the Tuv.n, in that year, reachec". 4,000 souls, and its as- sessed propeiiy n.ta enteied on the rolls at the sum of .*l, .)25,3;)3. Since tho year last named a fuc^ession of adverse circura- . stances havo jvoiilratcd it, and it needs but the blow you are asked lo inflict to com- {ilete its ruin. On the otherhand, tho construction of the Welland Canal, and the prod'gious and an- nual ontlay therewith connected, have built up St. Catharines and the Township of Grantham to a height which we all rejoice to see. But this result has been accom- plished by the expenditure of upwards of seven millions of dollars of Provincial money— one eighth of the entire debt of the Province'— and a portion of the co"t of every hat wo place upon our heads, of every piece of foreign leather with which we coyer our fe.5t, of every yard of doth with which we clothe onr persona, of every glass of " be joyful " we inibibe, of every j>inch of sautf we inhale^ and of every cloud of tobacco smoke wo e.xhale, goes toward the ^420,000 necessary to pay tho annual interest on this outlay. Nlow we might have thought that ♦ I regret to have to say, that thu I'oicn is itill indebte.1 Eight tkomand Dollars of this h-iirty fif} tch'.ch they are v,ntr paying their - erediiors ten per cent, or ?800 per annum. 'V ivi. .s"'; ."! t ; ^ ^ ~ if sonio tlilrty thcn- e\v Court lluuse in which ('oiirt House , and is proiiouiicod •s tlio very best in urt House Iirts been J ever since tlie Act 1, iiamel}-, in 1847, it bi)S been to iho ,wo hunihed dollars tod to the Town by has been this year e To- II iiuthcrizcd if the County Coun- ire payment, provi- ued /es the County 1 sh(rtr. I thinly. that !fr h-ii'd nor harsh unty of Lincoln on luty Town. They (d of sixty yf>ars the id the great bull: of 1 tue localities con r Lincoln, and they which ivill have duo )f every man ot or- liagnr'i continued to )ii of tlic Town, in souls, and its as- e;ed on the rolls at {. Since the year of adverse circum- it, and it needs but id to inflict to com- construction of tlie prod'gious and an- Dunected, have built 1 the Towushij) of ?hich we all rejoice It has been acconi- ture of upwards of liars of Provincial the eutiredebt of the not' the CO" t of every heads, of every piece which we coyer our jlolh with which we ii very glass of " be every j>inch of snulV y cloud of tobacco toward the §420,000 mual interest on this t have thought that say, that Ihti 'roiun in usand Dollars of this re ??nt,'.' paying ikeir r 1800 per annum . fHIi COUN'TY TOWN QUESTION, ZZK !i community halving the whole Province so bu-^oly Iriliutarv to their advancement and likely \rt C(jntinuG so for ages, would have thanked Heaven for the blessirg thoy enjoy, and been content therewith. lUit no— hav- in- one great good thing is not enouEb,-- vln'V covet also a monopoly ot the litt.e K'ood things. ^^iagara has the County 'J'own, therefore, say they, down with Ma- "' They have dropped the " territorial con- tra •' they used to talk so glibly about, and thoy have been shamed out of repeating the absurd stories they circulated last win- ter to the effect that the public buildings at Nia 'lira were "dilapidated." \"nd the iioint upon which tuey now chief- ly lav sa-css is this:— that unless a new grol is built coitain alterations recommended by the Prison Inspectors in the old one will of necessity have to be made. Mr.Kyhert tells vou ill his addrtss of last week that the in- siic'tors INSIST upon these alterations, and he is so deeply iitfected ))y the contempla- tion of such a Slid catastrophe, that he clo=os his address to you with this most lu- gubrious anticipation—" If by your vote the i'.y-Law isnot approved, T am afhaii) the llouncil will nn oomvkii.kd to take steps to tomnly with the Inspectors Report." It'is distressing to think that Mr. liykort should bo afraid of anything, especially of vhat is in ray poor judgment the mere sha- dow of a shade. Who are the Inspectors that they should frighten members ot I arlia- ment, thai they should ismj upon a mere IV local matter, on th© propriety and neces- sity of which we have a thousand more jom- retent judges ilian they are within the lim- its of our own County ? There are now nine prisoners in the Gaol— the average number for the past three or four years has been ten and a fraction, the number of rooms and cells can accommodate treble the num- ber, and there is uuocupied space enough in the upper floor for scores more, and to look after the comfort and safety of these hal score persons, we have officially employed the Sheriff, the Gaoler, the Turnkey and Ma- tron, a committee of the llench of Magis- trates the County Council in a body, in the course ot the year no less than 111 Grand Jurors, and to put the apex on the pyramid which forma the massive guardianship of those prisoners, wo have hal fa-dozen Prison Inspectors, two of whom visit the Gaol on a pleasure trip once a year each, stop within its precincts from twenty to twenty-five minutes ut each visit, and then pass away to writ* worthless reports, and draw from the public treasury by way of Balaries and travelling exnensea i^ome six- teen or twenty thousand dollars I 1 ho whole thing would read like a wretched farce, were it not so costly. Some impoitance ia attached to a letter si "icd E. A. Meredith addressed to the War- dell, and dated Quebec 11 th July, 1862, in which the writer says :— " Unless the Coun- ty Council take raesisures, to carry out the views of the Hoard respecting the Gaol, there will be no alternative for the Board but to place the matter in the hands of the Ex- ecutive Government." Upon this I must take permission to Bay that it reads to me very much as if it had been got uo for a special meeting of the County Council which it was rumored was intended to be he'd about the time of its date, but be that ns it may, whni is there in the Executive Govcrnruent for the pcoplo of this County to be afraid of? The mem- bers of the present Government have always held as a cardinal principle, that tha people have a right to regulate their own aflairam their own way ' .vithout Executive interfer- ence, and is anybodv so foolish as to ima- -Muo thtvt the Executive Government would compel the poonle of this Cour.ty to e.-rpond a large sum of money unnecessarily, ti sat- isfy the crotchets of half a do7.en Prison In- spectors? Why, it is precisely 'the Execu- tive Government in whose hands the Coun- ty Council itself has placed ihe matter. In r, memorial addressed to the Government at the October Session in 1861, the Council re- monstrated against the expenditure recom- mended by the Prison Inspectors as totally Unnecessary, u ^iv-v-vou^... -, because of the small numbor of pvisonors. the adequate number of cells, and further,' quoting from the Memorial — '• Because the Gaol itself, and the Fence around it, are in as good a condition and as secure, as the circumstances of the Gaol and its inmates render necessary," and also " Because yonr Petitioners are ready at all times to make such additions and repairs as time and change of circumstances may render advisable." , , « , Does any one suppose that the Government will decide that the County Council do not understand the matter a litttle better than the Prison Inspectors? Any snch supposi- tion is a libel on the common sense of its members. ' . The Grand Jury at the recent Assizes made a presentment on the, state of the Gaol, from which iho following is an ex- •■'The Grand Jury proceeded toviait tho 'V'^r THE COUNTY TOWN QrfiS'flON. OaoJ, and beu; to report thoir high satisfac- tion with liio ecrupuioualjr clesin and comfor- table appearance of every part of it. as also of the safety of tiio prisoiierSjOf wJiieh there are eleven at present undergoing the sen- tence of the law, all bearing testimony to the kind treatment they unil'urmly receive at the hands of Mr. Hamilton, the Gaoler, of whose litnosd for his situation the Grand Jury cannot speak too favorably." Now, I should like to know what more can be desired by or for the prisoners.— They are comfortable, clean, decently led, sale, with plenty of room, and the Gaol contains 80 many cells that those people who have a penchant for classification can malce a separate and distinct class of each individual prisoner. I will only further say upon this point, that the Executive Government is the last body iu the world to whom I should i)e a- fraid to refer the entire question raised by the Prison Inspectors, and I do not think that any of you will participate in the fears which shake the nerves of Mr. Rykert. So much for the bugaboo of the Prison Inspectors. You have beou told long stories about the great saving which would be ©fleeted by " removal '' in sending Jurors to the County Town. Upon this point I invito your attention to the figures. Wherever the Courts aie held the pay to the Jurors for their daily attendLince will be the same, and consequently it is only in the number of miles travelled by the SherilF, in sum- moning Jurors, for which that oHlcer re- ceives eight cents per mile, and in thg num- ber of niles travelled by Jurors to attend the County Town, for which c;ich receives ten cents per mile, that any change can pos- sibly be made. Well, the Jurors who at- tended the Spring and Fall Assizes, and the four Courts of Quarter Sessions, 'in 1861, were paid for 7,804 miles travel, at ten cents per mile, §780 60 And the Sheriff, for summoning all the Jurors to attend the said Courts, was paid for 2,758 miles travel, at eight cents per mile . . 220 64 Making the entire annual expense of sending Jurors to Niagara. .$1,001 24 Now any one will see clearly, who will take the trouble to make the calculation, that were the Court House in the very ter- ritorial centre of the County, th^ uttermost saving that could possibly be effected would not exceed one-fourth of the amouiit, of $260 a year, while, if it were located in St. Catharines, such sfwing could not go be- yond a seventh of the whole sum, or about !*140 a year. And yet, to wave this trifling sum, you arc asked to spend scores of thou- sands of dollars ! It is like asking one of you to cut off both hs legs in order to savo the pain of a corn on his big ton. The only other economical rp.sult which its advocates allege "removal"' will product; is a saving to gnitois rnd lawyers. 'J'he very few cases tiled ot the ditfereiit courts show that very few of you have anv interest in this part of the c.isc ; but mo.st'of vou I dare say have had suilieient expei ien'ce to be fully convinced that lawyer's bills will bo equally _formidal)lc under every conceiva- ble Slate of circumstances, nnl that all the losses wnich all the profession have sus- tained by the location of the Countv Town from its first establishment .-it Niau'ara until now, might be put in th > vest pocket of ono of you without making him the hciviei by a single ounce. I have gone thron-h all iho reasons I have seen or heard urged by the iidvocatos of "removal'' in favor of their \iew>-, and I shall proceed to submit my ideas ol the ef- fect ot your votes, in case you pass the bill submitted for your decision by the County Council. In the first place you will completely vuiu the Town of Niagara, and, in consefjuence, seriously diminish the valuation of taxable property in the Township of Niagara, and remember that, precisely in the proportion that you impair the sources of revenue for county purposes in these two municipalities so you will inevitably increase the taxation upon the other Municipalities of the county. 2ndly. You will plunge yourselvc.«( into debt by the erection of new Public Build- ings, to an extent and for a period of time of which you can at present form but a very imperfect notion, and when, too, the County taxation from other causes nill be largely increased ; and 3rdly. You will considerably increase your annual County expenditure, apart from the mere cost of tlie buildings. The first of these positions requires no illustration — its obvious truth is patent to the common sense of every man. The cor- rectness of the two last I proceed to demon- strate. The Town of St. Catharines tempts you to pass this By-Law by ofif'ering to "give to the County of Lincolii the free use of a suit- able Court House and Public cfBces so Ion? as they may require the same to be used for County purposes." The phraseology ia .)r ... ^:rfc'-:rcr:* . ' : ! -. fjy . ' .: '■»^~'S:- THE COUNTY TOWN QUESTlOi;!. iilil not go be- sum, Of nbjut ivo this trifliiinr sooros of thou- ( askiiij,' one of » order to savo ■ ton. 1 roKiilt wliich 1" will proiluco aw3'eis. 'J'he iffciuiit courts ve any interest most of you I experience to rei-'s bills will iveiy conceivji- :<1 timl all tlie ion h.ive sus- County Town Nidu'-atii until pocket of ono ho hcnvioi by reasons I have advocates of \iuwi--, niul I leas ol the ef- u pass tlie l)ill >y the County )inpletely vuin consofjuence, in of taxable Niagara, and le proportion ' revenue for nunicipalitiea ! the taxation )f the county, mrseivcs into Public Build- eriod of time m but u very 0, the County ill be largely increase your part from the requires no is patent to m. The cor- ed to demon- 3 tempts you to "give to use of a suitr ffices so lon^ e to be used braseology is vague, and the word "suitable" is euscep .- bit. of u variety of interpretations. But Ic that pass. The offer may, or it may not^ bt carried out in good faith, and the I'Cople of 8t. Catharines may or may not sanction tLc ofler made by their Corporation Y!»en^;i;^^X come to vote noon the By-Law v^hicL it ,vill be nccessKry ? tliem to pass before they can cmba:k ii. the re.iuisile expenditures. We will assume 1> c the sake of the avgum.-nt that cvervtbiug to tbis extent is done en EKGii: 'iliCi' come? your work, the circ- tion of tbe Gaol, a./' forthwitb the lu.mi- dable Prison luspectoMOtc.p ,n and take the entire control the.oof, ^m,. o( he County purse, into their own bauds. '^ l'*^)' ^^ ^J f '^ vou in their magnificent crnttmpi foi the lurdcns they put vn other peonle s sbould- "This is our duty by act ot Barliame-it and the structure you put up must be ma cordauce with our not.o..s ut t^e hln.j;S ot things and with our aavanced v.oa. ol lie sty;eof architecture suited to ihe present t L " You have no such thing i.-^ade to you as any tangible otlbr lor a s.i.., and the ^^ItsvulL land so highly in tlu.ra,^.H^ that were you to cover it with silver doliais hJy^iul^tell you to double your one.; be^ fore thev could ih.nk of it even. Then comes the cost of the buildmg nself--;and S will be any sum you choose to be icve frc^ii twenty to a hundred thousand dollars. So various arc the estimates yov. hear - tW rule vou can accept as the inTanalle standard or public buildings in Canada, that Le hr^he;,t estimate is always far exceeded by tfe actual cost. When the Niagara Boaul of Police erected the present Cour House they expected to complete it lor $12,0G0 but it cost them more than double Tla snm. When the people ot Welland t led the experiment of erecting County buildings they calculated upon accomplish- ing eve^-ything for $25,000, while the actual cost was four times that amount, and when the Province began its venture upcn public buildings at Ottawa, an appiopriHion ot $900,000 was considered "'»?')• suftc'0-. 358 of chapter 54 of 'he .Joasoltdajed Sta- tutes lor Uppe'- ^^'^nada (vvh'ch^aul s.ct. U for the purposes ot this act, snail bo taken as a portion thereof so far as the """"/^ «P; plicable to this act) to «3<=e''p'" ""^fj^^^J vvbRih«r the Corp>iatioa of the To^^" ot Niagara is entitled to claim any and vvhat .Impensalion Irom the Coipoiation ot n. County • of Lincoln, for, or by reason o JiO erection of the buildings «»t Present used for Cou.iiy purposes ; and m the event of the arbitrates \-.var'ding that compensation should be paid to the Town of Niagara, the TZul. 80 awarded shall be paid or secured to the said Corporation of the Town ot Ma- guabJ lore the issuing of the said Proclaqi}. ntion." ./Jl— »J portion of the Court' Houk UuiWiufi J / ii "•*!■ THR COUNTY TOWN QUESTION. f In r)i(?cr that you may l,avo the whole of thm part of tho ea8e,bcrore yon, Inpnoiid a copy of such p:.rf.s of tlie sub-sectiona of sect.on 358 of chapter CA ofthoCon.ol. KiKctl Statutes of l>er Canada, as are an- l)iicable to the case ; -- ^ "I Ki-ch paKy Phiill appoint ill. Arbitiaf-r niifl Kivo i.clice th..r^cf i., Mn(i„;r ,„ ,hp of er ):;ii!y ; i.aii \\\nn 'he other pmiy j, u {'or. |K,r;,t.oi.. Uie noiiue bLiU bo givtii tu tl'e li.Hdot .he Corporation, 2. Thetwo ftbJt:i-toig iii.printffl by or po.u-/,om th.' proeeedlnga so filed ns «- Sce'lo' rr' ^"" ''' -"i-ioMHl ev?. d,.r-tc „, '"^'">' '"*""""■ »he Court u .^c(,«, an.l may. either witlu.ut takinj,'such evidence or .Her r.kj.. „„.,, ^.^^^^J] ^0 P-.-... the avva.d. or remit the niat- :^^. •.erred or any .d them from liaie to ot il/rf S.me arhitra'o.3, ->r to any olh^r n^r- ^ .r : whom the Court may appoi,.t as pio- F.il.e..,n Ihe "Common Law Procedir., Alc and (ix the Urm within which such ;inherornewawa,d.vhalll,em„de,V he uui Outhaiinoaiaw: and of these no loss than 70 olJeuders wore bontcnced to unmison. ni«nt in the Lock-up, C7 ot them for 10 days, and 3 of them for five dava, eacli.— It imislbe obvious to you, ihereioie, that il you facilitate the operations of their juUi- cial syBtem by giving thum the Oao ior a lock-up, they will fiU ii and keep it idled-- ft the expense of the County. iQU v.iU readily etvtiruate whalauinmieuse diilorcnce would be mtido ni your annual taxation, it instead of maintaining ten pniqucrs at M- a^'-ira yon had four or Live tuues that uumlicr to support in Saiut Catbariiics. And this was the caee, remember, vvhcn Saint Catharines was much lesd populous, ■ nnd'much nio^e moderate in its prjtci.tions, than it is in this year' of our Lwdx xVjv,-, it is contcmplatiri- the probauility ot he- coming a city, and is acti-diy considering the luopriety of appointing a salaricU i o- lice Magistrate. As it incicases m dignity it svill of course be more ngid m its morals, and as its municipal legishUion becomes "'-'Worg-aWed in principle to these standards of excellence, "the blue laws of Connec- ticut," what can be expected from a popu- lation ol 10,000, when in less straight-laced times a-ad from a population of about 4,^00, we were furnished with Hli) magisterial con- riciions in about four mouths 1 Wliy, th« mere cost of printing the ccoviotious by St. Catharines magistrates Sander St. Catha- rines laws, cost the County of tiflcoln more money than the rent paid by ^t^0 the lown of Niagara for tlie use of l>4e County build- ings ' ' - One other cause of increased annual ex- penditure you will find in your Courity oth- cials. I need not tell you how readily hu- man nature adapts itself to its surroun nn^'s, with what facility it yields to the exigencies ra-^Y create. Well, St. Catharines is a flourishing place, and land and hous. ot the same size, accommodation and use as similar properties in Niagara, are held at five times the value; while social life is correspond- in-rly exalted and e.xact ng, and therefore expensive. Do you suppose, if you place your officers there, that the very first claim upon your County Council will not be tor an iwcrease of their sala-iea, and that the Council will not find it impossible to do other ihd.'A yield to the claim ? There arc other catiPea which will add to the annual expenses of the <; 'unty. which vour own reflections will readily pjint out. ' These, then, will bo soma (if the movita- bio oiTocls of your own acts if you voto lor the By-Liw placed before you liy tho Coun- ty Council. , I have now to atato to you a fact wlncli will, I think, dissipate all the fears which have beou o.^eited in your mi:ids, relative to the Prison Insiicctors, and tlio o.Kpemii- tures Uiey vocominond about the Gaol. J lie Town Council of Niagara has already built and malntainod for sixtoeu years, at their o,wn expense, for your use the bc'jt Court Ilouio in Upper Canada, and they have ot- -fercd to your County Council, through nv3, to forego, tliO paltry pittance ol I.jO dollars per aauum uow paid to them under the ia.no of rent, ic. More than I'mt ; at a ineetin:« of tho Corporation, hcid this day, the following icaoiatious were uiammously passed : — It i,__Th:it, in order Vo relievo tho minds pf the Ratepayers of the County of Lin- coln Irom iuiv apprehension they may en- tertain that in tho event of Niagara being couliiiued as the County Town, th*»y will be subjected to a large expense by reason ot certain additions to, and alterations m, the Gaol, r<'Coanacudiid,-Ut-be ina,de bj the Pro- vincial Prison Lispectors, this Council here- by guarantees the County of Lincoln against the expenditure of a single farthing o^" the cost of such additions and alterations, and pledges itself that if they are legally corn- pell^ to be made this Council will defray the entire expense which ui such case would hi Imposed upon the said County. <'2.— That the Mayor and Clerk do at- tach their signatures' and ihe seal of this COobcil to a copy of the foregoing resolu- .ti^Wl, nnd file the same in ihe Office ol the 'CJork of the County Council." There, Gentlemen, you have the whole case presented to you as clearly as [ can il- lustrate it. I have stated nothing as a iaot which I do not believe to be literally true.nor have I offered any opinion which I am not convinced is logically drawn from premises fairly stated. And tho sum of the whole matter is this, that if you vote ag.vixst the By-Law you will not be subject to a penny's expense connected with your County Build- jn^3_which will amply serve all needful purposes for the next 50 years— while if you TOte FOB it you will plunge yourselves and your posterity into "a sea of troubles " of thte overwhelming tideis of which you can a)t present forru a veryshght conception . I Hi f THE COUNTY TOWN QUESTION. ^ WLon on the point of closfii^ thi§ nddrew • iii-Vrf Imd |tlttced befura mo the St. Cutlia- rinos " Coiistitiitii)iml" of iLe Ulhinstmit iu which iho editor sa^a : — " We warn the electors to beware of »htf underhand niHasures that uie beinjf faken by e«rtain parties in Nu|{cfa to make it appear thtt St. Catharines is trying to aggrandiza hersell at their expense." Who the parties, or what tho measures, adverted to, I know not,and care not to en- quire, but there has never been anything '•underhand," there will not be anythin;j I'underhand" in tho conduct of any parties in Niagara upon this subject. The whole cry about the *< removal of the County Town "' originated in, and has been con- tinued by St. Catharines. It was in its in- ception, as it has been to this day, a large portion of the political capital of all their aspirants for the representation of the Coun- ty.* The conflict has continued for twenty- •I except the late Mr. Men vtt from thin remark ; he had plenty of capital mthout thU hobby, cuied but little about it, and hat often told me that if he had ihx choiice between a gotd txztd Saw Mill and the County Town, h$ would prefer the Mill. sixyeuK, but it has been a fair ata/id up tijfhl. Hint from its very niiluru there cuiiuot bo aiiylhiug underhand in the couduct of it. The value to th« County of the victory thus far obtained by Niagara, is proved by tlie fact that uj) to this time, it hns been more lightly ta.«d for County purposes thnu any other Municipality of the same wealth and population in Upper Canada. We trust yet m the goodness of our caase— in tho aonndness of the "old ship" in which we are embarked. We will fight tho battle to the last bullet and tho last ch»rge of powder; and if Destiny decrees, that the timbers shall give way, aud all the batteries with which Reason, 'Law and Equity can supply us fail to secure a triumph, we may sink, indeed, but we w!|l at least go down with drums b°ating and colors ilying, and with the heartfelt consciousness that wo have done our duty to ourselves and to joo. I have the honor to be. Gentlemen, Yours, obediently JOHN SIMPSON. Niagara, NoTember 8, 1862. 1 ■ t ( 9. e. SMITH, PRINTER JND JUCTIONIHEH, NU(;fJRJ^ C.W. . /s>- , M^ air alatid ujj ihure cuiiiiijt ) couduct uf r the victory IS pioved b/ it hiis boeii urposes than mine wealth a. We trust ,ase — in tlio ti which we t tho battle ch»rpe of 08, that the he batteries Equity can 3h, we may at go down flying, and is that wo and to yon. Jntly 5JMP80N. Hit*