Mr. COPP:

In saying that they are appointed by patronage. They are not.

Mr. MIDDLEBRO:

Who, for instance?

Mr. COPP:

The sheriff of the city of *

St. John and the municipal clerks and secretary-treasurers.

Mr. MIDDLEBRO:

How does my hon.

friend know by what influence the city clerk or any other officer of a municipal council was elected or appointed? What

right have you to say that the means by which that gentleman might be selected are any more proper than the means by which this returning officer would be selected by the Government?

Mr. COPP:

Would the hon. gentleman

say that the clerk in the town from which he comes was selected by political patronage? ~

Mr. MIDDLEBRO:

This government is

as much entitled, and is just as liable, to make an appointment that is proper as an *officer appointed by a city or town council.

Mr. COPP:

My hon. friend has shifted

his ground again.

Mr. MIDDLEBRO:

Not at all.

Mr. COPP:

My hon. friend cannot get

around it by asking any such question as that. I will ask the hon. gentleman if any [customs house officer, postmaster, sheriff, city or town clerk or municipal secretary-treasurer in his constituency would not be a fair and reasonable man to hold an election.

Mr. MIDDLEBRO:

I have not said he was not.

Mr. COPP:

Don't you admit that he is?

Mr. MIDDLEBRO:

My argument does

not proceed upon that basis. I contend that selection can be made under this clause of a man who is just as good and just as able to perform the service required as any other official.

Mr. COPP:

That part I will admit at

once. But my hon. friend is not prepared to say that any one of the officials named in the proposed amendment would not be admirably fitted to conduct an election in his own riding. What he does say is this: " No, we won't accept any of those men, but w'e will accept a man that I may recommend to the Government to be my returning officer."

Mr. MIDDLEBRO:

I have not said anything of the kind. On the contrary I believe we can make a very proper selection from any of the officials mentioned.

Mr. COPP:

Then you ought to support the amendment. .

Mr. MIDDLEBRO:

No. I say we have the right to-day, and perhaps in some cases we would make our selection from among such officials, but we do not want to be compelled to do so.

Mr. COPP:

No, because my hon. friend wants to nominate the returning officer in his own riding.

Mr. MIDDLEBRO:

That is perfectly

right because then I have the responsibility.

Mr. FIELDING:

I have already spoken on this subject and I have no desire to repeat myself. I rise only to point out to my hon. friend from West Elgin (Mr. Crothers) that nine-tenths of the very eloquent speech he made a few minutes ago is based upon an entire misapprehension of this amendment. I say "misapprehension" because I , know my hon. friend too well to assume that he would intentionally misrepresent me. Again and again he said: Under this amendment we are willing to trust an official appointed by the Provincial Governments, but we are not willing to trust an official appointed by the Federal Government. My hon. friend is entirely wrong. This list contains a number of officials who receive their appointments from the Government at Ottawa, and I think I am safe in stating that although in West Elgin probably half a dozen of the class of officials enumerated in that list have been appointed by the hon. gentleman himself, yet we are willing to trust them. So when he says we will trust only men appointed by the local governments my hon. friend is entirely wrong.

Mr. CROTHERS:

I did not say "only."