James Moffat Douglas
Liberal
Mr. DOUGLAS.
fact that when the declaration was framed it was framed because of the condition of things that then existed. It was framed because of the machinations of foreign potentates against the liberties of the people of England, and it was framed in the only language that could be found at that time which would give that security, freedom and liberty to the English people which they desired. I wish to express my regret that this resolution has been introduced at all into the parliament of Canada. It deals with a question belonging to the parliament of England, that mother of parliaments, that parliament which has always been in the van in promoting the interests of all races and creeds of British subjects. That parliament is seized with the power of amending the declaration, and I repeat that the liberty of all classes and creeds of His Majesty's subjects is perfectly safe in the keeping of that parliament. I do not desire personally to see a division in the House on this question, but if the amendment which has been suggested-and which I believe has been accepted by hon. gentlemen on both sides-is further amended by the addition of the words which 1 have jotted down, I shall deem it my duty, so far as I am concerned, to support it, and will not take up the time by a division of the House. One word before I sit down. The hon. gentleman who introduced the resolution (Mr. Costigan) and the hon. member for Cornwall (Mr. Pringle) have quoted from the Guardian newspaper which is published in London, Eng. They quoted from the edition of February 13. I would not like to do either of the hon. gentlemen an injustice, but I think they left the impression on the House that the views they were quoting were the views of the journal itself. I draw the attention of those hon. gentlemen to the fact, if I am correct in my premises, that the opinions they quoted were merely the opinions of a correspondent, and the editor is very careful to say in the journal :
Opinions expressed in signed articles, or in articles marked communicated, or from correspondents, are not necessarily those of the Guardian. The appearance of those articles only implies that the editor thinks they are of such interest as to justify their publication.
The appearance of such a communication in a journal of this kind is in itself an evidence that the people of Great Britain and Ireland are becoming alive to the inequalities which may exist in the declaration; that they are discussing the question of its amendment, and >I repeat with all humility and with the greatest possible respect, that the parliament of Canada ought to leave this matter to the authority to which it properly belongs. We have no jurisdiction over it in this parliament, but if we pass a resolution by a divided vote, _ the force of that resolution will be materially weakened. I
should hope that even at this late hour it might be possible to so further amend this proposition of the hon. gentleman from Victoria (Mr. Costigan) as to have it meet with the unanimous approval of the House so that it might be sent across the ocean as the undivided opinion of the parliament of Canada. I apologize, Mr. Speaker, for taking up so much of the time of the House, but I felt it incumbent upon me to say at least these few words before the debate closed and the division was taken.
House divided on amendment (Mr. Costi-g-an).
YEAS : Messieurs
Holmes, Tucker,
Horsey, Tupper (Sir Charles
Hughes (King's, P.E.I.), Hibbert),
Johnston (Cape Breton), Turcot,
Johnston (Lambton), Turgeon, and
Kaulbach, Wade.-125.
NAYS :
Messieurs
Alcorn,
Blain,
Carscallen,
Clarke,
Johnston (Cardwell), Kidd,
Ca veil,
Lennox,
Oliver,
Reid (Grenville),
Robinson (Elgin), Roche (Marquette), Sherritt,
Sproule,
Taylor,
Tolton,
Wallace,
Wilmot, and Wilson.-19.
Angers.
Barker,
Bazinet,
Belcourt,
Bell (Pictou),
Bernier,
Bickerdike,
Blair,
Borden (Halifax), Borden (King's, N.S.), Bourassa, Bourbonnais,
Britton,
Broder,
Brown,
Bruce,
Bruneau,
Bureau,
Calvert,
Calvin,
Cargill,
Carroll,
Champagne,
Clancy,
Copp,
Costigan.
Davies (Sir Louis), Davis,
Delisle.
Demers (Levis), Demers (St. John), Dobell,
Douglas,
Dugas,
Edwards,
Emmerson,
Krb,
Etliier,
Fielding,
Fisher,
Fitzpatrick,
Flint,
Fortier,
Fortin,
Fowler,
Fraser,
Gallery,
Ganong,
Gauvreau,
Geoffrion,
Gibson,
Gilmour,
Gourley,
Hackett,
Haggart,
Hale,
Harwood,
26i
Kemp,
Kendall,
Kendry,
Lancaster,
Lang,
Laurier (Sir Wilfrid), Laurier (L'Assomption), Lavergne,
LeBlanc,
Lefurgey,
Lemieux.
Lewis,
Logan,
Loy,
MacLaren (Huntingdon), Maclean,
McCool,
McCreary,
McEwcn,
McGowan,
Mclsaac,
McLennan,
Malouin,
Marcil (Bagot), Martineau,
Matheson,
Meigs,
Mignault,
Monk,
Mulock,
Murray,
Northrup,
Osier,
Parmelee,
Paterson,
Pope,
Frefontaine,
Pringle,
Prior,
Proulx,
Puttee,
Reid (Restigouche), Richardson (Lisgar), Ross (Rimouski),
Ross (Victoria, N.S.), Rousseau,
Russell,
Schell,
Scott,
Sifton,
Smith (Vancouver), Sutherland (Essex), Sutherland (Oxford), Talbot,
Tisdale,
Tobin,
Tolmie,
PAIRS :
For.
Against.
Messieurs
Girard,
McColl,
LaRivibre,
Tarte,
Smith (Wentworth),
Hughes (Victoria), Ward,
Cochrane,
McCarthy,
Henderson.
Subtopic: EDITION