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3 9002 04420 4197  lARATION

THE VIEWS AND OBJECTS,

OF THE

"bhitish constitutional s-ociety.

ON ITS RE-ORGANIZATION.

ADDRESSED

TO THEIR FELLOW SUBJECTS

m UPPER CANADA,

,/

TORONTO.

1836.

(iaia

declaration

THE VIEWS AND OBJECTS,

BRITISH CONSTITUTIONAL SOCIETY,

ON ITS RE-ORGANIZATION.

ADDRESSED

TO THEIR FELLOW SUBJECTS

IN UPPER CANADA.

TORONTO.

1836.

real grievances, and to afiFord a remedy for every
well grounded complaint ; and in His Excellency's
address to the House he called upon them to af
ford their assistance in carrying such remedial
measures into effect. To this appeal not the
slightest response has been given, nor has one
single measure been passed by the House in ac
cordance with the gracious spirit of these Instruc
tions. — On the contrary, the moment a difference
upon a constitutional point arose betvs^een His
Excellency and his Executive Council, the House
(abandoning former alleged grievances, and forget
ting that they had themselves only in the previous
Session declared the Executive Council to be an
irresponsible body,) at once laid hold of the new
doctrine, of the right of the Executive Council to
have all the affairs of the Province submitted to
their consideration — insisting that this was the
intent of the Constitutional act, and attacking the
Lieutenant Governor in language as little consis
tent with the dignity of a Legislative body, as
with the respect due to the Representative of
their Sovereign. Not only did the House endea
vour to sustain the Executive Council in their
attempt to assume the responsibility of adminis
tering the Government — but they also claimed to
have the Council responsible to them, and subject
to be removed if so desired by a majority of the
Assembly — and in furtherance of the latter object
passed a resolution, expressive of want of confi
dence in the new Council appointed by his Excel
lency.

Disappointed by the firmnesswhich the Lieu
tenant Governor displayed, and mable to answer
the Constitutional arguments byvhich he justi
fied his course, the House, as a lat endeavour to
coerce His Excellency into their iews, resorted
to the unprecedented measure ol stopping the
Supplies. Even after this course was resolved
on, they nevertheless passed Bills iv the expen
diture of large sums of public money, under the
controul of Commissioners named b} themselves
from the ranks of their political frienis, and pro
viding also in many instances for the iberal pay
ment of such Commissioners, out of de pockets
of the people, in the expectation that <iey would
be thus enabled to keep up an influeice in the
country, while they embarrassed the piblic ser
vice. The consequence of this proceeding was
the reservation of all Money Bills — a stop to pub
lic improvements, and an additional discourage
ment to emigration.
In this uncalled for proceeding, more ;han in
any other, the revolutionary views of the party are
disclosed. Let the honest, intelligent, and loyal
Farmer, or other inhabitant of this Province, ask
himself this plain question — Whether he at any
time desires to see the Courts of Justice impeded
in their progress — the prisoners confined in the
gaols of the Province left untried — the Offices of
the Surveyor General — the Register — the Receiver
General — in short, all those Offices in which their
own , business, and that of their fellow-subjects is

transacted closet/ and access to thera completely
denied 1 — Woul/ they not pronounce those who
would wantonlyproduce such a state of things, as
enemies to thepeace, welfare, and good govern
ment of the PflVince, and wholly undeserving of
their confident. Yet such would be the present
condition of tie people of Upper Canada, if the
efforts of the nen who now assume to be the only
Patriots in tie Province, could have full effect.
And they hafe actually thrown upon the Lieute
nant Governor, the very individul whora they have
so unjustly and ungenerously calumniated, the
responsibilijy of making some temporary provi
sion for thepublic service, or of suffering the busi
ness of the people in the different public offices to
be put a s!op to ; and such will be the case ulti
mately, uiless the people, becoming awake to the
condition' of the countiy^ and seeing that these
men und^r the name of Reform seek Revolution,
discard tnem as unworthy of, and faithless to the
trust reposed in them. We have yet to see what
opportijhity will offer for this expression of public
opinion; but in the mean time, the country lan
guishes for the want of grants for roads and other
improvements— ^the taxes continue to be levied on
the people, but they no longer return into circula
tion by being expended among us: theyare locked;
up in tla© vaults of the Receiver General — dciing
good to no one ; public servan^fesare unpaid— and the
sentence of public justice on prisoners confined in
the Peniteatiwy, may becomis impossible to be

9
executed for want of necessary funds ; and these
and other nujuerous similar evils, are the work
of men who call tliemsekes PatfvIots.
Another occurrence, just before the close of the
Session, is al&o worthy of notice. At midnight —
the last night preceding the Prorogation — a letter
was laid on tbe table by the Speaker of the House
of Assembly, from Mr. Papineau, the leader of the
French party in Lower Canada — a party decidedly
hostileto British principle — British population, aud
British Government — wliich, probably, encouraged
by the tone of the Address to Sir .John Colborne,
above adverted to, endeavoured to establish a sys
tem of co-operation between the Radical parties
of both Provinces. The whole tenor of this letter
shews that the object desired by Mr. Papineau
and his party is a change of the Constitution — in
other words, a Revolution; and he does not hesi
tate ineffect to -assert, that any system which may
be adopjted by the Imperial Parliament to regulate
the affairs of Lower Canada, other than that pro
pounded inthece'lehrated Ninety-two Resolutions,
*' could not hut excite feelings ruinous to the inte-
" rests of the Parent State on this continent."
In this letter, also, the Legislative Councils are
denounced as the " cause and main-spring of ail
" the -heart-tturnings, distinctions, and sufferings
" IN THTi:sE PROVINCES." it is woi'thy of remark,
that in this letter Mr. Papineau evidently assumes
that the party, '' to whose organ''' the letter is
B

10
directed, agree in his opinions, and are prepared
to make common cause with him; — an assump
tion, the source of which will be at once found in
the language of the above-mentioned Address,
which, speaking of the Lower Province, says,
" with which it is equally our duty and our interest
" to cultivate a good understanding." And let it
be further remembered, that up to this moment,
neither in the House nor out of the House, has
one man of that party come forward and publicly
disavowed his participation in those opinions ; but
they have tacitly at least adopted the anti-British
and revolutionary doctrines of the Ninety-two
Resolutions, and of Mr. Papineau.
We are fully persuaded of the truth that the
great mass of our fellow-subjects in this Province
are imbued with the deepest and most ardent
loyalty and attachment to their King and the Con
stitution under which they live, and that if they
were made sensible that the comparatively few
and obscure men who clamour about grievances,
and who claim to be the only persons who desire
to preserve and maintain the rights and liberties of
the people, were, in fact, actuated by rio such
patriotic motives ; but that their object was to cre
ate discord and animosity among those who have
every motive to live in peace and harmony with
each other — in order to obtain influence from this
division, and to get power to effect their dan
gerous purposes — such mock Patriots would be
instantly spurned by those whom they have delu-

11
ded, and returned to that obscurity from which,
but for accidental causes and the practice of the
most unworthy means, they would never have
emerged. Under these circumstances the British Consti
tutional Society is re-organized. Not for any
party purpose — not for any local or minor consid
eration, but because we think the facts above
detailed prove, that there is danger at hand —
danger to our peace — danger to our estabhshed
rights — danger to our Constitution. We, there
fore, call on all loyal men to join us. The rally
ing word is the maintenance of the Union with
the jyiother Country — if need arise, it shall he the
battle cry — for in a cause like this, there can be
no hesitation to stake fortune and life if required.
But we have no fear that such an ultimate course
will become necessary. It will be enough that
the people of the Province rouse themselves and
express their united determination not to be made
the tools of a Revolutionary party in this Province
or in Lower Canada — and that they embrace the
first legitimate opportunity of supplying the places
of those who misrepresent them now, by men
having better and more solid claims to the title of
Patriots. On this question we may all unite — on
the general principle there is no room for difference
of opinion among loyal subjects — and we, there
fore, confidently hope that our appeal will be res
ponded to by our fellow-subjects, and that every

12
District will have its Constitutional Society, whose
motto, like ours, will be "to peipetaate the Con-
" nexion between Upper Canada and the United
" Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland."
W. B. JARVIS, President,
British Constitutional Society.
GEORGE GURNETT, ? ^ . „
,..^.,^,. ,,^,r^ > Joint Secretaries.
JOHN KENT, ^
Toronto, May Wth, 1836.

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