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Date: 1865-04-12
By: Montreal Witness
Citation: “Confederation or Representation by Population”, Montreal Witness (12 April, 1865)
Other formats: TBA

CONFEDERATION OR REPRESENTATION BY POPULATION.

—An article in the Globe, in reply to the Witness, argues that Representation by Population could not be obtained in the present Parliament by even a majority of one, inasmuch as only one Lower Canada member ever voted in favor of it, while ten Upper Canada members voted against it; and further that a small majority, even could it be obtained, in an important constitutional change would not be satisfactory. It thinks that either the larger or smaller scheme of Confederation could be carried by a much more satisfactory vote, and that, so far as regards the peculiar position of Lower Canada, Representation by Population would have to be so carefully fenced round as to have all the objectionable features of Confederation. All this is based upon the supposition, that the same extraordinary pressure which produced a majority for Confederation, would not have produced a similar majority for Representation by Population.—The following is the concluding paragraph of the Globe’s article; and, Mr. Brown is entitled to all the favorable consideration that can be derived from it :—

“So far from Mr. Brown’s conduct having put off Representation by Population, when it was possible to have secured it, it is the fact that if there is now a reasonable prospect that, failing both Confederation schemes, we could get Representation by Population with checks or guarantees of some sort, we are indebted for that position of advantage to the action of Mr. Brown and his friends in joining their political opponents in an effort to settle our constitutional difficulties. That Coalition pledged nearly the whole Legislature to give us reform in some way, and to that we owe the admitted impossibility of remaining as we are.”