Document Information

Date: 1865-01-06
By: Perth Courier
Citation: “Political Meetings”, Perth Courier (6 January, 1865)
Other formats: TBA

POLITICAL MEETINGS.

Political meetings are being held throughout the country by nearly every member of Parliament in Upper Canada, to discuss the scheme of Confederation, and ascertain the views of the people on the subject, before Parliament meets during the present month. This is in accordance with the custom recently introduced in Great Britain by the leading statesmen of the day, and is a just and proper way of treating the people, who are the sources from whence Parliament derives its existence. The idea, which is an eminently democratic one, has spread in Canada with much greater rapidity than even in Great Britain, and those who are favourable to its introduction are using the present occasion to establish it as one of the political institutions of the country. Of its many advantages it is unnecessary to speak. They are apparent to every intelligent man in the community, and should be used at the present time more than ever, when it is proposed to change the constitution of the country without the sanction of the people. Fortunately, many of our representatives are not in favor of such high-handed proceedings, and are now, and have been from the inception of the scheme, consulting with their constituents, through the medium of public meetings, about the proper course to be pursued in reference to it. South Lanark has not yet said anything in that way, neither is there much prospect of anything being said, as it so happens that we are represented by a gentleman who is afraid to open his month for fear of compromising his precarious political position. It would seem as if he had not yet made up his mind as to which side will prove of most general benefit to the country and particularly so to himself. When he goes to Parliament and finds out, then we may rely upon getting his views about the scheme from the beginning, and hear his modest self-abased reasons for refusing to tell the people before he left them, what he thought about the matter.—No doubt his thoughts on the subject are very deep, and may not have had time to come to the surface before Parliament meets, but at any rate it would be a satisfaction to his admirers and a benefit to his constituents, to get even an inkling of the process of profound reasoning now going on in the “gigantic intellect” of the author of “Nova Britannia.” Common members of Parliament had their views cut and dried long ago—surely then it is not unreasonable to think that the mighty Morris has arrived at the beginning of some conclusion on the subject, and if he has, why does he not give them to the people?