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Date: 1866-08-15
By: Montreal Herald
Citation: “THE SESSION” Montreal Herald (15 August, 1866)
Other formats: TBA

THE SESSION.

—The session which has just closed has been as barren of useful results as any which have been held for years past. Much had been promised; much was promised for the last three seasons, but the performances have fallen lamentably short of the promises. Our Government of expedients has always had ready at hand some excuse for dismissing the House and thus postponing the important questions in which the whole country was most deeply interested. Either there was a mission to England, or a mission to the Lower Provinces, or to the West Indies, or else the country was in such imminent danger that the instant presence of the Government in Downing Street was absolutely essential to our safety and existence. This session was called for the express purpose of completing the Confederation scheme, and for the passage of one or two measures, of which the School Bill was the most important. Well, it is not at all wonderful that the Government are again heedless of their reiterated pledges, and that they refuse to proceed with measures, the necessity and justice of which they had over and over again admitted, but which might involve their existence. The time of the House was trifled with in the most reckless manner; day after day did the Government occupy hours with bills of the most trifling character, instead of proceeding with those measures which they had promised the House should be brought down in time to afford ample opportunity for full and free discussion. Mr. Galt, it is true, took good care to hurry through his tariff bill and estimates, and then when nothing was to be feared from the exposure of the trick, the School Bill was withdrawn, and members were told that the session must be brought to an immediate close. The most important measures were left for its very last hours, and the matter for which it was specially called, for discussion in its last moments. In the meantime, however, before Mr. Galt comes out in his role of martyr, he does not let slip the opportunity of forcing through a measure to which almost the whole public opinion of the country is opposed, one which we cannot avoid looking upon as disastrous to many of our best interests. Such, then, has been the result of the immoral coalition initiated by the member for South Oxford, such the result of that unmanly desertion of party of which Mr. Brown was guilty, knowing full well what the consequences must be of placing such power of evil in the hands of men whom he believed capable of any and every iniquity.