WORKING MEN'S ASSOCIATION.

Press, Volume IX, Issue 1092, 9 May 1866, Page 2

WORKING MEN'S ASSOCIATION.

The usual weekly meeting of this association was held laßt evening at the Foresters' Hall, Mr Kent in the chair. The minutes of the last meeting having been | read and confirmed, the Chairman stated their business that evening would be the discussion of the policy of Mr Andrews, one of the ! candidates for a seat in the Provincial Council for the representation of the city, and also the desirability of holding a tea-meeting. It was ! decided that a tea-meeting, or soiree, should be held in June, the proceeds to go to the funds of the association. Mr Lawrence said that as the secretary of Mr Andrews's committee, he felt some reluctance in stating his opinions of that gentleman's policy. It was well known that Mr Andrews was in favor of an alteration of the present laws relating to pre-emptive rights. Mr..Andrews also was in favor of tramways in preference to railways. On the subject of education, he agreed with Mr. Andrews that education should bo made compulsory. An' extension of the franchise was also necessary. He would give every man who had not been oonvicted of crime a vote. Regarding the ballot, he was in favor of it. It had been pretty freely ventilated during the present contests that compulsion had been used by several largo employers of labor to influence the votes of their employees, and therefore he was in favor of vote by ballot. Mr. Andrews's land | scheme might be open to some objections ; but | on the whole, he thought that deferred pay- j ments for land would be very beneficial. Mr. I Andrews had at all events come forward with a well-defined policy, which was not the case with many others. * He was in favor of all! State aid to religion being done away with, as ! 1 he considered that if it could not support itself it was a degradation to all. I Mr. Detford considered that, as this was a I Church of England settlement, that body I should be supported by the State, and there- i fore could not agree with what Mr- Andrews i had said in the Town Hall regarding the ! matter. Dr. Florance thought that sectarianism was ', an evil, and coercion was very objectionable. ! He was altogether opposed to the State having any power to compel the education of children. I Mr. Gadd made some observations on Mr. Andrews's policy of deferred payments, with which he was quite agreed. Mr. Mansell also spoke in favor of Mr. Andrews's land scheme, and agreed with him in all his ideas, with the exception of the ballot, against which he was much opposed. He thought Mr. Andrews would make a good I member for the working man, and that he would prove a credit to his class. j Mr. St. Quentin said that they should take j every care to preserve the integrity of the ] i franchise, and all should have the power to !

exercise it without coercion, and for this purposo the ballot was necessary. He was in favor of compulsory secular education, and opposed to all State aid to religion, and on these grounds, as his views were similar to those held by Mr. Andrews, he would support him. He quite agreed also with Mr. Andrews in his views regarding deferred payments and preemptive rights. Now was the time for the laboring classes to take action, and return to the Provincial Council men who would look after their interests, and do what was right and just, and such a man he believed Mr. Andrews to be. , Mr. Cutler considered that some amount of religious instruction was necessary ; the simple precepts of the Christian church should be taught in all schools without reference to sect. He was opposed to Mr. Andrews's views of compulsory education. He was in favor ofjmoet of Mr. Andrews's views, and would aid in returning him.Saveral other persons spoke in favor of Mr. Andrews. Mr. Barnes was opposed to Mr. Andrews on both his educational and deferred payment schemes. It would be impossible to construct roads on the deferred payment system. He was opposed to manhood suffrage, under the present system even, one-half of those who were entitled to a vote would not register, so little did they care about the franchise. He was in favor of State aid to religion, and on ! these grounds he could not support Mr. Andrews. Mr. Lawrence having replied at some length, ,it - was decided, on the motion of Mr. St. Quentin, that a ballot be taken on Thursday week next to decide on the merits of the several candidates. The meeting then adjourned for a fortnight.