THE Wellington Independent Friday, January 6, 1860. SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGES

Wellington Independent, 6 January 1860, Page 1

THE Wellington Independent Friday, January 6, 1860. SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGES

INOS: 12 AND 13. ■-.•■••'

In another portion of our columns we bwe^rep^inteclj^ese Messages, in order

that our readers may judge for them- 1 selves as to their true character, and not ! thus be left to fbi'in false impressions hy judging from the garbled misrepresentations of the Radicals and their oi-gais. In Message No. 12 the Superintendent replies to a request to put a sum ou the j Estimates as a salary to the Ohief LanA | Commissioner, because " that tlie dutie-s of that office ought to be adequately remunerated as they ought to be disj charged, independently of all political ; considerations." Such was in substance the reasoning by which the request was supported, and to it the Superintendent assent-, -but yet declines to comply with ! the request, because he points out that the reasoning applies to all the offices of the Government, whilst the Council would restrict its application to one office alone. In other words the Superintendent says, "Every office has its duties, which occupy the time and claim the exercise of all the ability of their holders, and therefore ought to be paid for, irrespective of political considerations." To this, however, the Radicals will by no means consent, but always meet it with the stereotyped cry, | that this is an abrogation of the well un- ; derstood rules of " Responsible Govern- ' ment" under which all the principal offices are political, and therefore ought only to be paid if the holders of them,enjpy the support of the majority in the :Council. The inherent vioiousness of this reasoning is, that it supposes that a majority of the Council is synonimous 1 with a majority of the people. This point is referred .to more formally in Message 1 3; The Council are there reminded that every test that has been applied,— has shown that the Council does not represent the views of the majority of the constituencies, and that the Superintendent and his Executive do represent them. ,The Superintendent therefore refuses to make himself a party to that which the Council by . their address avow, that in the apportionment of salaries there is only one office in respect of which they would allow themselves to be guidsd by principles of equity. It is also suspicious — though his Honor does not allude to this, — that the one office which the Council is disposed to treat with such liberality, is under the disposal of the General Government, and was only given to. the Provincial Secretary, because its duties were to be discharged gratuitously. Is it possible that if a snug salary had been attached to the office, some Hanger-on of the Stafford Ministry — or possibly some hungry member of the Wakefield party was in view for the (then) eligible appointment ? Stranger things ■ than this have happened, and although we acquit the mover of the " add) ess" of being actuated by such motives, yet we believe he will live to discover . that this is far from the only instance in which he has been the unsuspecting instrument that others have used, for purposes which they never dared to avow to him.

! The other Message (No. 13), is directed to the suggestion respecting the prorogation. The Superintendent-seems j rather to enioy ' the : notion that the Council should send him such a request, I arid therefore, although he cannot indulge in written caChinnations, we fancy we can | discern the look of amusement with which he must have . expressed his confidence in the " wisdom of tha Council," and his "unwillingness to bring their deliberations to a close." Yet there is a touch of very sober seriousness when he reminds the Council that " resultless " as its sessions have been, they have cost the Province something approaching to .£3,00t). In view of such a sum of money as this, he very naturally asks the "Council to do something before they separate, and tells them that if they will go to sleep, it is rather too much to expect hini to draw the curtains for them. The Council evidently must have . felt that, they: had. not eyen a decent excuse fpr tho course they, were pursuing, and ais the Superintendent had so effectually 'j check-mated " them by allowing them to go on, they at last sought to shelter themsfelves under his wing, by getting him to prorogue them. : Unfortunately for them however, the Superintendent was rather too clear-sighted to be thus hoodwinked, and too strong minded to be cajoled by such a very transparent, artifice. No object could have been served by complying with the request. There .was no measure that had been rejected which the Council would be likely to re-consider -—even their own supporters cannot give them credit for, so much candour and public spirit, as that would imply — and their own pet abortions, the " Money Control " . and , " Corporation " Bills if re-eriacted, would assuredly and deservedly meet the fate of those passed under similar titles. . Besides, if . through any change of circumstances the Superintendent should yet see reason to believe that the Council were disposed to regard public measures simply with a view to the good of the public, he has the means ls>f enabling them to retrace their steps, always, in his power. The same Gf-azette may contain a prorogation and a notice to reassemble, and thus the desired end be effected, but in the meantime, and pending such change, it would, be a species of fatuity on the part of the Su-

perintendent, to do anything which coull relieve the Council from the selfincurred responsibility, of the present stoppage of all incisures of public utility.