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Untitled Article
their impotent threats into execution would be perfectly suicidal . An extract from the Quebec letter will serve to close these observations on the pretensions of the Canadian minority .
• ' In the meantime the little ' Constitutionalists * as they call themselves , are by no means satisfied with ' the speech . ' Though it d < ea not give us our rights , it threatens to rob them of some of their illgotten privileges . You will find them threatening war in all their reports , speeches , and resolutions . This is merely to frighten ministers , who are not aware how contemptible the party really is . Both the Quebec and Montreal Club of Constitutionalists have had a meeting . At the Montreal meeting , Adam Thorn , the editor of a sort of colonial ' A&cJ spouted forth his threats . This fellow once had a
paper called the * Settler' In the early numbers of the paper in question , the public were made to believe that he was a perfect fireeater , * and people really grew afraid of him . At last the cowardly rascal received u challenge 3 when he discovered that duelling was anti * Christian . Hereupon his own set cut him , and his paper assumed a chop-fallen air and died . Now he talks of being ready for action 'if it were really to come to action I have no doubt but this hypocrite would again resort to the Scriptures for arguments against fighting , ' * Nothing can in fact exceed the racre of the Tory oartv , and
especially on the granting the contingencies . They hoped to stop the bubiness of legislation by inducing the governor to refuse to give the Assembly the means of going on . With Lord Aylmer , they succeeded . The means even of sweeping the House of Assembly , or of purchasing fuel , with the thermometer twenty-five below zero , were refused for two years , and the officials hoped to influence Lord
Gosford to continue the evil . However they have been granted . Their papers abuse Gosford and his compeers roundly . Sir C . Grey they call ' cabbage head' ( why , God knows ) , and they demand that Lord Gosford be impeached . 1 send you the papers that you may witness their fury .
" The most absurd part of the Tory raving is that which points at junction with the United States . If they were to put their threat into execution , that moment would seal their ruin . The great principle of the American democracy is election by the whole people , and , consequently , choice by the majority—where then would be the Tory minority ? This is another specimen of the arguments used to frighten the British Ministry . Let it never be forgotten that the « Constitutionalists ' are not 50 , 000 out of a population of () 00 , 000 , and yet they bluster about rebellion !"
The course then which ought certainly to be adopted towards the people of both Upper and Lower Canada does not appear to present any insuperable difficulty . Their internal affairs should be hanaed over to them with a guarantee against future interference . This might be done b y a single Act repealing the obnoxious cases of interference of which they have complained , arid in the preamble enunciating the inexpediency oi future interference . The Act which establishes an irresponsible council of life legislators is the 31 st of Geo- III . c . 31 . jPortions of this
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Recent Occurrences in Canada . 121
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 2, 1836, page 121, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2654/page/57/
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