Resolutions of the Meeting of the Electors of the City and Suburbs of Quebec held at Malhiot's Hotel, 13th December 1827
Resolutions on which the foregoing Petition was founded.
Ata Meeting of the Electors of the City and Suburbs of Quebec who approve of the conduct of the House of Assembly called for the purpose of considering the expediency of submitting1 by humble Petition to His Majesty and both Houses of Parliament the present state of the Province and the abuses and grievances which prevail therein and praying for relief aud justice held atMalhiot's Hotel 13th December 1827.
Louis Abraham Lagueux, Esquire, in the Chair.
It was Resolved,
1st.—That there was reason to hope that in the Session of the Provincial Parliament assembled on the 20th November last for the despatch of public business the state of th province would have been improved and the evils which weigh on its inhabitants remedied or put in a course to be removed and its peace welfare and good government promoted.
2nd.—That tlie said session has been interrupted by the refusal on the part of His Excellency the Governor in chief to approve according to Parliamentary usage the Speaker chosen and presented by the Assembly in the usual manner and by the proclamation of the 22d November proroguing the Provincial Parliameut
3d.—That it is expedient under the foregoing circumstances to submit Ъу humble petition to His Majesty and the two Houses of the Parliament of the United kingdom the present state of the province and the evils to which its inhabitants are exposed in the hope that in the exercise of the Royal Prerogative and the justice of Parliament a remedy may be applied whereby the constitution of this province as now established by Act of the Parliament of Great Britain may be preserved and maintained unimpaired.
4th.—That for several years past tlie income of real estate in this province the profits of trade and industry and the wages of labour therein have greatly diminished and are still diminishing with new and alarming features
5th.—That besides the ensuring to the subject the most perfect security of his person and property the aiding and facilitating the diffusion of useful knowledge and the free exercise of industry and enterprise are amongst the most efficient means of promoting the general prosperity and preventing its decline
6th.—That although large sums of public money have been appropriated by the Legislature of this province since the conclusion of the late war in aid of education and for facilitating industry by opening and improving internal communications and that these appropriations have been applied under the direction of the Provincial Executive they liare produced no adequate advantages while many of the persons entrusted by the said Executive with the expenditure of the said monies have tardily or insufficiently accounted for the same
7th.—That under the present circumstances of the province no taxes or new duties for the public uses thereof can equitably be imposed and no dependence can be placed on any funds for aiding in the diffusion of education and facilitating the exertions of individual industry and enterprise other than such funds as may be derived from the existing public revenue of the province.
8th.—That more than one half of the gross amount of the said public revenue bas 1ч т applied for several years past to the payment of the salaries émolument and expens of the officers of the Civil Government of the province exclusive of the usual special аь propriations.
9th.—That the said salaries emoluments expenses been without the concurrence or consent of the Legislature for many years past and are n several instances paid to absentees and persons who have rendered no service thereto to this province and in other instances the said salaries emoluments and expense excessive compared with the services rendered and with the income derived from real estate and the usual recompense obtained by indi viduals of talent character and industry equal to those of the persons who hold the said salaries and emoluments.
10th.—That besides the unnecessary and excessive salaries émoluments and етргп ч fees increasing to a heavy and grievous amount are paid by the subject to divers orlitvr of Government whereby individuals are burthcncd the protection of the law and ti benefit of government are lessened and the resources of the country for its ncceeury wauls diminished
11th.—That a majority of persons chiefly dependent for the support of themselm ml their families on the salaries and emoluments of public offices held during pleasure hav been placed in the Executive and Legislative Councils of this proviure several of whoiu have a direct individual interest in maintaining and iucreasiug the said excessive salari fees emoluments and expenses and perpetuating other abuses profitable to persons iu office
12th.—That a majority in the said Legislative Council chiefly consisting ofExecutiv Councillors Judges and other officers so holding during pleasure have year after ywr rejected refused or neglected to proceed upon various necessary bills sent up by thf Representative Assembly of the province for the remedy of abuses grievous to the subject for aiding in the diffusion of education for furthering the general convenience arJ improvement of the conutry forincreasing the security of persons and property and promoting the common welfare and prosperity particularly,
- Various annual bills granting the necessary sum's for all the expenses of the Пт 1 Government of the province but regulating and settling limits to the expenditure.
- For affording a legal course to the subject having claims against the Provincial Government.
- For regulating certain fees and offices
- For enabling the inhabitants of the towns to have a voice in the management of rl Ir local concerns aud a check on the expenditure of monies levied upon them t v assessment
- For facilitating the administration of justice thioughout the province for onaliiv ing and regulating the formation of juries and introducing jury trials in count rv parts and diminishing the expenses occasioned by the distance of suitor from the present scats of justice. * For providing a new and sufficient gaol for the district of Montreal
- For qualifying persons to serve in the Office of Justice of the Peace
- For continuing the Acts regulating the Militia of the province For increasing and apportioning the representation in the House of Assembly equally among the qualified electors throughout the province particularly in the new settlements and townships
- For the security of the public monies in the hands of His Majesty's receiver general in this province
- For the independence of the judges by securing to them their present salaries upon their being commissioned during good behaviour and for providing a tribunal for the trial of impeachments by the Assembly so as to ensure a just responsibility in high public officers within the province.
- For appointing aud providing for an authorized agent for the province to reside ia England and attend to its interests there.
13th.—That the repeated rejection the refusal or neglect to proceed upon these Jfil other necessary bills sent up by the Assembly to the Legislative Council by a majority of the said Council formed of Executive Councillors judges and officer holding their rommissions during pleasure must be held to be ttie Act of the Executive Government of the province and as such constitutes a public grievance destructive of the ends of tue constitution of the government as by law established in this province.
14th.—That large sums of raouey of the proceeds of the public revenue levied in province have t ecn applied by warrant of the Executive Government year after year without any appropriation by the legislative body therein while the necessary appropriations were rejected in the said Legislative Council for the pavment of alleged expenses of the Civil Government and other expens v for vhirh no services were rendered to the province or for new and increased salaries and allowances never recognized by the Legislature
15th.—That large sums of monies of the proceeds of the public revenue raised within this province in the hands of the late receiver general and other depositaries of public monies then and still under the sontrol and superintendence of the Provincial Executive have been dissipated and other officers appointed in their stead without any adequate securities being taken for the future thereby occasioning and exposing the pubnc to grievous losses wasting or endangering the resources of the province and subjecting its iii babitants to unnecessary burthens
16th.—That various other sums of money appropriated by the Legislature have been advanced to divers persons appointed by the Executive many of whom baye not accounted for such advances in due time have insufficiently accounted or not accounted in any shape whatsoever as appears by th statement laid before the Assembly on address in the session of 1826 and that persons then in default on thesaid statement have been appointed to other situations of honour trust and profit
17th.—That the college and revenues of the estates of the late order of Jesuits in thi province originally erected and formerly applied for the civil and religious education of the youth of this province have not been so applied for many years past and are in no way accountedfor to the Legislature or the inhabitants of this province
18th.—That large portions of the waste lands granted or reserved by the Crown in this province have been long held and continue to be held in the midst of or in the immediate vicinity of actual settlements ii limit the owners or possessors thereof having been compelled to perform the duty of settlement upon which such lands were granted by the Crown or any other duty in relation to the said lands to the grievous burthen of the actual settlers the hindrance of new settlers and the obstruction of the general increase and prosperity of the province
19th.—That during the prevalence of these and other abuses and grievances false representations and attempts have been repeatedly made by divers officers of the Provincial Executive to obtain from His Majesty's Government in England and the Parliament of the United Kingdom various alterations in the constitution of the government of this province asestablished by an Act of the British Parliament prejudicial to the rights and intereste of this province without their knowledge and at a time when the said inhabitant were prevented by the said majority of executive councillors judges and other officers in the Legislative Council from having an authorized agent in England to attend to their interests and enable them to he heard by the Goveinmeut of the mother country.
20th.—That the revival or continuation by the Act of the Parliament of th United Kingdom 4th Geo IV c 6 of temporary duties imposed by the Provincial Acts were so obtained as well as the Acts affecting the tenures of land r this province the whole prejudicial to the dearest rights and essential interests of the inhabitant of this province and without the or consent of the chiefly affected by the said Acts.
21st.—That the aforementioned
- Application of monies levied in this province without appropriations by the Legislature thereof
- The said advances of money to persons who have not sufficiently accounted for the same
- The said dissipation of public money and appointment of person to be entrusted with public monies without full security given
- The diversion of the revenues of the estates of the late order of the Jesuits from purposes of education of the youth of this province,
- The inexecution of the conditions of the grants of the wastelands of the Crown and aforesaid attempts on the p art of the officers of he Executive Government to ob ta alterations in England of the established constitution and laws of the province without the knowledge of the inhabitants generally and without their having tad an opportunity of being heard,
Are grievances dangerous to the peace, welfare and good government of this province.
22nd.—That the prayer of the petition to His Majesty be that He would take tbe premises into His most gracious consideration and so exercise His Royal Prerogative i lis subjects in this province be relieved from the said abuses and grievances and that justice be done therein that the inhabitants of this province be secured in the full eajoj mcnt of the consitntlon of government as established by tue Act passed in the 31st vt_r Of the reigu of His late Royal Father of revered memory
23d.—That the prayer to both Houses of Parliament be that they would take tbe premises iuto consideration cause an inquiry to be made and the petitioners to be heard tut justice may be done thereon and the subject in this province be secured in the full enjoyment of the constitution of government as established by the Act of the Parliament oí Great Britain passed in the 31st year of the reign of His late Majesty without any alteration thereof whatsoever
24th.—That a Committee of Thirty five electors duly qualified by law to vote for raemK i's of tlie Assembly of this province be appointed to draft and prepare petitions a the foregoing resolutions with full power to take all the necessary steps for submitting in for the signature of the electors generally for causing the said petitions to be laii at the foot of the Throne and presented to the Lords and Commons ana also to give effect to and support t lie same by evidence
25th.—That thismeeting will contribute and assist in procuring voluntar subscription to cover the necessary expenditure for the aforesaid purposcs
26th.—Tliat Messrs Amable Berthelot François Blanche JL Borgia JBE Bacquet Robert Blakiston Michel Borne J Bigaouette Michel Clouet John Cannon Joseph Dorion Etienne Defoy John Duval John Fraser HG Forsyth Pierre Faucher Joseph Gagné AR Hamel HS Huot Louis Lagueux Joseph Legaré père Louis Lagueux ils Jacques Leblond Et C Lagueux Jean Langevin Ignace Legaré JL Marett Louis Massue Joachim Mondore John Ncilson Vallières de St Real Pierre Pelletier Joseph Roy Augt Gauthier and Louis Fortier do compose the said Committee and that nine form a quorum notices in riling of the time and place vt meeting being previously left at the domicile of each of the said Committee
27th.—Tlurt the said Committee have power to add to their number and be empowered to aid in forwarding similar petitions from any other parts of this district in oa e where applications may be made to them to that effect and where contributions may ave been made to the funds of the said Committee in aid of the afore mentioned expenditure.
28th.—That Joseph Roy esquire be treasurer of the said committee and be held to account to the said committee and a meeting of electors publicly called and that all payments made by him be vouched by orders of the said committee attested by the signature of the secretary.
LOUIS A. LAGUEUX, President,
H. S. HUOT, Secretary.
At a meeting of the Committee, Friday, 14th December 1827, the following officers were appointed:— J. R. Vallières de St. Réal, esquire, president; Henry George Forsyth, esquire, and Louis Abraham Lagueux, esquire, vice-presidents; Messrs. H. S. Huot and J. B. E. Bacquet, secretaries.
H. S. HUOT, Secy.