Part 37 (1/2)
[87] It was in the discussion on this Bill that the long personal friendshi+p which had existed between Fox and Burke was brought to an abrupt termination--H
[88] In 1830, Presbyterian ministers not of the Church of Scotland, were, on petition to that effect (signed by Rev W Smart, Moderator, and Rev W Bell, Presbytery Clerk), placed on the sa as the ministers of the Kirk--H
[89] This was abundantly proved afterwards In the following Parliament an amended bill was carried, by a majority of one vote, in the House of assembly to place the proceeds of the reserves at the disposal of the British Parliament Petitions were at once sent to the Queen to induce her to assent to this bill, and the Bishop went to England to present thee Arthur also lent his aid for the sarounds, but was successfully revived the next year (See _Guardian_ 1st January, 1840, and page 249)--H
CHAPTER XXIX
1838
The Clergy Reserve Controversy Renewed
The question at issue, when the House of asse in 1839, was adroitly narrowed by Sir F B Head to the simple one of loyalty to the Crown, or--as Dr
Ryerson, in a letter to Hon W H Draper (September, 1838), expressed it--”Whether or notthis Province would reral part of the British Empire” Lord Durham pointed out that Sir F B Head led the people to believe ”that they were called upon to decide the question of separation [from Great Britain] by their votes”
Under such circuy reserve question was subordinated to those of graver iven by members before the election on the subject, they were not felt, as the event proved, to be very sacred Speaking of this Parliament, Dr
Ryerson, in his letter to Mr Draper, (already mentioned), said:--
The present assembly at its first session adopted a resolution in favour of appropriating the reserves for ”the religious andthe second session were so vacillating that it is now difficult to say what the opinions of thewas, that the political views of a majority of theparty in the country, and yet were at variance with the views of their constituents on the clergy reserve question Advantage was taken of the existence of this political sympathy by the leaders of the doy reserve question froislature to the friendly atlish House of Commons, and the still more friendly tribunal of the House of Lords--where the bench of bishops would be sure to defend the claily, at the third session of this Parliaston, introduced a bill ”to revest the Clergy Reserves in Her Majesty”--the first reading of which was carried by a vote of 24 to 5, and passed through Committee of the whole by a vote of 29 to 12 As soon as Dr Ryerson, then in Kingston, got a copy of this bill he wrote the following letter, on the 13th January, 1838, to the _Guardian_:--
The professed object of this bill is described by its title, but the real object, and the necessary effect of it, from the very nature of its provisions, is to apply the reserves to those exclusive and partial purposes against which the great majority of the inhabitants of this province, both by petition and through their representatives, have protested in every variety of language during the last twelve years--and that without any variation or the shadow of change The bill even proposes to transfer future legislation on this subject from the Provincial to the Imperial Parliament! The authors of this bill are, it seeislate on a subject in which they themselves are solely concerned; nay, they will environ themselves and the interests they wish to promote behind the I the provisions it does, is a shameful deception upon the Canadian public--is a wanton betrayal of Canadian rights--is a disgraceful sacrifice of Canadian, to selfish party interests--is a covert assassination of a vital principle of Canadian constitutional and free governht to excite the deep concern and rouse the indignant and vigorous exertion of every friend of justice, and freedoeas it is, it halts far behind the emotions of my mind Such a measure, I boldly affirm, is not what the people of Upper Canada expected from the members of the present assembly when they elected them as their representatives; it is not such a measure as, I have reason to believe, a ave their constituents to understand they would vote for when they solicited their suffrages Honourable gentleht to remember that they have a character to sustain, more iht to reated capacity; and if they cannot clear their consciences and maintain the views and interests of their constituents, they ought, as n their seats in the legislature; they ought to remember to whom and under what expectations they owe their present elevation; above all, they ought to remember what the equal and impartial interests of their whole constituency require at their hands
If, however, every pledge or honourable understanding should be violated; if every reasonable hope should be disappointed; and if the loyal and deserving inhabitants of Upper Canada should be deceived, and disappointed, and wronged by the passage of this bill into a law, petitions ought to be circulated in every part of the province to Her Majesty the Queen to withhold the royal assent froe 50 (if I have to sell my library to obtain the amount) for the promotion of that object Such an act, under the present circumstances of the country, would be worse than a forht to be deprecated, resisted, and execrated by every enlightened friend of the peace, happiness, and prosperity of the Province
In reply to a letter fro him to come to Toronto and oppose this bill, Dr Ryerson said:--
For o to Toronto would ruin my ministerial influence and usefulness here and blast all our present hopes of prosperity You know that by my continued and repeated absence, I have already lost fifty per cent
in the confiding hopes of the people, and consequently in very power of doing theood You know, likewise, that the financial interests of the Society have so laely in arrears I cannot, therefore, leave, unless I am positively required to do so by the Book Committee
A more serious aspect of the matter, however, was presented to Dr
Ryerson in the extraordinary silence of the Conference organ on the subject In the sarieved at not only the tameness but the profound silence of the _Guardian_ on this bill Silence on such a measure, and at such a time, and after the course we have pursued hitherto, is acquiescence in it to all intents and purposes, and itimately construed so by both friends and enemies Oh, is it so? Can it be so, that the Editor of the _Guardian_ has got so cos of that churchiss towards us, and its plans respecting us, as the si forward, which he must know are calculated, nay, intended, to trample us in the dust, and not even say one word, except in praise (as often as possible), of the veryour overthrow!
I have also observed, in Dr Strachan's letters to Hon W, the Colonial Secretary--such a one as would enable us to turn to our account on the clergy reserve question (and against Dr Strachan's exclusive system) the entire influence of Her Majesty's Governht both in and out of the House of asse, Mr Beecham, and otheris one of the best and ablest men of the present day At all events, after e have obtained through his Lordshi+p's instruraceful--apart froht and justice
Two able and y reserve question were sent to England in 1837 to confer with Lord Glenelg on the subject, viz: Hon William Morris on behalf of the Church of Scotland, and Hon W H Draper on behalf of the Church of England In November of that year Dr Ryerson was requested to draw up a paper e members of the Conference This was done, and an elaborate paper on the subject was published in the _Guardian_ of January 17th, 1838[91] Shortly afterwards Dr Ryerson addressed a letter to Lord Glenelg on the subject I only insert the narrative part of it, as follows:--
I was favoured with a conversation on the clergy reserve question with Mr [Sir Jaestion, the day before I left London for Canada (27th April, 1837) After reed to support the plan for the adjustitated question, which had been mentioned by Mr Stephen, in the interview referred to
Sir F B Head set his face against it fro about it publicly The Attorney-General acknowledged it was equitable, and did notof our principal ministers took place in Toronto, in order to consult upon the measures which it was desirable to adopt in order to promote the settlement of the question at the next session of Parliaentleman and myself waited upon the Hon Mr
Draper (who had taken the most official part in previous sessions), and showed hireed to We stated that if it would e the earliest settle anything on the subject