The Rise of Canada, from Barbarism to Wealth and Civilisation. Volume 1Roger, Charles
History
The Rise of Canada, from Barbarism to Wealth and Civilisation. Volume 1
Roger, Charles
Canada -- History
worse, the Governor threw into the adverse scale a host of his own
prejudices, and of the prejudices of his secret councillors. He would
have been glad, had the House expelled Mr. Bedard, one of its members,
on the plea that it was prejudicial to its dignity that a
representative of the people should be kept in durance, while the House
was in session, and still more discreditable that that member should be
charged with treason. Hardly had he delivered his speech, and the
Assembly returned to their chamber, when the Governor sent a message to
the House intimating that Mr. Bedard, who had been returned to
Parliament, as the representative of Surrey, was detained in the common
gaol of Quebec, under the "Preservation Act," charged with treasonable
practices. The House most politely thanked the Governor-in-Chief for
the information. The House resolved that Mr. Bedard was in the common
gaol of Quebec. The House resolved that Pierre Bedard was, on the 27th
day of March, returned to Parliament, as one of the Knights
Representative of Surrey. The House resolved that Pierre Bedard, was
then one of the members of the Assembly, for the existing Parliament.
The House resolved that the simple arrest of any one of His Majesty's
subjects did not render him incapable of election to the Assembly. The
House resolved that the Government Preserves Act, guaranteed to the
said Pierre Bedard, Esquire, the right of sitting in the Assembly. And
the House resolved to present a humble address to His Excellency,
informing him that his message had been seriously considered, that
several resolutions had been passed, which they conceived it to be
their duty to submit to His Excellency, and that it was the wish of the
House that Pierre Bedard, Esquire, Knight Representative for the County
of Surrey, might take his seat in the House. The vote in favor of the
resolutions was expressively large. There were twenty-five members
present, and twenty voted for the resolutions. Messrs. Bourdages,
Papineau, senior, Bellet, Papineau, junior, Debartch, Viger, Lee, and
Bruneau, were named a committee to present an address to the Governor,
founded on the resolutions, but they managed to escape that honor. When
it was moved to resolve that an enquiry be made as to the causes which
had prevented the messengers from presenting the address, as ordered by
the House, Mr. Papineau, senior, moved that nothing more should be said
about the address, and the motion was carried. Nor was anything more
said about the unfortunate gentleman who was imprisoned, as the
Governor himself afterwards stated, only as a measure of precaution,
not of punishment, until the close of the session, when he was
released. He was kept in Ham because he might have done mischief, on
the principle that prevention is better than cure, and, when Mr. Bedard
desired to know what was expected of him, the Governor sent for his
brother, the cure, and authorized him to tell Mr. Bedard that he had
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