NEW BRUNSWICK. 



537 



that noncompliance did not invalidate the vote 

 of a county or precinct. As regarded alleged 

 misconduct of inspectors and bystanders in Iluni- 

 boldt and Lander Counties, the court held that 

 as there was no allegation that the respondent, 

 Sadler, participated in said acts, or that they 

 were done with his knowledge or consent, such 

 misconduct would not invalidate the votes cast 

 therein. The Nevada soldiers' vote taken at sea 

 on a transport en route to Manila was rejected, 

 as there is no provision in the State statutes gov- 

 erning such cases. The findings of the court gave 

 Sadler a plurality of 63 votes, and he was de- 

 clared elected. 



NEW BRUNSWICK, an eastern province of 

 the Dominion of Canada; area, 28,100 square 

 miles; population in 1891, 821,263. Capital, Fred- 

 ericton. 



Government and Politics. Since 1883 a 

 government nominally coalition, but practically 

 Liberal in politics, has held office in New Bruns- 

 wick. A. G. Blair, now a member of the federal 

 ministry, was Premier until 1896. His successor, 

 the Hon. James Mitchell, died in June, 1897, and 

 was replaced by the Hon. H. R. Emmerson, who 

 in February, 1899, appealed to the electorate for 

 an expression of confidence. The contest was 

 somewhat complicated. At least two members 

 of the Government were Conservatives in federal 

 politics or called themselves so but as for 

 many years the weight of provincial Government 

 influence had been thrown against the Conserva- 

 tive party at Ottawa, the position had grown 

 unbearable to the latter organization, and in the 

 summer of 1898 a Conservative convention at 

 Moncton had decided to run the next election on 

 strict party lines, and, as a result, speeches had 

 been made in the province by Sir C. Tupper, G. 

 E. Foster, and other party leaders. But the party 

 would not unite entirely on this local issue, and 

 John Costigan, a late federal minister, openly 

 supported the Government, as did Senator Poirier. 

 When the issue was precipitated A. G. Blair came 

 from Ottawa and threw all the weight of the fed- 

 eral Cabinet in favor of the local Government, 

 so that the picture was presented of a nominal 

 coalition fighting in defense of nonparty gov- 

 ernment and of a platform of "no federal poli- 

 tics in provincial matters," with the active aid 

 of a prominent federal minister. Logic was there- 

 fore against the Government, but, as it turned 

 out, the votes were with it. On Feb. 18 the elec- 

 tions took place, and on Jan. 28 preceding Mr. 

 Emmerson issued his manifesto to the people. 

 He drew a strongly worded but very general pic- 

 ture showing how well the province had been 

 governed, how economically the revenues had 

 been handled, how carefully the farming interests 

 had been guarded and fostered, and how anxious- 

 ly industrial interests had been promoted. He 

 concluded in the following words: 



" We claim the honor of having inaugurated 

 a new and prosperous policy as respects the agri- 

 cultural interests of the province, and of enter- 

 ing upon a more vigorous development of our 

 agricultural resources, whose products are find- 

 ing new and profitable markets in the mother- 

 land, by means of the improved and near-at-home 

 facilities for transportation; of legislating in the 

 interests of and promoting other industrial ad- 

 vancement; and of contributing toward awaken- 

 ing in the minds of capitalists and men endowed 

 with business enterprise an interest that will 

 surely inure to the benefit of the whole people 

 and of all sections of the province. To all this 

 we ask with assurance your overwhelming ap- 

 proval, not only that the work now initiated may 



grow and prosper, but that \vo may, in your 

 interests arid for the good of our land, have; a 

 greater incentive to renewed arid increased effort*. 

 We have honestly and faithfully conserved the 

 public resources, and in our expenditures have 

 been guided by the needs of the people consist- 

 ent with a strict regard to economy. OUicr prov- 

 inces may be more wisely governed, but none more 

 economically." 



A. A. Stockton, Q. C., the Opposition and Con- 

 servative leader, issued an address, which was 

 much more detailed in statement and allegation 

 and promise. The main points may he 'iven 

 here : 



" The financial condition of our province de- 

 mands serious attention. The net debt on Dec. 

 31, 1884, was $757,697; at the close of the fiscal 

 year 1897 it was $2,488,577, an increase during 

 that period of $1,730,880, or an average increase 

 per year of $134,683. The interest charge has 

 increased from $46,000 in 1883 to about $130,000 

 in 1897. How much longer can we afford, at the 

 same rate, to add to our debt? This is a very 

 important question for the electors to answer. 

 The record of the Government gives no hope of 

 economy on their part, but the reverse. The in- 

 crease of the public debt, we are told by friends 

 of the Government, is almost wholly due to rail- 

 way subsidies granted under legislation for which 

 the Government is not responsible. Such a state- 

 ment is not true. Nearly one half of the increase 

 in our net debt during the last thirteen or four 

 teen years has been for public services outside 

 of railway subsidies, and chiefly for services which 

 before that time were paid for out of the ordi- 

 nary annual revenues. 



" Our system of auditing the public accounts 

 should be entirely changed. The Auditor General 

 of this province holds his office at the pleasure 

 of the Government of the day. He can be dis- 

 missed from office at any time. At Ottawa it 

 is not so. The Auditor General there is independ- 

 ent of the Government. It should be the same 

 in New Brunswick. The expenditure of public 

 money should be by public competition and ten- 

 der. Thousands of dollars under the present Gov- 

 ernment have been expended yearly by private 

 contract without competition. The work has 

 been done by friends and favorites of the Gov- 

 ernment, to the advantage of the contractor, but 

 not in the interest of the taxpayer. To insure 

 honesty and economy there should be public com- 

 petition and tender, and the successful tenderer 

 should be compelled faithfully to carry out the 

 terms of his contract. 



" The expenditure on by-roads is not satisfac- 

 tory. W T e must have good roads. They add to 

 the value of every farm along which they pass. 

 Here the evils of favoritism are particularly seen. 

 The political necessities of the Government have 

 led them to hand over the by-road money to 

 their friends in the different counties, not so 

 much for improving the roads as to strengthen 

 the Government. I am satisfied it would be bet- 

 ter for the road service, as far as practicable, to 

 allow the by-road money to be spent through the 

 municipalities. The highway act of 1896 is not 

 satisfactory as a general law. It has too much 

 machinery. When the bill was before the House 

 members of the Opposition suggested amend- 

 ments which, if accepted by the Government, 

 would have made it more satisfactory. The act 

 of 1886, with some amendments, would be a much 

 better law. The expenditure on great roads and 

 bridges is made through the Department of Pub- 

 lic Works. In addition to the yearly grant, the 

 Government has given bonds to the amount of 



