Responsible government in the Dominions: Responsible government in the Dominions

Responsible government in the Dominions (Vol. 1)

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Multivolume work

Identifikator:: 1896933912

Document type:: Multivolume work

Author:: Keith, Arthur Berriedale http://d-nb.info/gnd/119086794

Title:: Responsible government in the Dominions

Place of publication:: Oxford

Publisher:: Clarendon Press

Year of publication:: 1912-

Collection:: Economics Books

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Volume

Identifikator:: 1896934455

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-236504

Document type:: Volume

Author:: Keith, Arthur Berriedale http://d-nb.info/gnd/119086794

Title:: Responsible government in the Dominions

Volume count:: Vol. 1

Place of publication:: Oxford

Publisher:: Clarendon Pr.

Year of publication:: 1912

Scope:: LI, 568 Seiten

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Multivolume work

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Part I. Introductory

Collection:: Economics Books

14 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT [PART I Act which permitted the Governor-General to legislate with the advice of a Council summoned by himself. It is no doubt easy to show that the conception enter- tained by Lord Durham differed very considerably from responsible government as understood in 1911, and that he overestimated the advantages of the measure as a perfect and final settlement of all colonial difficulties. Lord Durham’s vision was imperfect, but he said enough to estab- lish his claim to have seen more clearly, and to have expressed more articulately than any of his contemporaries the solution for the difficulties then confronting government in Canada. The substantial correctness of his views is shown by the fact that in its essence his exposition of the character of respon- sible government might be accepted even at the present day : in rejecting the proposed solution of the constitutional question by the expedient of an elected Executive Council, an idea which has analogies in the early history of English constitutional government, he wrote :— Every purpose of popular control might be combined with every advantage of vesting the immediate choice of advisers in the Crown were the colonial Governor to be instructed to secure the co-operation of the Assembly in his policy by entrusting its administration to such men as could command a majority, and if he were given to under- stand that he need count on no aid from home in any difference with the Assembly that should not directly involve the relations between the Mother Country and the Colony. No alteration in the conditions laid down in this passage has been made since : the only point in which changes have taken place is with regard to the further and more complete carrying out of the principles which were there enunciated. Lord Durham gave a list of matters in which he considered Imperial interference justified : this list contains only the constitution of the form of government, the regulation of foreign relations, and of trade with the Mother Country, the other British Colonies and foreign nations, and the disposal of the public lands’. In all other matters the colonists should have a free hand, as they were the most interested in their own administration and legislation, and were those

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