CHAP. 1V] THE GOVERNOR AS HEAD 241
on May 11, 1812, and the interregnum of ten days after the
resignation of the Russell Ministry on June 26, 1866. In
this case the Ministry was sworn in on the day following
the dismissal of the Semlin Ministry. He justified the delay
in the completion of the personnel of the new Cabinet by
instances from Canadian history—in the Ministry of the
Honourable Alexander Mackenzie in 1873, the Ministry of
Sir John Macdonald in 1878, and the Ministry of Sir Wilfrid
Laurier in 1896.
In the case of British Columbia three ministers were
sworn in at once on February 27, and another two ministers
were sworn in within thirty-five days after the assumption
of office by the Premier. In reply to the accusation that the
persons selected to form the Ministry were new and untried
men, he urged that it was unquestionably solely a matter
for the discretion of the Prime Minister to select his colleagues
without any interference, and that he could not have checked
him in his choice without an unwarrantable exercise of
authority.
The criticism that the ministers had continued in office
without by-elections being held for the ratification of their
appointments by the electorate he met by pointing out that
he was advised that in view of the impending dissolution of
the Legislature and consequent general election, such by-
elections were not necessary. He also pointed out that in
Ontario ministers of the Crown—the Commissioner of Crown
Lands and the Minister of Agriculture, both defeated during
the Ontario general election of 1898—had both retained
office for a period of eight months thereafter.
With regard to the accusation of having dissolved so soon
a Legislature so recently elected without having made an
effort to form a Ministry from the members thereof, he
guoted the case of Manitoba, where the Legislature was dis-
solved on November 11, 1878, and again on November 26,
1879, while at a later period it was dissolved on November 11,
1886, and again dissolved on June 16, 1888 ; in the Province
of Quebec the Legislature was dissolved on May 10, 1890,
and again on December 22, 1891. In the case of British
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