"Kent's Opportunity": A timely and suggestive article respecting the Hon. A. D. Richard

Year
1899
Month
3
Day
13
Article Title
"Kent's Opportunity": A timely and suggestive article respecting the Hon. A. D. Richard
Author
----
Page Number
3
Article Type
Language
Article Contents
“KENT’S OPPORTUNITY.” A TIMELY AND SUGGESTIVE ARTICLE RESPECTING THE HON. A. D. RICHARD. The Richibuctou Review (Ind.) says on March 9, under the heading “Kent’s Opportunity”:-- “The defeat of Hon. A. D. Richard in Westmorland County in the recent local election was the regrettable feature of the contest, which otherwise resulted so successfully for the Emmerson administration throughout the province. Mr. Richard has been a member of the cabinet without portfolio, and was one of the only two Acadian and Catholic representatives in the Government. If some provision cannot be MADE ON THE NORTH SHORE by which one of the Acadian representatives is willing to make way for Mr. Richard it would look to us as if the Acadian and Catholic representation will be limited to Hon. Mr. Labillois, of Restigouche, and these Northern counties will have lost one of their representatives in the Government. The way we would figure out the matter is thus: If Mr. Emmerson had his Government intact as it was before the 18th of February, he could consistently and successfully resist the demands of the western members for a readjustment which would give them one Cabinet member at least. The counties of Charlotte, York, Carleton and Victoria have thirteen members supporting the Government in the house, and if with these we include the two Madawaska independents they represent one third of the whole house and even a bigger proportion of the whole Government strength. Such a section might very consistently and properly demand cabinet representation if a readjustment of any kind is to be made. The only way to prevent a readjustment is to keep the personnel of the cabinet as it bas been in the past and to do this. A SEAT MUST BE FOUND FOR MR. RICHARD. We would therefore conceive that Kent being the county adjoining Westmorland and our people more strongly sympathizing with the splendid fight for the Acadian people made by Mr. Richard against the powerful combination of bribery and bigotry used to defeat him, that it would be a fitting courtesy from one of our members, if he should view the matter in the light we ourselves do, to consult his friends with a view to resigning his seat in order that our people might place it at the disposal of Mr. Richard. Mr. Emmerson and his colleagues, we feel satisfied, would not raise an objection to the Acadian people thus showing their loyalty to their representative in the government, and we are satisfied that the English-speaking friends of the government as well as the Acadians of Kent would endorse this action. It is Kent’s opportunity to prove itself unselfish in the light of the greater good that would accrue not only to these northern counties but to the whole people of New Brunswick from the maintenance of a fair share of cabinet. REPRESENTATION FOR THE ACADIANS, which years of arduous struggle were necessary to attain. It is Kent’s opportunity to strengthen her position in the councils of the people, and make herself even a greater power for good in the next House of Assembly. The Hon. Mr. Richard, we feel sure, would be an acceptable representative to the people of this County, and if approached in the proper spirit might reasonably consent to throw in his lot with our people, but of course would naturally insist that the resignation of one of our members and the nomination of himself as the Government candidate to fill the vacancy should be spontaneous and should be the fairly unanimous desire of the friends in this constituency. The Government naturally is a passive factor at the best in such a proposition as the Premier and his colleagues no doubt feel that it is something for our people to deal with free from any outside influence, but we conceive that in loyalty to an old colleague and member of his government, Mr. Emmerson could scarcely raise any serious objection to the proposition. It may naturally be asked why the Acadian representation could not be maintained by one of the North shore members being taken into the Government in Mr. Richard’s stead, without the necessity for any member resigning to make way for the latter gentleman’s election, but this we have already answered. Any student of the political situation can readily perceive that in the event of any readjustment such Cabinet representation will of necessity go to York, Carleton or Charlotte, as their claim would be too strong to admit of refusal. Our hope is in the maintenance of the status quo and this is only possible by INDUCING MR. RICHARD to accept a seat in one of the Northern counties. It is Kent’s opportunity and one of which we trust advantage will be taken, as it is not alone in the interest of the County itself, but is in the interest of fair representation to all classes and creeds in this province, and would on mature consideration meet with the approval of all sections. We would therefore respectfully urge the consideration of this proposition on our local members and on the friends of the Government in Kent, and trust that our people may see their way to its speedy fulfillment.