22 JULY 1899, Page 3

Sir Wilfred Laurier has given notice that he will move

an Address to the Queen praying that the Imperial Government may amend the British North America Act (i.e., the Canadian Constitution), so that when the Canadian House of Commons again passes a Bill that has been thrown out once by the Senate, the Governor may convene a Joint Session of both Houses. The passage of the measure shall then be finally decided by the majority in that Joint Session. Such questions must of course be decided by the will of the Canadian people, but we cannot help hoping that, on consideration, Canada will abandon this scheme for settling disputes between the two Houses, and adopt that which has found favour in Australia, under which a poll of the people is taken to settle a conflict between the Upper and Lower Houses. In a dispute between servants the appeal should be to the master,—i.e., to the whole body of electors. We are quite aware that regular party politicians always dislike this plan, but that is a recommenda- tion rather than the reverse.