On Tuesday, in the Parliament of the Canadian Dominion , Sir
Charles Tupper, the late Premier, raised a very interesting debate by virtually impeaching the Governor-General, Lord Aberdeen, for unconstitutional conduct in withholding his consent from certain appointments which the outgoing Ministry desired to make. Mr. Laurier, the present Premier, replied in a very able speech, and defended the action of Lord Aberdeen, who, he declared, had not only acted with perfect propriety, but had won the everlasting gratitude of the people of Canada. Sir Charles Tapper's complaint was, he said, "the last wail of a disappointed office-grabber." Lord Aberdeen had maintained the spirit of popular government. It is to be noted that the chief Opposition journal supports Lord Aberdeen. We do not doubt that he acted quite rightly. It is one of the chief duties of a Colonial Governor, as of a constitutional Sovereign, to hold an equal balance between the two parties in the State, and to refuse to allow an outgoing Ministry which has been condemned by the popular voice to embarrass their successors by appointments which, though technically not illegal, are against the spirit of the Constitution. A Governor is a trustee, and must act as one.
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