House was elected in that year,
which was largely made up of the same members as the previous one, and
at the first session of this House, held early in 1847, Wilmot, during
the discussion of the revenue bill, brought up the question of the
initiation of money grants in a vigorous and characteristic speech. He
said:--

"Can my honourable gentlemen tell me within five thousand pounds of the
money asked for, or required for the present session? No, they cannot,
and here we are going on in the old way, voting money in the dark, with
a thing for our guide called an 'estimate'--a sort of dark lantern with
which we are to grope our way through the mazes of legislation. Where is
the honourable member for Gloucester who talked so much about the good
old rules of our forefathers? I am opposed to the present principle of
voting away money; it is, in fact, but giving to tax and taxing to give,
this way and that way--every stratagem is used which can be invented in
order to carry favourite grants, and thus we proceed from day to day by
this system of combination and unprincipled collusion. [Cries of 'Order,
Order!'] Honourable members may cry order as much as they please, it is
true, and I care not who knows it--let it go forth to the country at
large. This system is what the honourable and learned member for
Gloucester [Mr. End] denominates 'the glorious old principles of our
forefathers,' which should be held as dear as life itself. It is not now
as in times gone by, when the legislative council and executive council
were one, and consequently we cannot now take the initiation of money
grants. This left the whole power in the hands of the assembly; and now,
with the report of the committee of finance before us, His Excellency's
messages, petitions and everything else, there is not one honourable
member around these benches can tell me within five thousand pounds of
the amount to be asked for, much less within ten thousand pounds of the
amount that will be granted during the present session; and yet, here we
are in committee of ways and means for raising a revenue. But it will
never answer to have too much information upon this point--if we knew
exactly how far we could go and no farther--I perhaps would lose my
grant, or another honourable member might lose a grant; this is the
system that is pursued. I have held a seat here for twelve years and
know the 'ropes' pretty well."

In the following year there was another discussion o