n the initiation of
money grants, arising out of a despatch which had been received from
Earl Grey, then colonial minister, in which he referred to the laxity of
the system by which money was voted in the New Brunswick legislature
without any estimate, and suggested that the initiation of money grants
should be surrendered to the executive. This proposal was fiercely
opposed, and all the forces of ancient Toryism were rallied against it,
one member from Queens County, Mr. Thomas Gilbert, going so far as to
apply to the advocacy of the old rotten system the soul-stirring words
contained in Nelson's last signal at Trafalgar, "England expects that
every man this day will do his duty."

{END'S RESOLUTION}

In 1850, the last year that Mr. Wilmot sat in the House of Assembly, the
matter came up again on a resolution moved by a private member. This
was met by an amendment moved by Mr. End, of Gloucester, in the
following words:--

"WHEREAS, the right of originating money grants is inherent in the
representatives of the people who are constitutionally responsible to
their constituents for the due and faithful user of that right;
therefore,

"_Resolved_, As the opinion of this House, that the surrender of such
right would amount to a dereliction of public duty and ought not to be
entertained by the House of Assembly."

This was carried by a vote of sixteen to eleven. The three members of
the government who sat in the House, one of whom was Mr. Wilmot, who had
joined it in May 1848, voted with the minority. It was not until the
year 1856 that a resolution was passed by the House of Assembly
conceding to the executive the right of initiating money grants, and
this was carried by a majority of only two in a full House. The first
estimate of income and expenditure framed by a New Brunswick government
was not laid before the House of Assembly until the session of 1857.

CHAPTER VIII

THE DEMAND FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT

When Mr. Wilmot first entered the House of Assembly, many of the members
were office-holders and therefore depended on the goodwill of the
governor for their positions. At the session of 1842, a bill was
introduced for the purpose of putting an end to this evil, in which it
was declared that any member of the House of Assembly who should accept
the office of executive councillor or any office of profit or emolument
under the Crown should be incapable of taking or holding his seat in the
General As