SOON after the rising of the Legislature in 1851, the Honorable E. B. Chandler, a member of the Executive, went to Canada on the invitation of the Governor General, to confer with the Canadian Government and the Honorable Joseph Howe, representing Nova Scotia, on the subject of the proposed railway from Halifax to Quebec. At this meeting Mr. Chandler, on behalf of New Brunswick, offered as a guarantee to Her Majesty for the purposes of such railway, all the ungranted lands through which the railway might pass within the Province, to the extent of ten miles adjoining on each side thereof, and also to secure, at the expense of the Province; the right of way, and land for the necessary stations when upon private property ; and to charge, upon the general revenues of the Province, a sum not exceeding £20,000 per annum, for a period of twenty years after the time of completing the said railway, towards making good any deficiency in the annual dividend out of the net profits of the railway. Proposals were also submitted on behalf of the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia, that each Province should be responsible for the cost of the portion of the road passing through its own territory, or that New Brunswick should make a separate and distinct agreement for the construction of its portion of the line, with private contractors, or that the line should be undertaken on the joint account of the three Provinces, and the Crown lands lying five miles on each side of the line, should be conceded by each Province, for the benefit of the road, and that until after payment of the cost of construction and interest, the receipts should be common property, after which each Province should own that portion of the road which passed over its own territory.

The Legislature met in 1852 on the 7th of January, and the speech of the Lieutenant-Governor was largely devoted to railroads. He expressed a strong faith in the Halifax and Quebec scheme, which he thought would produce an abundant return to the Province, as by means of it, millions of acres now untrodden, would supply food for man, and millions of tons of timber now standing worthless in the forest, would find a profitable market. He commended to the attention of the Legislature a reform of the law of evidence, in accordance with changes that had been made in the mother country, and a bill for the regulation of parish schools. He informed them also that the post office had been taken over by the Provincial Government, and that lines of electric telegraphs were being extended throughout the Province.

A census of the population of the Province had been taken the previous year, and the returns which were laid before the House, showed that the number of inhabitants had reached the respectable total of 193,800 persons. This was an increase of 39,800 in eleven years, a larger percentage of increase than either of the adjoining New England states was able to show.

The British Government had withheld its consent from the bill to facilitate the construction of the European and North American railway, which was to connect Halifax and St. John with the lines of the United States, on the ground, that the interests of the British Government were not sufficiently guarded. The European and North American Railway, was a measure in which both the United States and the British Provinces were interested, as it was thought that it would be the means of bringing New York and Boston into rapid communication with Great Britain. This railway project had received a powerful impulse from the convention of its friends which was held in Portland, Maine, in 185U, at which New Brunswick was represented by Honorable L. A. Wilmot, the Honorable John H. Gray and other eloquent speakers. At that time ocean steam navigation was in its infancy, and it was thought that a great gain might be made in the carriage of the mails between Europe and America by landing them at Halifax, and sending them over this line. The mammoth ocean steamships of the present day, which pass from New York to Liverpool in five days, had not then been dreamed of, and no one thought it possible to send intelligence across the Atlantic by means of a wire under the ocean. The European and North American Railway, therefore, had a powerful support outside of those who were locally interested in it, but the British Government evidently preferred the Quebec scheme, and it was thought that the withholding of the Royal assent from the facility bill of the European and North American Railway, was due to a desire to give the Quebec line the first chance. The resources of the Provinces were small and not sufficient, it was thought by many, to bear the burthen of more than one railway.

The Quebec and Halifax line was discussed in committee of the whole House later in the session, and a series of resolutions passed ; that it was the opinion of the House that the connecting the Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada, by a Great Trunk Railway is of vital importance to the future interests and prosperity of the Province, and that the proposition for constructing a railway from Halifax to Quebec through this Province, in accordance with the plan, and in the proportions lately suggested by the delegates from the Canadian Government at Halifax, and agreed to by the Governments of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, should be accepted. These propositions were embodied in an act which was passed by both branches of the Legislature and which received the assent of the Lieutenant Governor. They imposed upon the Province of New Brunswick the heavy burthen of being responsible for the construction of five-twelfths of the road, while Canada had to construct four-twelfths and Nova Scotia three-twelfths of this great public work. This was a most unfair arrangement for New Brunswick, the Province which had the smallest population of the three which were interested in it, and which certainly was not likely to benefit more by the railway, than either of the others. Yet so anxious were the people of the Province that the railway should be built, that the proposition was accepted by a large majority and the Honorable Mr. Chandler was sent to England for the purpose of making arrangements with the British Government in regard to the loan which was to be guaranteed for the construction of the road. Mr. Hinks went to England at the same time on behalf of Canada. These gentlemen, representatives of important Provinces of the Empire, did not meet with such a reception from the Earl of Derby as they were entitled to. They found great difficulty in obtaining interviews with that nobleman, and the result of their mission was a failure, the British Government refusing to carry out its agreement to guarantee the loan for the construction of the road, on the ground that the route selected was by the St. John River Valley. It was fortunate for New Brunswick that, the arrangement failed, but the determination of the British Government to compel the Province to build the road by the route where the chances of paying traffic were far less than by the St. John River Valley, was an enormous injury to the interests of British North America. This was only another example of the blundering policy which long ere this would have alienated the feelings of the people of Canada from the Mother Country had their loyalty not been of the most pronounced type.

When Mr. Chandler was in England, after the failure of his negotiations with the British Government, he was approached by the firm of Jackson & Co., who offered to build the European and North American Railway from the Nova Scotia border to the borders of the State of Maine, a distance of 214 miles on certain terms. On Mr. Chandler's return from England this offer was placed before the-company and accepted, and in September Mr. Jackson visited New Brunswick, for the purpose of looking over the ground, and the contract for building the railway was completed. A special session of the Legislature was called in October, for the purpose of amending the railway act, in accordance with the conditions entered into between the Government and Messrs. Peto, Brassey and Jackson & Co. As there was hardly any opposition to this arrangement the necessary legislation was speedily passed. There was great rejoicing in the-Province at the ratification of this bargain, which it was thought would greatly add to its prosperity. The occasion of turning the first sod of the European and North American railway on the 10th of September, 1853, was made into a grand demonstration, in which all the trades of the City of St. John participated. But the hopes, that were founded on this event, were doomed to disappointment. The railway constructors were unable to carry out their contract, and finally that portion of the railway between St. John and Shediac had to be completed by the Government of the Province on its own account, at a much higher cost than had originally been anticipated. This part of the-railway was finished in 1860, but it was not until many years afterwards that the line from St. John to the borders of the United States, was in operation,, and the line from St. John to Halifax was not completed until it became a part of the Intercolonial Railway under the terms of confederation.

Among the acts of the session of 1852, was one relating to the traffic in intoxicating liquors. This bill which was a precursor of the prohibitory liquor law of 1855, forbade the manufacture within the Province, of any alcoholic or intoxicating liquors, except for religious, medicinal and chemical purposes. Beer, ale, porter and cider were excepted from this prohibition law. The only persons authorized to sell liquor, were agents appointed by the sessions, or by a city or town corporation. This act was supposed to go into operation on the 1st of June, 1853, but it was never obeyed, it being defective in the means for carrying out the intentions of its framers.

At the regular session of 1852, an act was passed for the better establishment and maintenance of parish schools. The principal feature of this act, was, that it established a training and model school for the instruction of teachers, and also provided for the appointment of an inspector for each county, whose duty it should be to inspect the schools within his district. It defined the qualifications that would be required for teachers of the various classes, which were three in number. This act was a considerable improvement on any previous measure with respect to education, but it did not have the result of placing the means of receiving an education within the reach of all.

The Legislative session of 1853, opened on the 24th of February. The Lieutenant Governor in his opening speech, congratulated the country on the prosperity of the Provincial revenue, which had improved in almost every branch. At the same time, he said, that the liabilities which they were about to incur in promoting the execution of great public works, suggested caution. He referred to the report of the law commission, and stated that they would have an opportunity of legislating upon it during the session. This however, was not done, for although their first report was received, the bills were ordered to be printed, and to lie over until next session.

One topic which was referred to in the speech, was the fisheries, in regard to which it was stated that Her Majesty's Government had taken measures for their protection, and also that Her Majesty's ministers were anxious to effect such arrangements with the Government of the United States, as might lead to greater freedom in commercial intercourse. At that time a reciprocity treaty with the United States was being arranged. This treaty went into force the following year, but the people of New Brunswick were by no means unanimous in its favor; while they were willing enough to exchange commodities with the United States, they were not willing to open their fisheries to the people of that nation, and this was treated by our neighbors as an essential condition to any treaty. When the address in answer to the speech was being debated, strong opinions were expressed by members of the House against the surrender of our fishery privileges. The fishermen of the United States, by the Treaty of Peace, made in 1783, had acquired a right to fish in our waters, but they had lost that right in consequence of the war of 1812.' Finally their rights were defined by the convention concluded in 1818, but notwithstanding that arrangement, United States fishermen were constantly encroaching on our fisheries, and the lack of enterprise that was shown by our own fishermen at that time, emboldened them to encroach still more. The Reciprocity Treaty of 1854, again gave the American fishermen the right to fish on our coasts, and this was not pleasing to many people of the Maritime Provinces.

The outcome of the debate at the session of 1853, was an address to the Queen, by both Houses, expressing the opinion that the coast fisheries should be reserved exclusively for the people of this Province, and that no foreigner should be permitted to participate therein on any terms whatever.

The session of 1853, was not distinguished by any legislative achievements. A great many questions were discussed, among others the election law, registration of votes, the ballot, judges fees, and other matters, but nothing substantial was done. The Government which had obtained power by the purchase of members who had been elected to oppose it, was neither willing nor able to initiate anything new that would be likely to improve the constitution of the country. All they desired was to be left alone and to draw their salaries; but the session was distinguished by many extravagant appropriations, for the Government had not yet taken control of the finances of the country. In his closing speech, when proroguing the House, the Governor expressed his regret, that there was nc one political officer whose attention was especially given to tlie finances, and at the total want of executive machinery for properly controlling the expenditure on the roads.

The session of 1854, was the last of the existing House and it also was the last of the old system which had kept the people of New Brunswick so long in a state of political infancy. In his opening speech, the Lieutenant Governor referred to many matters of importance, the consolidation and amendment of the Provincial laws ; the enlargement of the lunatic asylum; the prosperous state of the revenue and the commencement of the railway between St. John and Shediac. The most important of these topics was, of course, the consolidation of the laws, and a considerable part of the session was taken up in passing the bills which had been prepared by the law commission. The commissioners had done their work very well, and their efforts had all been in the direction of introducing simplicity into judicial proceedings. But it has been very largely superseded by the labors of later commissioners, who have introduced a more modern and efficient system.

At an early day in the session, a despatch which had been written the previous year by the Lieutenant Governor to the Colonial Secretary, was laid before the House. It condemned the manner in which legislation was conducted in New Brunswick and^ especially the increasing tendency to private legislation. Many of these acts related to the incorporation of societies or companies, while others were of such a character that they should have emanated from a municipal body, if such bodies existed in New Brunswick. The Governor thought that such legislation tended to lower the dignity of the Legislature in the eyes of the people. The Colonial Secretary, who was the Duke of Newcastle, cordially agreed with the Governor with regard to the character of much of the legislation of New Brunswick, but neither of them could point out any way of avoiding it. Much of this private legislation has now been got rid of by means of a general incorporation act, but still the number of private and local bills is always large and the tendency is towards an increase rather than a diminution of them. There is no disposition on the part of the Legislature to hand over to the municipalities any of those powers which properly belong to a general assembly.

The College question again came up at this session, the attack upon that institution being led by Mr. Albert J. Smith, who had been elected a member for Westmorland in place of Mr. Robert B. Chapman. Mr. Smith was destined to attain eminence as a politician in New Brunswick and to make a considerable figure even in the Parliament of Canada. He was at this time, looked upon as a rising member of the House, being a successful lawyer, a good speaker and the possessor of many personal advantages. Mr. Smith went into the history of the College at great length and described its condition as hopeless, there being only five resident students, and ten others who attended it and boarded elsewhere. As the College was costing the country £2,200 annually, he thought that it was not doing the work that was being expected of it. Finally, it was resolved to ask the Lieutenant Governor to appoint five commissioners to consider the state of the College, and report at the next session of the Legislature. The commissioners were appointed accordingly. The chairman was the Honorable John H. Gray, a member of the Government, while the Honorable John Simcoe Saunders, and the Honorable James Brown, were also members of the commission. These three gentlemen were all residents of the Province, but two gentlemen of eminence, who were not residents, were also included in the commission. These were the Reverend Dr. Ryerson, afterwards the head of the department of education of Ontario, and Dr. J. W. Dawson, better known to our younger generation, as Sir William Dawson, the principal of McGill University. These gentlemen found much in the state of the College to demand improvements, and, with their report, they sent in a draft of a bill for establishing a comprehensive system of university education in New Brunswick. Some years, however, were to elapse before the passage of any measure for the improvement of the College.

The attention of Sir Edmund Head had already been directed to the state of the college, and in 1852, in his capacity as visitor, he had written a letter to the Chancellor of the College, pointing out some features in which he thought it was defective. This brought out replies, from the principal and three of the professors, in which some improvements were suggested and the College curriculum justified, but these changes produced no effect on the popularity of the institution. The fact remained that, notwithstanding the large sum annually expended upon it, very few of the young men of the Province sought it for the purpose of obtaining an education.

For many years the people of New Brunswick had read of the progress of Asiatic cholera from the East to the West, and viewed with apprehension its approach towards our shores. But it was not until this year that their fears were realized, and they were destined to experience all the horrors of an outbreak of this dreadful disease. The cholera is said to have been brought to New Brunswick by a vessel named " The Blanche" which arrived in St. John in the summer of 1854. At that time the sanitary condition of that city was as bad as possible. Very large numbers of people were crowded together in lanes and alleys, and no provision seems to have been made for getting rid of the filth which such crowded conditions brought about. The water supply was very imperfect and most of it was obtained from wells. There were no sewers worthy of the name, and no system of sewerage had even been dreamed of. It was thought that the position of St. John, set high on a rock and swept by eveiy breeze from the Bay of Fundy, would alone secure it from the ravages of a pestilence, but this belief proved to be entirely fallacious. No city was ever worse prepared to meet the cholera, than St. John was in 1854, and no city was ever more heavily struck by that dread disease. During the whole summer the cholera raged with unparallelled fury and the people died so fast that it was found difficult to bury the dead.

In the city and its suburb, Portland, which had between them less than 30,000 inhabitants, 1,500 persons died with cholera, about one person in every twenty. There were outbreaks of cholera in other parts of the Province, numbers dying at Fredericton, Miramichi, St. Andrews and other places, but these visitations were slight,-compared to that which came to the chief commercial city in the Province and for the time paralyzed its industries.

The House of Assembly was dissolved on the 19th of May, and the elections took place in the early summer. Everywhere, the cry was for reform in the Government, and the result of the elections showed, that the persons who had ruled the Province so long had lost their hold on the people. Although the changes in the personell of the House were not very numerous, the change in its spirit was remarkable, and members who had steadily supported the old Government, now found it convenient to fall in with the views of the people, and condemn it. Among the new members returned were, James Steadman for the county of Westmorland, Arthur Hill Gillmor and John McAdam for Charlotte, and Abner R. McClellan for Albert. The Legislature was called together on the 19th of October, 1854, for the purpose of ratifying the Reciprocity treaty which had been made with the United States. This treaty provided for the free interchange of certain natural products between the great republic and the several provinces, which now form the Dominion of Canada, and it had been brought about through the efforts of Lord Elgin, who was, at that time, Governor-General of Canada. The only features of the treaty which were not generally approved in New Brunswick, were the giving to the American fishermen the right to fish on our coasts, but the pressure in favor of it was strong, and it was ratified by the Legislature of New Brunswick, with but little opposition. In the House of Assembly only five members voted against the bill, which was passed, to give it effect. The effects of the treaty were undoubtedly beneficial to the commerce of the Canadian Provinces, although the fishery clauses led to some abuses on the part of American fishermen who, in many cases, interfered with the rights of our own people. The fact that a great war broke out, during the period when the treaty was in operation, which made large demands on all the Provinces for supplies of food for the armies of the United States, made the treaty appear more advantageous to New Brunswick than it would have been under ordinary conditions, and produced a strong desire for its renewal when the period for which it was made, expired. This, however, was not accomplished, because the Americans thought these Provinces could not exist without this treaty, and now that the settled policy of that country has got to be one of extreme protection, it is doubtful if ever any similar treaty will ever be made.

The early meeting of the Legislature elected in 1854, brought about one very desirable result, the defeat of the Government. When the House met, a new Governor had taken the place of Sir Edmund Head, in the person of the Honorable John Henry Thomas Manners-Sutton, who, like his predecessor, was also a civilian. Mr. Manners-Sutton belonged to an English Tory family, one of whose members had been Speaker of the House of Commons. He was very inferior to his predecessor in ability, and if it had not been for the political crisis which occurred during his administration of the affairs of the Province, he would have passed from the stage without exciting any particular notice. As it was, his name will be remembered long, as the individual who brought about the greatest political upheaval that New Brunswick, up to that time, had ever known. Mr. Daniel Hanington of Westmorland was nominated as Speaker and elected, but the vote did not indicate the condition of the political atmosphere, for most of the members of the Government voted for him. The speech of the Lieutenant Governor referred mainly to the treaty of reciprocity with the United States, and to the cholera outbreaks, and he emphasized the necessity for the timely adoption of those precautionary measures which might be expected to prevent the recurrence of the epidemic. Two acts were passed, during the session, bearing on this subject, one being for the purpose of enabling the people of Carleton, in the city of St. John, to obtain water from Spruce Lake, and the other for the appointment of commissioners of sewerage and water supply for the city of St. John and parish of Portland. The result of this Legislation, and of subsequent acts, has been that there is no city in the world which has an ampler supply of water, or a better sewerage than St. John.

The downfall of the Government was brought about by the passing of an amendment to the address, which was moved by the Hon. Charles Fisher, in which it was declared that the conduct of the local administration during the last four years, had not been in accordance with the principles of self government. This was carried by a vote of 27 to 12, only six members of the House besides the members of the Government, voting against it. On the 31st of October, the Government resigned, and the Hon. Mr. Fisher was called upon to form a new administration. This work was speedily accomplished, Mr. Fisher himself taking the office of Attorney General. Mr. S. L. Tilley became Provincial Secretary, and Mr. John M. Johnson, Solicitor General. As these gentlemen were all members of the House of Assembly, their seats were vacated, and new writs were issued for elections in the constituencies which they had represented. Mr. W. H. Steeves, a member of the Legislative Council, was appointed Surveyor General, which office had now, under a Responsible Government, become a political one. This arrangement was disapproved in some quarters, and a resolution was moved in the House of Assembly, that it was necessary that the office should be held by a member of that body. This was voted down, but the new Government did not fail to understand that public opinion would not sanction the maintenance of the position of Surveyor General, on the old footing. So that on the same day, on motion of Hon. Mr. Ritchie, it was resolved that the Surveyor General should be a member of the House, and very shortly afterwards the Hon. James Brown of Charlotte, was appointed Surveyor General.

By this change in the administration, Responsible •Government was brought into effect in New Brunswick, or, at all events, the administration was in the hands of men who were determined that its principles should guide them. The old order of things had passed away, and the old Conservative regime, which had existed in the Province from its foundation and had hindered and stifled the development of our free institutions, disappeared forever. The step which had been taken was irrevocable,- for no return of the Conservatives to power could bring back the old system. Henceforward New Brunswick was committed to a policy, in which family compacts and despotic Lieutenant Governors could have no place.

The Provincial Legislature again met on the 1st of February, 1855. The speech of the Lieutenant Governor, which now was the voice of the Lieutenant Governor's advisers, and not of himself alone as it had been formerly, directed the attention of the Legislature to the necessity of revising the election laws, to the subject of education, and to the provincial revenue. It suggested that a change was demanded in the existing system of managing the roads and bridges of the Province. This foreshadowed one of the most important measures of the session, the bill for the establishment of the Department of Public Works. This was passed, and on the 16th of April, the Honorable Mr. Steeves was placed at the head of this department, as Chief Commissioner. This gentleman was the only member of the Legislative Council who has ever held that important office.

During this session correspondence was brought down, dated the 15th of August previous, announcing, on the part of the Imperial Government, the withdrawal of the Imperial Customs establishment, which was considered to be no longer necessary, and stating that as the duties of these offices were now mainly in connection with the registration of vessels in the Colonies, and the granting of certificates of the origin of Colonial products, this work would hereafter be performed by the Colonial Officers. A letter addressed to the Comptrollers and other Customs officers, had informed them that their services would be discontinued after the 5th of January, 1855. So disappeared the last remnant of the old Imperial Custom House system, which had been the cause of so many difficulties in all the Colonies, which was the real occasion of the revolution which separated the thirteen Colonies from the Mother Country, and which in the other American Colonies which were left to England, had always been regarded as a grievance.

The new Government resolved to make Responsible Government a reality, and to at once bring about a condition of affairs which would end the waste and extravagance, which had prevailed under the old system of appropriation. One of their first measures was to vest in themselves the initiation of all money grants, so that no private member hereafter could move the appropriation of money for public purposes, except by the consent or through the action of the Government. This wa6 a change which had long been demanded, but had been steadily resisted by private members, because their self-interest was concerned in the old order of things. It has already been explained how, under the old system, "log rolling" prevailed, one man voting for an appropriation in some distant county, of the merits of which he knew nothing, on condition that the member from that county would vote for an appropriation which he desired to have, although it might not be at all in the general interest. The Government also undertook to frame a new tariff, and therefore, in a double sense, to grasp the control of the finances of the Province. But the great measure of the session of 1855, was the law to prevent the importation, manufacture, or selling of liquor. This bill was brought in by Mr. Tilley as a private member, and not on behalf of the Government. It was introduced on the 3rd of March. Considering its great importance and the fact that it led to a crisis in the affairs of the Government, and the temporary defeat of ' the Liberal party, it went through the House with comparatively little difficulty. It was first considered on the 19th of March, and a motion to postpone its further consideration for three months, was lost by a vote of 17 to 21. Amongst those who voted for the postponement were, Messrs. Ritchie, Gray and Harding of St. John, Mr. Smith of Westmorland, and Mr. Johnson of Northumberland. The final vote on the third reading, was taken on the 27th of March, and the vote was 21 to 18, so that every member of the House, with one exception, voted yea or nay. The closeness of this last division should have warned the advocates of the measure that it was likely to produce difficulty, for it is clear, that all sumptuary laws which are intended to regulate human affairs, must be ineffectual unless they have the support of a large majority of the people affected by them. That this was not the case with the prohibitory liquor law was shown by the vote in the Legislature, and it was still more clearly shown after the law came into operation on the 1st of January, 1856.

The passage of the prohibitory law was a bold experiment, and as the sequel showed, more bold than wise. The temperance movement in New Brunswick at that time, was hardly more than twenty years old, and New Brunswick had always been a Province in which the consumption of liquor was large in proportion to its population. When it was first settled by the Loyalists, and for many years afterwards, the use of liquor was considered necessary to happiness, if not to actual existence. Every person consumed spirits, which generally came to the Province in the form of Jamacia rum, from the West Indies, and as this rum was supposed to be an infallible cure for nearly every ill that flesh is heir to, nothing could be done at that time without its use. Large quantities of rum were taken into the woods for the lumbermen, to give them sufficient strength to perform the laborious work in which they were engaged, and if it had been suggested that a time would come when the same work would be done without any more powerful stimulant than tea, the person who ventured to make such a suggestion, would have been regarded as absolutely insane. Experience has shown that more and better work can be done, not only in the woods, but

everywhere else, without the use of stimulants than with them; hut no one could be got to believe this sixty or seventy years ago. Every kind of work connected with the farm then, had to be performed by the aid of liquor. Every house raising, every ploughing match, every meeting at which farmers congregated, had unlimited quantities of rum as one of its leading features. It was also used by almost every man as a part of his regular diet; the old stagers had their "eleven o'clock" and their "nip" before dinner; their regular series of drinks in the afternoon and evening, and they actually believed that without them life would not be worth living. The prohibition experiment made in 1856 was, therefore, open to the charge of being a rash one. Man cannot be educated into a new state of ideas in a single year, and hardly in a single generation. Up to that time the traffic in liquor had not only been looked upon as lawful, but as honorable. Most of the great merchants dealt in it. It employed many men and occupied many buildings which brought in large rents to their owners. The number of taverns in St. John and Portland was not less than 200, and in the other towns of the Province, the proportion of taverns to the population was quite as large. It was not to be supposed that the people who were engaged in the liquor business would consent to be deprived suddenly of their means of living,, especially in view of the fact that it was by no means certain that the sentiment in favor of prohibition, was as strong in the country, as it appeared to be in the Legislature. It has always been stated that many men voted for prohibition in the House of Assembly who themselves were not total abstainers, but who thought they might make political capital by taking that course, and who relied on the Legislative Council to throw out the bill.