R E S O L U T I O N S.
RssoLUutro#s to be submitted by MR. NEILsON, to a Committee of the whole
House, on Friday, the 25th June, appointed to consider the Orders
adopted by the late House of Assembly of Lower Canada, for regulating
its proceedings in cases of contested Elections in that Province.
1. Resolvedl-That all matters which shall come in question touching re-
turns of Elections, shall be heard at the Bar of the House, either before the
House on a Committee of the whole House, or be-referred to a Special Com-
mittee as circumstances shall require.
, 2. Rcsolved-That all Petitions complaining of undue Elections, shall be
direct and pointed in the charges ofcomplaint; whether against sitting Mem-
bers, Sheriffs or Returning Oflicers.
3. Resolvcd-That the House shall first determine wthether any Petition
complaining of an undue Election, contains matter sufficient for the House to
proc?ed upon.
4. Resolved-That if the House shall determine that a Petition does not
contain sufficient matter to proceed upon, such Petition shall be discharged.
5. Resolved-That if the House does determine that a Petition contains
sufficient matter to proceed upon, a day shall be fixed for trying the merits of
such a Petition.
6. Resolved-That if Petitioners object to the votes that were given or offered
at the Poll, they shall by themselves or agents give (in a convenient time to be
fixed by the House) to the sitting Members or their agents, lists ofthe persons
against whom they are to object, giving also the different heads of the objections
and distinguishing them after the names of the voters objected to; and the sit-
* ting Members shall furnish similar lists to the Petitioners or their agents.
7. Resolved-That no ex parte evidence shall be admitted; nor shall any
written evidence be received where testimony can be produced viva voce.
S. Resolved-That the parties may be heard by Counsel, and that members
complained ofshall be heard in their places aswell on the matter of complaint
as on the evidence, but they must withdraw before a division on any question.
9. Resolved-TThat the evidence in support of Petitions shall first be heard,
and the evidence in behalf of the parties comrnplained of shall next follow.
10. Resolved-That after a Witness shall have been examined by the
party calling him, and cross-examined by the opposite party, every Member
of the House may propose in writing to the Speaker, such questions as he
may think proper to put, which shall be put to the Witness by the Speaker
unless he thinks them not pertinent to the subject; but the sense of the
House may be taken thereon if the Member proposing the question should
require it.
11. Resolved-That in case of a debate arising on the propriety of a
question proposed to a witnesS, or any other matter or thing touching any
contested Election, the parties and their counsel shall be directed to withdraw
whilst such debate is depending; and after the House has determnined on the
same, they shall be again called in and informed by the Speaker of the deci-
sion and Resolution of the House thereon.