The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo. TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1889.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 173, 23 July 1889, Page 4

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo.

TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1889.

For the cause that lac_s assistance, I'or tho -wrong that needs resistance, For the future- in .the distance, And the good that wo can do.

! We are glad to observe, from the tenor of our Parliamentary telegrams during the last few days, that the independent members of the House are beginning to revoit against the continual trimming of the Ministry. The Executive no longer direct the policy of the country, but slavishly follow in the wake of every temporary majority of the House, humbly swallowing their own so-called policy Bills whenever they are so directed. The Otago Central railway and the Representation Bill supply two flagrant examples. With regard to the former work, Ministers and their officers alike condemn it as non-payable, and yet they deliberately propose to make the taxpayers throughout New Zealand

liable for interest on another ; 000 for its continuation. Their conduct respecting the Representation Bill is still more indefensible. After a fierce conflict and many appeals to the country, the principle that representation should be according to population became accepted as the basis of the electoral system. Ministers themselves brought down a Bill this session in which territorial qualifications were obliterated, and the manhood vote received its full expression. Through^ the abuse of their numerical superiority in the House, the country members succeeded, however, in wresting this principle to their own advantage before; and encouraged by their past success and the palpable weakness of the Government, they have now gone a step.further. By entering into a league with the small country boroughs they have, in fact, resolved to disfranchise one-third of the electors in the four chief cities of the colony. It appears almost incredible that any Government, even with the certainty that resistance would mean expulsion from office, would lend themselves to such a plot, but apparently the Atkinson Administration are prepared to accept anything rather than give up their seats on the Treasury Benches. Tactics of this kind, however, cannot fail to bring destruction in the long run. Alread)', supporters once staunch have left in disgust, and the Ministry hold their seats simply upon the suffrance of those who believe that the schemes they have at heart can be most effectually served by giving the Cabinet a temporary support. To look for better things from Ministers is evidently useless; we would, therefore, rather turn to the more moderate of the country members themselves, and ask them to reflect whether a cabal of this sort can prove permanently advantageous to their constituents. They may depend upon it that by grossly abusing their power, and thus showing their unfitness to be entrusted with it, they will assuredly bring down upon themselves speedy and exemplary retribution. They cannot afford to forfeit the sympathy of even a third of the population of the colony by perpetrating an act of injustice.