The press. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1881.

Press, Volume XXXVI, Issue 5082, 21 December 1881, Page 2

The press. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1881.

The nomination of My. George McLean to the Legislative Council will scarcely be objected to, we think, even by S:r George Grey. Mr McLean may fairly be said to be everything that a Legislative Councillor ought to be, and nothing that a Legislative Councillor ought not to be. Hβ is a trained politician of long and varied experience,-an excellent man of business, and an amiable and high principled gentleman in easy circumstances. On the other hand, he is not the owner of a" vast estate"; he is not a representative of " squatting interests," whatever they may be; he is not a purseproud plutocrat; he is not a superannuated fogey, and he is not a narrowminded bigot. Wβ oannnt, recall a suiglo instance hitherto of Sir GeorgV' @rey" ! approving of any appointment to the Legislative Council except those he made himself, which were notoriously the worst that ever were made; but we really believe this last one will suit even his critical* taste. At all events hewill.be too delighted to get rid of Mr. McLean from the House of Representatives to object at all seriously to his elevation to the " other place." Sir George has abundance of courage; whatever other virtues he may be lacking in; but if there is one thing in the world he fears it is Mr. McLean's banter. Sound and fury are quite thrown away on Sir George Grey. He never appears to greater advantage than when he is enduring a violent attack in dignified silence. Fair and reasonable argument, again-—such as the Premier is wont to nee—runs off him like water off a duck's back. He is proof against it by his singular faculty of well assumed misconception and subtle misrepresentation. Grave reproach he meets and turns to shame by that wonderful air of injured innocence which is his alone. Bnt let " Geordie " McLean get on his feet and begin to make those strange preliminary noises which indicate suppressed merriment with Mm, and then Sir George Grey knows that he is in for it, and shows it pitiably. Not that there is any real sting in Mr. McLean's-satire. Not at all. He never tries to cut beneath the skin. But that slow scratching of his is a hundred times more tormenting to the proud old man than all the poisoned wounds his enemies could deal him. Mr. McLean's parliamentary speeches are not likely to be collected and published in book form, as Lord Palmerston's and others' have been,- bnt his speeches in, reply to Sir George Grey on various occa-, sions would certainly be very entertaining reading. It is the manner rather than the matter of these remarkable orations,, however, which gives them their peculiar charm; for, honestly speaking, it is not always easy to tell what Mr. McLean is saying. That is one of Sir George Grey's great grievances. Mr. McLean is often all but unintelligible to him. All that he knows is that he is being roasted gloriously. Hβ sees the House convulsed with laughter, and all eyes turned on him; he hears his tormentor bleating out some simple stuff or other with the sweetest of smiles shining all over his honest face; and yet for the life of him he cannot make out the joke. First his jaw drops, as those who have ever seen him angry know how. Then come forced efforts at repartee; then querulous interj jectione; then fierce interruptions; and lat length he rises "to make a personal explanation," which with Sir George Grey commonly means giving the lie direct, with the most offensive accompaniments that he can think of at the moment. Finis coronal epus. Mr. McLean is perfectly satisfied. He has performed his task and gained his end, and he sits down chuckling, and gleefully expressing his regrets if he has unintentionally hurt the honorable gentleman's feelings. The House applauded vigorously, for the whole triumph is on the side of courtesy, good temper, and wit, however;grotesque; and Sir: George Grey does not get over it ajl day, TSb> we venture to think he wDI not offer the smallest objection to Mr. MβJLean's translation to,the, Legislative Council. If he had been rapt away ta Heaven, perhaps, it would have suited him better; but he will doubtlos be well content with this great measure of relief. Wβ have referred somewhat pointedly to

Sir George Grey's opinions on t_fe matter for two reasons. Firstly, he has long assumed the post of prime censor of the Degislative Council, and all appointmenta thereto, and all proceedings in connection therewith. Secondly, he is the only enemy Mr McLean has on either side in politics. The Hall Ministry have now made three appointments to the Legislative Council, namely, Mr. Whitaker, Attorney General, Mr. Oliver, member of the Executive, and Mr. McLean. They are all three unexceptionable, and it is obvious that if every Ministry exercised the power of nomination as conscientiously and intelligently as the Hall Ministry have done, there would be no necessity for altering the constitution of the Upper House. Unfortunately the present system affords no security for that being done. On the contrary, it leaves the character of the Legislative Council dependent on the wildest caprice of partial or vindictive individuals. Thus the Grey Ministry during their two years of office appointed nine persons to the Legislative Conncil, namely, Mr. Nathaniel Wilson, from Hawke's Bay, a friend of Colonel Whitmore and quite unknown to politics; Mr. Wood, Mr. Reynolds and Taiaroa, a Native, from Otago; Mr. Henderson and Mr. Dignan, personal proteges of Sir George Grey, from Auckland; and Sir William Fitzherbert, his son-in-law Mr. Patrick Buckley, and Mr. John Martin, from Wellington. Sir William Fitzherbert was generally understood to have been appointed to the Council as Speaker, in order to exercise an influence there in favor of Sir George Grey's policy. Mr. Martin was appointed, we believe, at the urgent instance of Mr. Sheehan, and not on any public ground at all; while Mr. Patrick Buckley was pnt in by Sir George Grey to please Sir William Fitzherbert. Out of these nine three had absolutely no political experience or training whatever; four had been in the House of Representatives, but had utterly failed to distinguish themselves, except in the most unfavorable way; one was understood to have been appointed in the hope that he would serve a party purpose in a judicial position ; and the ninth, Mr. Reynolds was respectable, and would have been suitable if he had had the requisite ability. It is clear that a system which is liable to such gross abuse as this, must always contain a grave element of danger to the public interests, and the sooner it is amended in that respect the better. But in order to get it amended it will be necessary for the personnel of the existing Chamber to be largely improved; for it is not to be expected that men euch as those we have just described, would support a measure adverse to the system under which they reached their present position, i Unwilling as Mr. Hall may be, therefore, 'to exercise his power of nominating ' Legislative Councillors, he must do so to ' a moderate extent, and it is to be hoped ■ that he will not shrink from what is his 1 plain duty. His appointments so far have - been excellent, and he can be safely ' trusted to make others as good.