The Press. THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1889.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7263, 24 January 1889, Page 4

The Press. THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1889.

The situation iri Njw South Wales presents an interesting study to the politician. The Pakicks Government came into office, not very long ago, at the head of perhaps the most powerful party that ever followed a chief in any of the Australian colonies. The general election which resulted in the return of that majority proved a great triumph of freetrade principles The' fiscal question was in almost every constituency raised, and with scarcely an exception the electors gave their votes for or against candidates exclusively from the point of view of the tariff question. The result was the return of a House overwhelmingly pledged to freetrade principles. The protectionists were beaten all along the line, a small minority. only succeeding in obtaining seats. Throughout tlie contest Sir H. Parkes played a very prominent figure. His activity was, indeed, most remarkable, and he practically fulfilled the pledge he made at the commencement of the contest, that he would plant the freetrade flag on every hustings in New South Wales. Notwithstanding that brilliant victory we have now the extraordinary spectacle of a freetrade Government with a majority of two-thirds of the House at its back, surrendering the reins- of office to a protectionist Ministry.

The immediate cause of the resignation' of tbe Parkes Ministry was the vote of the House with reference to a against one of the newly-ap-pointed Railway Commissioners. Sir H. Parkes resented the motion, aud declined to debate,it, and on finding that there was a majority against him on the point, he resigned and a Dibbs Ministry has tai—h his place. It is perfectly evident that the Premier need "not have made the vote the ground of his resignation unless he desired it. It was the excuse rather than the cause of his retirement. It has been evident for some months that Sir Harbt. was • becoming impatient of the position in which he found himself placed, and that he might at any moment seize upon some pretext ior resignation.,, ,The fact is that certain things have been transpiring which mu.t ; have caused the Premier intense annoyance. There were the tramways leasing proposals, which have given rise to a. number of . unpleasant insinuations against certain members of the Government. Then there was the Fehon affair, in which the mo3t violent charges Were; l_a_e on the floor of the House. Finally, there was the e_penditureupon the Horns.!-' and HoltSut___k..land -estates. - Kegardrag'" this charge, it may briefly be explained' that tho Casual Labor Board, a body, dealing with the unemployed, have been accused of spending considerable sums of public money on making roads ; for the benefit, amongst others, of a member of the. Parkes' Government. We do not. mean to. cay that'there pre not twd -ides to the que..ion. Sir H. Parkes in the House put the other side in the following words:—"lamsatisfied that.it wilk show*that there; has been_ A no.iil|luenoe: used by the; Government' .aY any, tiri—v■. no instructions given directly or indirectly in whatever has been done, which. benefit the ptoper.jes ,of kny hon. friend the Coloniai Treasurer =• aß_ - Other of the House. That was done Without our knowledge, without our direction, and if ft (affect it 1 has it in what was intended- for far' different objects." But tho broad fact i remains that a very grave charge has; been Kiades .t>jae:;.aetioil'Tof : a leading member of th<§" Government of the colony. It • is, at, any rate, "hot denied! that an improper -K-peridit-sr. of publio iptfp-iey has taken place upon the property of a Minister of the Crown, the answer being that no instructions, directly or t indirectly, were given, by the Govern-' inent with reference ,tp the work. As a Sydhey' contemporary, the Telegrapft, says :—"An"improper, ".flipenditure of; public money has taken place upon an; estate owned by" Messrs. Burns, Wi_h*rs and Smith. About that \ there is no difference of honest opinio... And Mr. that this expeiidit_xe was going on month after month., Did he not approve it ? Did he' ever j attempt to stop it? Allow, for argument's sake, that he did not originate it; was it not his duty to the country as Colonial' Treasurer to restrain the I folly or worse of the Casual Labour l Board f All these charges produced the natural effect upon the minds of members, and faith in the Government was as a consequence . seriously weakened, ending, as we have __e_n, in a defeat, which the Premier took advantage of in order to get out of an intolerable position. '...'■-. In the course of a brief debate on the situation Sir H. Parkes complained of the conduct of his supporters. " Where party prevails," he said, " as the motive _ower and the controlling power, the'p_"r.y who "cohsent to those whom I suppose may be called their; leaders taking office ought to do so because they aro satisfied with their polipy, or, in other words, with their; general principles, .and also because they are satisfied with their public character. If they are, satisfied on these ppiats,' they have very little to do with the adminiaNation of affairs in the/public offices. y lf they catt trust ! these leaders of theirs—and if tbey cannot trust them they ought not to j give them their support—they ought j not to interfere with the manner in > which they carry out the various acts of administration." And Sir Hsnry added—"lt amounts to this: that trusting to party tb govern the country, you trust them on their known views of-political policy, on theii kupwp public charaoter; and yon must trhst • them in the j intri—toiee of or the, afS*ir*. of the country will soon come to error. You most not outstep the proper limits of the function you occupy." The above

view of the duties of a partji' fjf one which is likely to. m •to the majority of representative ? is, no doubt, the duty of m em.W Ay party to make allowances, and to • if! their individual opinipus cm J^l|| questions for the sake of jMi issues. But in the vital principles really stake. Assuming for the _t.foJj§|k that tlie charges made wif the Pabkes Ministry aro member to shut his eyes to such Jf; as a gross misuse of public order to maintain in office a(W|f§ ment that is pledged to the is freetrade . No member with respect would for a moment any such course. What the km jfi the general election will be. it »• ai possible to predict. It is ever, that the protectionist ment now in office go to with an enormous _d vantage -aty.|f side. For tho time they rop.-ent„|| cause of purity in administration. % M freetrade party have, therefor , I fight the battle under very jdiffLf j§ circumstances to tho.se under %]_?§ the former contest was Waged, fl tlie first place, they Ye ' repudiate any sympathy with.Jljj transactions as ../.some ' Wagtail just mentioned. iiut it i I no easy task carrying on the § with vigor when the crime, ol tt.l defeated Govemmeiit have conatanfe 1 to be repudiated. One effect of th. 1 election, we hope, will he the ret_n_ d I a House of a very different c_ataeb.| from the last. The Now South'WaU j Parliament has been of lato notoriQ& I for scenes which would disgtace k. community. The most violent |J abusive language has been freely wjL j use of on the floor of the House. \ most reckless charges of cotnifegoß have been banded about without to ; appearance of shame and,, scarcely any attempt to p u t 4 stop to such proceedings, fjjj minority, we believe, were c_.ef|j| responsible for these disorderly scsnai but the responsibility for dißof_Wsß3| by no means confined to one .side, U| the elections now proceeding result .J the disappearance of the these disturbances an enormous ob—?ol will havo been accomplished.;•■ U m possible to do this aud still'.''nuiitlttraf the party conflict, for it caniuiHa tfll the advantage of cither side to deiaade Parliament aud Parliamentary institutions in the manner in which they havo been degraded during the last twelve months.