The Press. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1890.

Press, Volume XLVIL, Issue 7732, 11 December 1890, Page 4

The Press. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1890.

The general election took place laat the result, of course, was not practically known till next day; Sunday is a dies non. The Premier had up to yesterday morning two days in which to call the Cabinet together and take the necessary formal steps, whatever they might be, required by this result j and the members of the Cabinet were so far apart that it was practically impossible to call them together within those two days.. Under these circumstances the Lytteiton Times thinks it a fit oourse to pursue, to publish on Wednesday morning an article of the character which it is now necessary for us to describe. The article is, to speak shortly, a discredit to our colonial journalism. A gentleman in a rage (sometimes says things which he is afterwards sorry for; but this is not the language of a gentleman who has been unfortunate enough to forget himself. When the writer of the article under notice permits himself to speak of Sir Habby Atkinson as '•squirming and wriggling like a ;" crushed, inaeot," he has descended to a point which disentitles him to notice. It is , only* because, it is neoeesary for ub to inform the large portion of the public who do not read the Lytteiton Times what is the real character of the contest which it seems is now to be commenced, that we refer to it at all. Our contemporary, we suppose would justify bis departure from the language one expects to be used in the ordinary intercourse of life by reference to the breaoh Jof promise with which in the same article he charges Sir Habby Atkinson. We can, only say that if he does so he if possible . aggravates his own charges Sic Habby With *' shuffling and prevaricating over " a. plain promise." What the promise was he does not tell us in the article. It appeared, however, elsewhere in the same issue, and we ourselves printed it from the same source from which our contemporary obtained it. The words are as follows:—" It is fully re- " cognised that constitutional practice M requires that the result of the general " elections should, if clearly apparent. " regulate the conduct of Ministers in "retaining office or tendering their "resignation." This is the engagement entered into by Sir Harry with Mr. Ballanob, and because within the space of three days Sir Habby has not had time to call his colleagues together and consult in Cabinet—-for "we suppose even the Lytteiton Times would hardly demand of a Prime Minister that be should resign without calling the Cabinet together—-because this has been so, the Lytteiton Times lashes itself into a fury, and pens the expressions of which we have just given a sample. And while saying this, we cannofi allow it to be understood that we at all holfl the words used in the agreement—words obviously , carefully considered—to bear upon their face any each meaning as the Lytteiton Times chooses to attribute to them. They recognise the constitutional position that the result of a general election.must regulate the conduct of a Ministryin resigning or retaining office; nothing more. It is for the Minister, when the election is over, to decide for himself, upon thebest judgments he can formi of what is the real result of the election, whether he is to continue in office or the reverse. It is indeed the rarely exceptional case in which a Ministry defeated at the polls resigns V without first meeting Parliament, and it is this exceptional course which the Lytteiton Times, in the extraordinary language which it thinks seemly to use, calls upon Sir Harby to take. It is because he only takes such time for action as even the mere formal act inevitably demands lhat the Lytteiton Times speaks of him as "clinging to office at the sacrifice "of any remaining claim to personal " respecc, M as "taking active steps to " get dishonored ,, the promissory note which he is represented as having given to Mr. Ballance, and as doing this "in order to prolong a deapic"able political existence." We need not go farther. The plain truth is that the situation is one, as is almost always the case, in which Parliament itself must settle what is to be done. It is Parliament itself which gives or withholds its confidence from Ministries, and while undoubtedly it ia not always necessary chat ita, opinion should be expressed by a formal vote, it is almost always the case that the resignation, where that is the proper course, must be ansounoed first* to Parliament itself. In the present case we must emphatically deny the assumption made all through by our contemporary that there is that dearly expressed will of the constituencies, which alone in our opinion would justify the resignation of Ministers without meeting Parliament, and we certainly are not without the feeling, which we suspect a good many wiil eoara with us, that the unusual bßfisaoA of the LvtuUou Times Iβ

prompted tjy & inrking sensa that the position of tbeir party i? not so secure Iβ ttwjriKNild gladfy have the fiiblio to believe.