MR MEREDITH AT ASHLEY.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11131, 25 November 1901, Page 4

MR MEREDITH AT ASHLEY.

We need hardly say that with most of Mr Meredith's criticisms of the Government we heartily agree. As a matter of fact, criticism of a very similar character was appearing in tbe leading columns of "The Press" at a time when Mr Meredith was giving Mr Seddon. his most cordial support. The extravagance of the present Ministry, ifre autocracy of Mr Seddon, his absolute unreliability as a public; man—these are points on which we have found it our duty in the public interest to dilate again and again. They are now given forth by Mr Meredith in a belated fashion, but with much apparent earnestness. "What he says of tbe Premier now is in marked contrast with what he has had to say of him in days gone by. Speaking on the Address-in-Reply in 1897, Mr Meredith said: "Sir, •' this is my third Parliament, my seventh "year in the House, my ninth session in ■' Parliament. I have had a great deal *'to do with the Premier in his positions " as Minister of Justice and Defence, as

'Minister for Public Work-, and as Premier " and Oolonial Treasurer/ and I must say

" that in all my communications with the j "ho_our&ble gentleman I have found him, "speaking for myself, simply truthful, s "courteous, aad honourable t "I would sooner take the Premier's word ( " than some men's oaths." This is in mark- * ed contrast with some remarks which Mr ( Meredith made on Friday night, when deal- c ing with the defecate question of bis ap- j plication for a, portion of the Glentui. 1 Estate, and the Premier's statements in re- ( ference thereto. The Premier, he told \ hia bearers, bod descended to the. use of insillting and bullying language, and had " wilfully and debberat—y made a statement , "to damage, him in the eyes of the public t ■ " and in the estimation of his constituents." In the Ashley district they evidently believe in calling a spade a spade, and one . of the electors interjected:, ""Then the [ "Premier's statement is a lie." Mr Mere- . dirth would not put the matter quite so coarsely as this, but he was very cutting. ; "When a man makes one misstatement," he replied with __ has to fallow "it up With many others, and I regret "that the Premier Of this colony is quite "unreliable." This is a sad falling-off from the glowing euk-gium of 1897, when Mr Meredith was prep<i_ed to t-ke Mr Seddon's word in preference to another man's oath. The scales have evidently fallen from the eyes of the honourable member for Ashley; what led to their removal is not fort» to say. The Premier is i__sned to date the coolness from the time when Mr Meredith made an offer for the Glentui property, which the Assets Board, of which Mr Seddon is a member, declined as being inadequate. There is no doubt that,Mr Meredith's conduct in this matter "was, to say the least of it, indiscreet. We do not contend that it was wrong of Mm to offer to buy a portion of the Glehttd Estate, and to try to get it at a cheap rate. The Assets Board, as it turned out, very pro* perly declined hid offer, aad there he ought to have allowed the matter to rest. Where Mr Meredith made a mistake was in*- using his position as a member of Parliament to badger the Assets Board for their refusal to sell the Estate by private treaty, and especially was he wrong in concealing the fact that he himself had a personal reason for regretting that refusal. On the contrary, he repeatedly told the House that he was acting simply in the public interest, ' and from a gentleman who values truth 1 and courtesy so highly in others l ' this waa hardly the conduct we 1 should have expeoted. We will > do him the justice, however, to believe > that his altered attitude towards Mr Sed- ■ don is hot altogether the outcome of'per- [ sonal resentment. During the last year : or two the P,remi— has out-Heroded Herod i in h—i.abuse of power, and ha- zecklessnes- > in finance, and the eyes of other members - besides Mr Meredith have beea opened. - Those who can see nothing wrong in the l P-biic Revenues Act and the bribing of I-" members by the £60 grab, must have their * perception, of what is right and wrong' 1 in polities blunted indeed.