MR STAFFORD'S SPEECH.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 59, 26 August 1875, Page 3

MR STAFFORD'S SPEECH.

At 8.30 Mr Stafford rose, amid loud applause. He said many members had told him this was a great occasion, but the House had risen to the occasion. They had never had members make more intelligent and able speeches for the faith that was in them. Never did the syren of an expiring Parliament shine more brightly. There had been many new* members come amongst them, but he did not think they had lost anything by the change. He much, regretted the loss of the late member for Rangitikei, but the mantle of Elijah seemed to have fallen upon his successor. Various positions during this session and in connection, with the bill before the House had been attributed to him, but he repudiated. a]l the honor sought to be conferred upon him. He' was only one ofthe rank and' file. The. bill was not his or that of any private

member' it was that of the Executive of the country, and \bey ; aloh'e were responsible for it. They alone deserved : any credit^ -/Members, he was sorYy tosay, in their desire to wound these g-en-tlemen, did not refrain from wounding' their 'sensitiveness. He deprecated tlie constant harping with great disingeniiousness, in both writing and speaking of what was called the bribes to the bill, and in the same disingenuous spirit reference was made to the changes made in the capitation : but it was carefully concealed that when those changes in the capitation tax were made, that very many of the provincial charges were taken over. That in fact that a great boon was conferred upon the provinces. (No, no. Yes, yes.) He regretted that that old veteran legislator, the member for Auckland City West, did not think it beneath, him to try to stamp upon the young men of the House, instead of holding out the hand oi fellowship. Notably ho singled out as objects of his contempt the Colonial Treasurer and Minister of Justice. These were the men, they were told, who were not fit to occupy their places. The Treasurer had again and again distinguished himself in the field as well as in the senate; the Minister of Justice had for years occupied a high and important office, and raised himself as high as a man could by his integrity and high ability. When, in the early part of the session;, he used the word " revolution ; ' in connection with this measure, he did not j use it in the sense it was used by a journal inspired by the honorable member for Auckland City West (the Star). He had no idea of imbruing his hands in the blood of his fellow men. No idea of powder and brands held aloft. No ; his idea of revolution was the power of reason, represented by the united sense of the people, such as was seen in the ' Corn Laws, Catholic Emancipation,and I other great and peaceful revolutions infinitely greater than us. The honor- I able gentleman, in most eloquent terms, referred to the fall of ancient Greece in consequence of their petty local prejudices aud dissensions. What might have been a nation that should illumi nate a world had sunk lower than the j children of Ishmael, whose hand was against every man, and every one J against his, Coming down to modern j times had they not seen through similar j disunion in France, a nation of serfs, and an order of nobles, and what terrible calamities flowed from it. Later still, had they not seen the Herculean efforts ofthe United States, who shed their best blood to prevent their great nation being destroyed. The hon. gentleman, referring to the occasion when he was elected first Superintendent of Nelson, said he realised the difficulties of the position. He visited an isolated portion of the province, and iv compliance with the earnest wish of the inhabitants, he got a road opened up, paying for it out of his own pocket, and would it be believed that the Council never reimbursed him that money, and it was a debt to this day. Soon after he recommended the Council to bringout immigrants under the inducement of small grants of land. Yet, though there were millions of acres of waste lands the Council absolutely refused. They said there was no more than they wanted for other purposes That was his experience of the Provincial Councils. He Ind seen nothing to admire in them. As to his ideas of nationality he could tell the House that the day that he first occupied the Government benches ofthe colony, that he that day made up his mind he was not of Otago,. or Wellington, or Auckland, but of New Zealand, and he hoped that during his political- career he had done something towards establishing- a national feeling. The hon. gentleman then referred to the various political changes which had taken place in England, and in fact by which constitutions had been overturned and built up in a different fashion. He could not but admire the audacity ofthe member for Auckland I City West when he said that the Constitution Act forbade the Legislature to; alter the constitution of Provincial Counils. He could tell the House that that honorable gentleman was one of the first to break through the Constitution, and put this country and Imperial Parliament to considereble trouble. The honorable gentleman proceeded to detail the different instances in which, at the request of this colony, the Constitution Act had been changed, and when new provinces were created under a power as good and valid as the Constitution Act, they had appeal after appeal against them, bnt in any way that were created he ventured to say there had been no diminution of power j or liberty, or happiness. The honorable member for Auckland City West told them the Imperaial Parliament had been petitioned in regard to the Province of Westland, though he ought to have kfiown it was not so. He could conscientiously say there was no one single clause in the original Constitution Act that thai Assembly had not the power to annul. Referring to the various legal opinions given regarding abolition, he would say that while havy iDg- the very highest respect for Mr Gillies as a political power, and con? sidering him an ornament of the Bench', he did not give the opinion referred to by the member for Auckland City, West as a legal adviser, but as a political partisan (applaufce)^ ; Contrasting the powers of Provincial Councils witt ■those of the Assembly, he. said what ' were those vestedin the House ? The

/powers of fouhdihg^Courts of Justice,' ;and of determining, what the working man-should contribute towards the re-quirements-of the .State. These were the powers which guarded tbe liberties of the people Why* the Provincial Councils could not impose a fine upon scabby sheep, without coming to that House. Reference had been made to the officers to be nominated , to supervise the affairs of the provinces. They had been called satraps, but why this should be a term of reproach he ' could not see. The name in its real meaning was not objectionable.. These officers were only to be appointed till, next session. Then, to come to Superintendents, whom they had, like the Russian cannon at Balaclava, to^the right of them, the left of them, and in front of them, how were they representatives of the people. Look at the hon. the member for Avon. Why he dared not dismiss his Executive, or appoint or dismiss a single officer without their consent. He counted as only one, and . was perfectly helpless. Then there was the member for Port ' Chalmers, the Superintendent of Otago. He, too, wns bound to act in accordance with the advice of his responsible advisers.. Another Superintendent last session had told the House he had often signed documents he did not approve of, because advised to do so by his Executive. He could say that when the Superintendents were not in constant conflict with their Executives, they were the abject slaves of them, and was it to be said their Anglo Saxon blood required provincialism for the protection of their liberties? He would tell the people of New Zealand^ if they wanted to build up a palladium, of liberty, they should not be distracted by any littlo petty sham fights which were occupied in passing dog-taxes. Let them turn their undivided attention to this, their own supreme Legislature,and make that their guardian of their liberties. If this Legislature had not legal power ifc had the the Constitutional power to make such changes as the time and occasion required. He the would vote fov tho passing of bill. The honorable gentleman sat down amid loud applause, after speaking an hour.

MrWhite, who followed Mr Stafford, opposed the bill. It was not the kind of measure required, anrlhe took leave to doubt the promises made in it. He did so from his experience of the way in which the Government kept their promises. Speaking for the people of Westland, he believed they would be prepared to rebel if a nominated officer waa appointed to rule over them. He believed the general sentiment of the people was in favor of a change ; but they naturally expected that they would get something superior to what they were expected to cast asipe ; but the bill referred to them was not superior. He was sorry Ministers had not adhered to their original intention of confining their Abolition Bill to the North Island. Sir Julius Yogel would not have acted as they had, nor would they have done so either, he felt convinced, had it not been for the pressure brought lo hear upon them by their own supporters. They were told a great economy would be effected, but the expense really would be greater. They would abolish nine little parliaments,as they were called, and they would bring into existence nine-and-twenty bodies possessing legislative powers. The hon. gentleman praised the Provincial administration of Hokitika, and said that if the other provinces were like Hokitika, the charges made against provincialism would fall to the ground. Hewould vote against the second reading and oppose it at every stage and in every shape. Mr Mervyn was forcibly struck by tbe unanimity shown by the objectors to the bill. Their .great objection seemed to. be that the time was inopportune, and that the people were takeii by surprise. Bit there was no foundation for these objections, because the question had for the last tvvelvj month's occupied the attention ot the people of New Zealand. He could inform the House that when he was elected it was distinctly uponthe question of abolition. Very much' needless stress 'had been laid upon the factthat- the bill mii vaded the people's rights, c but the ifact was studiously ignored that this measure was merely a makeshift, and "was only intended to pave the way for some-' thing more suitable. The honorable gentleman proceeded to show. that if provincialists had desired to improve the local Government they did not show it by their opinion towards the bill introduced in 1867. by Mr Stafford to grant local Government. And although in the following year his Road Board Bill was passed by a majority of six or seven, it dropped at that solely through the influence of the provincialises: His experience of provincial • management had not created any sympathy with them. He hadseen his district ,neg--, . lected systematically, by the Provincial government of otag),0 tag), while the revenue contributed by out districts ' waa lavished within thirty miles of; Dunedin. Another great cause of complaint he | had against provincialism, vvas the. way: •4? "w:bich tlje-waste lands were admin- a i istered. The land laws were made "with;;;! a view, to present they oißcupatioyi/by^| bona fide settle^;axfd^^toV^^|th^ original lea^eholders^aboutvtwSnl'^gr^M „ years to purchase, if notyine:sW^ole|g|^ (their runs at least the chmoes^p^Kny of them. , .. „ a ' t--""'- ■• •■■..;•. - „ ; -„ ;y yy l '&y;>yst