The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, JULY 13, 1894.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXI, Issue 1042, 13 July 1894, Page 4

The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, JULY 13, 1894.

We venture to predict that some con- ' siderable time must elapse before the people of this colony will have forgotten the recent proceedings in the House of Representatives over " Colonel " Fraser's appointment to the office of Sergeant-at-Arms. It is openly asserted that even if no statutory disqualification existed there are reasons of a personal character that should have acted as a bar to the " Colonel " being appointed , to any such position in the public sp.rvice. In the discussions that have taken place over the matter this point has, however, been but lightly touched upon and has been altogether subordinated to the legal and moral aspect of the question. And upon this feature nf the appointment tho action of the Premier has met with severe condemnation at the hands alike of supporters and opponents. The- Disqualification Act was passed in order to preserve the purity of Parliament and to prevent any Premier or Minister of an elastic conscience bribing members into' support by promises of appointments in the civil service or to other offices of emolument under their patronage. The Act declares it to be illegal to appoint any member of Parliament to any office

under the Crown until full twelve months shall have elapsed after the honorable gentleman has ceased to be a member. Colonel Fraser held a seat in last Parliament and consequently is ineligible to be appointed to or to hold such office till December next. .Colonel Fraser was a candidate for the Bay of Plenty seat at'last general election, but as both he and Mr Kelly stood in support of the present Government the Colonel retired from the contest at the request of the Premier, and, it is assorted, that he so retired on the promise of appointment to a seat in the Legislative Council. Since then it has been found either undesirable or impracticable to appoint fresh members to the Council in the meantime, and thus the Premier was unable to give the Colonel the alleged promised reward for his retirement from the Bay of Plenty contest. But a vacancy having occurred in the office of Se.rgeant-at-Arms in the House of Representatives the way seemed open for appropriately rewarding Colonel Fraser for the service he had rendered to the Government. True, there is a considerable difference in the social position of a Legislative Councillor and a Sergeant-at-Arms, but the. lack of honour in (he latter is compensated for by the additional sum of LSO per annum attaching to the' office, and there, therefore, seemed to be no difficulty on this scorn. When the new Speaker entered the House he was seen to be preceded by Colonel Fraser as Ser-geant-at-Arms. Enquiries elicited a reply from the Premier to the ' effect that no Sergeant-at-Arms had yet been appointed. Sir Robert Stout then moved that His Excellency the Governor he asked to fill the office. The motion was opposed by the Premier, who made it a party question, and it was lost. The Premier then moved that the appointment of Sergeant-at-Arms be deferred till the Ist day of December next, and in the meantime Colonel Fraser perform the duties but without fee or payment of any kind, either as salary or expenses. The question was again made a party one and the motion was carried by 34 to 13 votes. Sir Robert Stout's speech on this occasion is reported to have heen one of the most impressive ever delivered in the House. It was an impassioned appeal on behalf of the purity of Parliament, while in the most scathing terms he denounced the action of the Premier as immoral, and as a trick, a subterfuge to get behind and evade the Act. Mr Bell also , characterised the action as a trick, a dodge, and a scheme to evade the Act, and reminded the House that there : was a policy higher than all policies — ' viz, common honesty. He asked ; " was there one hon. gentleman on the Ministerial side who, if put on his ; oath and asked- 'ls this a juggle, a trick, or a scheme V would fail to ■' answer ' Guilty upon my honour.' " . And what was the reply of the Minis- • terialists 1 Mr Kelly frankly admitted \ an error of judgment had been made by the Government, but it' was not of sufficient importance to cause him to cast his vote against them. Mr Graham regarded the motion as an evasion of the law, and he regretted that it had been moved, but would give his vote in support of the party he was returned pledged to support. MiMacintosh admitted that the Government had committed an error of judgment, but he would be no party to harassing them on that account. Mr M'Lachlin admitted that the Premier had got into a terrible mess over this question, and that it was the worst piece of administration that the Labour Government had been guilty of, but even at the. expense of being branded as a man without honour or principle, he should go into the lobby with the Government. But we need not multiply words. There was no attempt made to answer the charge of evading the law by trickery. The fact of Colonel Fraser being at his post as Sergeant-at-Arms and yet unable to draw the salary attached to the office was of itself evidence that the spirit of the law had been contravened. The law prevents his appointment to the office, but the letter of the law does not prevent him being appointed to perform the duties of the office, and these duties Colonel Fraser will now perform till "December 1, when he will be appointed to the office with full salary, and thus, notwithstanding the Disqualification will Act receive out of the public purse his reward for political services rendered to the Government. There may be cases where unjust laws are more honored in the breach than in the observance, but the Disqiialifica- . tion Act is not an unjust law ; it. is a law to 'preserve the purity of Parliament, and it has now been evaded for the express purpose of reopening the door for wholesale bribery and corruption. Strange' that no fewer than 34 members of the House should be found ready to countenance such a proceeding and vote for such a motion. It was no party question, but the Premier, knowing his men, declared that his Ministry would stand or fall by it. His followers knew that, if defeated, the Premier would make every eftorfc to obtain a' dissolution, and that if he succeeded they would have to account to the electors, when many of them might return no more and thus . would lose their L2O arnonth aH the year round, the money being secured against' attachment by voracious' butchers,

bakers, grocprs, and other creditors j who supply their wives and families j with the necessaries of life during the sojourn of numbers in Wellington. There is also a fear lest a new Ministry J might decide to reduce the salaries of both Ministers and nicmbors during the present depression and the spvp.ro distress of th« unemployed, and thus members might sufiVr in their pockets by any change. It is through such personal and pecuniary considerations that the Premier manages to preserve such a hold over his followers. He knows their weak points ; he knows how to counteract the promptings of their consciences and turn all to the furtherance of his own ends. Such tactics and such selfishness cannot surely long hold sway in New Zealand. Surely such incidents as the Fraser appointment will tend to open the eyes of the ppople to the true character and aims of their representatives, and lpad to a change in the direction of truth, honesty, and patriotism.