OBITUARY

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 615, 18 September 1909, Page 10

OBITUARY

. *- .'. ']. EX : PREMIER' SIB THOSIAS BENT. ] .'(By^'Tpjeiirapb.— .Association.—Copyrlc!U> ;.,,i\..:.. '.':!; .'' ,';. i .''M'olb()'ui , 'n?, Scpt o ™^ l- ; '"-Th'e'death: is 'announced , 'of Sir Thomas Bbnt, formerly' Premier, of Victoria, aged, 70. : ' ' TEDBUAIi TIiIBUTES. . . (Rec; Sbptombcr. 18, 1.20 a.m.) . Melbourne, September 17,: . Sir Thos. Bent died suddenly. A -slight attack- of pneumonia supervoned on influenza. Leading members of 'the Federal House of Representatives paid trilintes to. deceased. ; Sir Thomas Bent, who was knighted in 1008, was born, in "Penrith, ■'Now South 'Wale!* in December, 1838, and in 18W settled in Victoria. For many years he followed what ho delighted to call tho lower branch of tho agr.ioultoi-0.1 profession—market gardening at Brighton. Hi? political career" commenced in, 1871, when ho defeated Mr. George Higinbotbam'for, the representation of Brighton in the Victorian As--seinbly. '. : Within- nino;or .ten years ho was fecond. id command in .the "O'Loghlon-Bent .Government but .• his .career ..on that : occasion was short, :and .(hat.- there' wore .'.many yeais.-m the' itynoi. <1 ariness. of Opposition, and sogae year?- of ...outer-darkness of. private life. In, 1892 ■Hβ was elected Speakor of ; this Victorian,. Assembly. ■ He not a success in the chair, and at tho next election he lost his seat fer Brighton.. In 1902 tho Ministry which succeeded Sir Alexander- Peacock was being formed by Mr. W. H. Irvine. ■•Mγ. . Bent', who had agfcin' gained. the favourablo. ear of tho electors i of Brighton,"was given tho offico of Minister for Railways, and in, 1901 eucceeded Mr. Irvine as Premier.' Tho position of his Government was greatly weakened by 1908, and ho tried some adroit changes in tho personnel of his Cabinet,'with the'object of strengthening it; but tho decline , continue, and in December last tho Bent Government, after some mouths of a chequcfed. existence, fell before a censure ■ motion, moved' by: Mr. Murray,' tho present, Premier. • ~: '.''■■■'.'■ Sir, Thomas Bent was a bluff political ■ personality whose very' Tinconvqntibnalities—which were, many and diverse—appealed to a considerable section, ,of tko public, Some of his traits appeared to be modelled on tho popular figure cut by the lato Mr, Sqddoh,'.but Victoria gradually got tired'of Bent and Bentisms. He-loft office under the shadow of certain charges as to having, while Premier, used hwvppsition to traffick:in' certain , .lands to his pnvato advantage."! This" shadow 'was'''lifted in : July:-last,-.'..whei| ;it".-was cabled "from .Mel(jonrne:: "Tho Bent Land •"' 'Commission has .completed its ropbrt. ■ Itis uhdorstbod'that tho report exonerates Sir .Thomas Uerit, arid finds that he! did not benefit by ; the land transactions, effected-whilo, ho was , . Premier." ' • ■■ , :. That tho deceased politician was a hitter.was demonstrated by an almost' historic attack made'by him on the lato Mr. David Syme and IV s f™?? 5 * 0 ? 3 ' 5° complained to his audience .that tho lato David Syme always wanted a politician to be,at his. beck and call. Ho sent for me many a time, and thoro are many here to-night who know it; but I said, 'No;'I am not going to be guided or directed--by you; '(App ause.); 1 havo been elected by a srreat constituency'' , (Applause) ■ Mr. Bent • werit on to say_ that after the "Ago" congratulated him on v his Gaming BiU-tho late , David' Syme always: spoke about his morality-tho' "Ago" *J? d ']"? Ar K as brok e: the law by publishinc the odds. Tho lato Mr. Symo was iD/aud S! solicitor and my friends came to me and. askert me in -consequenco.of .his illness, whether I would refrain from Vosccuting Mr.. Syme. I sympathised, aud I can assure you I was, i n . S? ln f. nt »t'.\'»-,?<>' because .he ' )Vas 'So ill; 1 '■: t°?s; -"i ,4 ' ~T t <> " "■. t h « . Cabinet' ' '■' I "did ny best when.l;went. to' the- Cabinet,', but my colleagueg said, ■Wo.;will.ppstponb.:.it;.but Parlianient,-!ind , vjow''df'wliah'he said l ,™ n»' fi6 ( i^& st ...# tm Wb'tis¥lS*The -?f ' w S ,le/ ' w hcn"h6' hoard the news, ftp late Mr.:Symo said,-"Wfite him outwr to-him- out." That was me. (Laughtoi-.) ' writlr, tn ■'■'&£' ¥', to ' d^»; W* leader writers to write, mo ont.but thoy can't doit Applause.) ,H e ,cannot,-and'they can't do'it ; fe^-T , ' i>™M 'l' «peak' ou; . -yon will-be'. blnmJ&'« iJffi say: ... f^ ,