The Dominion. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1910. A SORRY SPECTACLE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 950, 18 October 1910, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1910. A SORRY SPECTACLE.

- During last week we reprinted* some, extracts from: the Dunedin Star, which on two .separate [occasions expressed in;.very, strong terms its disgust at the Prime Minister's ignoble surrender to the '.'parochial" clarnPur of Auckland in [the matter 1 of. the Government House, and [even went the-length, of .suggesting' that the public should rise up and hurl the' Government from,office, at [the. next election'.. We have now to show our contemporary in another mood '—its■■ fury-', all gone, its anger arid despair replaced by affection' and hope, its. rage against.tho : Prime Minister's .'folly and pusillanimity forgotten in a warm remembrance of his justice .and .practical wisdom. And [to what-is due this bewildering change from ; the _ vitriolic to the oleaginous? .Nothing more [nor less than the visit of the Prime Minister to the Lawrence district for the pur-' pose of discovering the • hidden virtues in the. Lawrence-Roxburgh line, which, he condemned with so much force and firmness a little while ago. "We can assui-e..[. the Prime .Minister," the Star begins, "that the; people of Otago highly appreciate his,action in coming 'down from Wellington at this somewhat critical stage of the_ session to .make.a- personal investigation of' the circumstances' surrounding the LawrenceRoxburgh; railway project." He is only fulfilling a .definite .-promise,' adds our contemporary, "still,' the, fact remains that Sir Joseph Ward is putting himself., to ...a .great dial of trouble, and- we are' afraid, that the hurried.nature.of the trip and the' state; of the 'lyeather : .preclude much . incidental.: A banquet might have-assisted, no doubt, but what could a banquet and fine weather do more : than the feast of;praise and the atmosphere of.affection an d sol ioitu de that on r 0 tago friends were certain to "provide for tho visitor ? No '.doubt everybody outside Dunedin will smile[ cynically at the: Star's' soothing, words .'.arid its, gratitude for, the Prime' Minister's great kindness in putting ':'■ [himself out: Butwo do not share that.view.. We, are, sure" that : bur contemporary is quite sincere, even, though it does know; that the Prime Minister, is prepared to . put himself .to -any amount 'of trouble if the reward is votes.' Indeed, thoro.[are few 'things'' he will not gladly dp' for that worthy, purpose. [, lie will; perform somersaults, -for .it ['that"ate,;'beyond ,'■ the' courage or capacity of smaller men.. ■'. "Once mPre," we aro also told,, "despite all[the disillusionments-'pf' the past, the inhabitants [of the city and province are full of hope; N forthis [visit at -least:.implies that the.! head of the Goyernraent still has. an open -mind -in i. relation', to the [vexed [question of,:the railway.",: One can'-.' r not help feeling alittle sorryfor bui ,A ' contemporary's long anxiety Von the point.. It would'have Bpared itself: much heedless /suffering by. asking itself _ whether there -is any debatable issue. upon -which the mind of tho head of the Government, if'it is:not wide,open,: is .at -any .rate 'so lightly: closed that.it swings wide to the lightest pressure from the proper quarter. ,We.arc'.'not favoured with the', Prime; Minister's; -confidence,: but'we think we may confidently' assure the Dunedin : journal, 'that ."its doyout trust- that it will'be possible to couch pur remark's: iira : c6n->' gratiilatory strain" is not misplacodi The final sentences of its article-must be quoted- litexat-im': ":■;; : 'JJ:.'■ "■

■Wo say nothing to-day, about old pledges and past disappointments. '-We,leave';the' matter, to Sir Joseph Ward's..sensb of fairness and practical " intelligence—reminding him that the people of Otagb.are a forgiving folk, and that bygouos will be bygones, so far as they are concerned, if the Government will.,now do the right thing. ;■■'..'■ .. j-..-;.'.. ■._•'. ;■-.;;,'.>.: To/many it 'will appear strange and shacking tJjat' the newspaper -'.which,, says all these things— which appeals to the,; Prime ~Minister to reverse. ; : a : '''decision • that earned him the-Congratulations'- of everybody outside Otago, and which trusts' itself to his "sense of fairness and practical intelligence"—is , the; newspapor that during the preceding 'week had said, apropos of. his'''.'disgraceful volte face" over the Auckland Government House;','thai' his "shiftiness" was "the talk of the country, "that he had made a "complete and abject surrender- to .the blatant pretensions of an Auckland claque," that ,he: "deserved every: discomfiture that might be.in/store" for his Government,.that-."had the Government 'adhered: -manfully .to their .first policy, they, might have; lost a seat or two in :the' Auckland" province, but .'they ' would have strengthened their position in the south," and, finally, .that "by their 'yes-no', attitude: they- ; have only oarned general censure, and we hope that the > electors will treasure '.up this, ignoble surrender,, and be _ prepared to. mark their sense of ; it at the next general election."' fYet-we feel suro that the Star is sincere in both cases, It honestly believes that tho,case for the Lawrence-Roxburgh line is as.excellent ,as the case' for the retention of tho Auckland Government House appears to the Auckland members. And' what is the lesson of this sorry, situation I Surely this: That tho first dutyVof those who cherish the true interests of the nation as a whole is to sweep away tho Government that,turns large communities into furious beggars alternately fawning for alms and cursing each other's claims to charity. Could there be. conceived a more powerful argument for the destruction of the present, system of Ministerial and Executive autocracy—for the emancipation of the country from the insolent despotism of an Executive that tho sovereign Parliament meokly accepts as its master ? ;