PARTY.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIV, Issue 1018, 31 March 1857, Page 2

PARTY.

"For the first time, since the introduction of the Constitution Act, the Province has peen utterly sacrificed to party." Such is the case, under the present Government, with scarcely the decency to attempt concealment. It was not so in the time of Superintendent Wynyard, at least if we except the last act of administration— his retiring from office by way of resignation to himself, instead of by way of Provincial dissolution. The election of Colonel Wynyard was a fatal error ; but his Government, though indolent, and meagre in resource, was decent, upon the whole. It was weak, characterized by the desire to avoid responsibility — by the fear of being "hit at" — by an abandonment of the Government to one half portion of the Legislature — the Provincial Council ; but it was not ingrainedly mischievous. We admit, indeed, that the dominant party kept the official loaves and fishes to themselves — that they considered office as lawful prize, the winnings of their bow and of their spear — that they made the most of what in the United States is termed "The Spoils" j but we cast little blame upon them for that. They had to fulfil promises, and to reward adherents. Partial distribution of office was then excusable, because, that Government being the first under the new order of things, no office holders were displaced hy it. A complete oßrctal staff had to be created, of necessity. The only inconvenience involved in party selection was, that from restriction of choice, the most efficient men were not always chosen. The staff were selected from the area of a half circle, instead of from that of the whole. Errors were made Dy that Government j but, as we believe, mainly for the want of knowing better. Expecting, at first, a four years' tenure of office, they could afford to be reasonably fair for three, and had no inducement to the throwing away of public money on electioneering jobs. I Mr. Brown, successor to Colonel Wynyard, quietly accepted his predecessor's staff. His opponents, with their, usual misapprehension of character, had assumed that he would "make a clean sweep" of office; but he was aware that if the Province is to be well served, if the most efficient officers are to be obtained, that they must have reasonable expectation of permanence in office. He set the example of repudiating the American practice, and abstained from touching "The Spoils." As to the hustings, we can testify, fiom personal knowledge, that the word was not so much as allowed to be mentioned in the Superintendoot's Office. Dire' offence was even given to several of his supporters, from the severity with whicu they were dealt, when the expenditure of public money was concerned. Nor was the influence of Government brought ! to bear upon elections. No attempt was ever made to influence the vote of any person in the public seivice. These persons are still in the Province, and can come forward, if we mis-state. We are aware of but one instance in which the subject was touched upon, and that was io the contrary effect. A Government Officer, whose relatives were well known to be of the opposite party, was sent for by Mr. Brown, and recommended to vote against Dr. Campbell, in order to obviate the possibility of family disagreement. The officer in question replied, that he intended not to vote at all. Dr. Campbell trod the path indicated by his predecessor. And we may here observe, what is of peculiar significance atpresent, that he denuded himself of that great source of political influence, employment on the public works, by accepting a resolution, passed in Council by the party now in power, that the works should be executed upon the system of public tender, andnotby Government employment of day labour. Are the present Government able to say the same ?

Even the apportionment of tbe revenue over different parts of the Province, for public works, — another fertile source of party influence, was preterraitted by the late Government, having been abandoned to a disinterested party, the Board of Works, whose recommendations were invariably adopted. Even since the accession of the present Government to office, the Progress side of Council, consistent throughout, abstained from party action. They stated, at the commencement of the Session, that they would not form themselves into a banded opposition, that wherever the Government measures were fair and straightforward, they would cheerfully support them And here we take occasion to offer somft^ remarks upon one paragraph of an exceedingly well reasoned and temperate inquiry into the question of the disputed election, extracted in another column from the 'Nelson Examiner,' in which the writer suggests the possibility of another course having been adopted. The paragraph in question is as follows : — At the stme time, and while believing it quite possible that the style of play avowed and pursued by the Auckland opposition may have forced an imitation of it on the Government, it is bat fair to observe, that the first manoeuvre in the present instance appears to have been resorted to by the Government, the resignation of whose member, or at least the proceedings consequent upon that resignation, seem to have been deliberately designed to embarrass the opposition ; while again the law construed by any unbiassed judgment, seems equally decisive against the mode -in which the manoeuvre has been played off. Considering the extreme violence with which party feeling has so often been manifested in this Province, we can easily understand a southern \ journalist manifesting some incredulity as to the abnegation of it, on any occasion, in the Auckland Council. He will probably, in his secret mind, assimilate the pacific proceedings of the Progress Party to those of the Vampire Bat, which sooths the victim into deeper sleep, by carefully fanning with its wings, while making an ample meal upon the blood. The writer's suggestion is couched in the gentlest form. But he is so far in error. Certainly, there is a party in the Auckland Provincial Council who believe that we have gotten ourselves into the hands of those who are ignorant of the commonest principles of Government, who are not superior to playing a trick, wheneugr it may suit a purpose, whose single object isthe rete ition of power, who are sacrificing the^ public revenue to political ends. But it did not suit the purpose of that party to establish an organized opposition, or even to act as a party. They clearly saw that the Province wanted a lesson ; that the Government should be allowed the longest tether of folly : that instead of attempting to arrest the disease, the natural crisis ought rather to be waited for. They perfectly well understood that the Province "must be worse before it was better;" and believed with Hotspur, that "out of that nettle, danger, they could pluck the flower, safety." *. It was not through them tbe dead-lock %s bmught about. They did all they could do to hinder the Superintendent from locking the doors upon himself; not indeed from any affection of sympathy with him, but because they believed that all was premature. Yet they had no option about the course to pursue. They could not have acted otherwise without dereliction of duty. They had no choice but to affirm what no one ever doubted, that Mr. Graham was the sitting member, and strongly felt that when the Superintendent invited the Council to rescind their resolution, he asked them to vote a lie. Tins a plain fact, which it is our duty to put into plain words Party/feeling had nothing whatever to do with "The dead lock." But we do not the less for that assert that Party feeling does exist on both sides, in the strongest possible form. It has been throughout the great hindrance to the advancement of the Province, and the cause of that burlesque upon self-government with which our Southern neighbours reproach us. But the province is not alone to blame. Extraneous causes, for which we are but half responsible, have operated to create and to nurse disunion. Governor Grey began it. True to his divide ut imperes system, he never let slip the opportunity of setting the colonists by the ears among themselves, in order to divert attention from himself. He had ample means of effecting bis object, for he had the power of working upon self interest. He had tbe command, practically uncontrolled, of the Colonial revenue, together with the Parliamentary grant. He found a body of settlers, mixed up with land claims in every conceivable form of complication, and during the period of his Government had the power of dealing with dhose claims almost at .pleasure. Noi did hecven scruple to commit absolute illegalities, such, for instance, as the cancelling and re-issue of grants, in furtherance of his ends. Holding despotic authority, (for his Legislative Council was a farce,) he could grant or refuse favours, more various than would be readily believed in England, in accordance with the kn.own political views of applicants. He could make it "worthwhile" to be well with the Government; and those who profited, feeling themselves lowered in opinion, turned with the bitterest acrimony upon those who had not been deterred, by considerations of self interest, from the expression of independent opinion. To the manner in which he caused religious and sectarian differences to play their part in his service, to the artfulness by which he turned into profit ,thatj>itterest of all hatreds — the odium theologicus^ a mere allusion will suffice, But the mention of it, among the causes of party in Auckland, must not be entirely omitted. From the beginning to the end of his career, in every imaginable mode he carefully fostered party. And although party had not the opportunity, for want of representative institutions, of fully developing itself during Governop Grey's career, he left it in a condition of vigorous growth. - Governor Grey had committed himself <to the statement that Auckland, (for there alone had he been effectually foiled,) was not yet fit for self Government. Unfortunately, he possessed the means of making, his own assertion come true, or nearly so, and used them to the utmost. He left his sting behind Mm. By a fatality which appears, to attach to Auckland, and as if to do avay with the remotest chance of the party, spirit excited by Governor Grey subsiding, the first contest for the Superintendency was between a civilian and a military man, on full pay. Had the contest lain between two civilians, tbe feeling excited by it might have died away with the occasion. The losers would have consoled themselves with a joke upon the fortune of war. But as the successful candidate was merely a stranger, necessarily, by his profession, unconnected with the colony, brought forward to subserve Wesleyan hatred towards Mr. Brown, — as he was not elected by the voice of the Province, having been absolutely in a minority when official and garrison votes were subtracted, party feeling continued at its height until Colonel Wynyard was ordered to resign. Wynyardites and Brawnites being well nigh forgotten, Party passed into another phase. A spirit of exclusive nationality — the most fatal calamity that can happen t.> a British colony, was carefully excited, and fanned iuto a flame

by those whose interest it was that party contentions should not cease. Although there be no single cause of criev.inco or of rivalry in this country, among the three principal races of which the British nation is composed, although there lie no reason whatever why their amalgamation should not be perfect, in Now Zealand, a scheme was organized for pitting the Ifljjj) against tho Scotch, and was steadily persevered in, until would seem hopeless. This last development of party fooling, being founded on the broadest basis, we consider as the most dangerous, and the least curative of all. Those who raised it have much to answer for. Leaving out of sight the unchr'stian Tike spirit which it has generated, throughout the remotest nooks of the proviuce, taking it simply in a political point of view, the result has been an increasing distaste to perform the duties imposed upon the citizen by representativp institutions, and amongst a few, a desire to be relieved from them altogether.