The Daily Telegraph MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1882.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3529, 30 October 1882, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1882.

The complimentary banquet given at Gisborne last week to Mr A. McDonald, M.H.R. for the East Coast, was, comparatively speaking, a success. Gisborne is not a large town, and the weather was not propitious, so that it is not surprising only some hundred guests sat down out of a list of one thousand invitations. Mr Carlaw Smith occupied the chair, and amongst the guests were Sir G. S. Whitmore and Mr C. A. DeLautour, M.H.R. Mr S. Locke and Captain Porter, both of whom contested tbe election with Mr McDonald, were also present to show that political differences, and a contest for parliamentary honors, had in no way broken the friendly disposition that should always exist between the represented and the representative. A.s Mr Locke said, in reply to one of the toasts, " they had passed through their seasons of strife, and now it was the season of peace; but when the time came round they would possibly fight again. It was their duty now to back up Mr McDonald, and he intended to lend him his hearty support while he was the representative of the district. He had gained the position he held by a fair fight, and he was entitled to all the honors they were showering upon him." The toast of the evening was of course that of Mr McDonald, which was proposed by the chairman, who, after reviewing the political struggles they had gone through in Poverty Bay, referred to a suggestion thrown out by a local paper that Mr McDonald, having gone so far, should now turn his back upon Sir George Grey and his party, but all he could say was this—should Mr McDonald ever turn his back on the party who put bim in the House, to a man they wouid turn their back on him. From this it may be gathered that there is still a small knot of devoted adherents

of Sir George Grey to be found at Gisborne, though v.c venture to think they would have scarcely obtained a representative had Captain Porter not been so ill-advised as to . plitvotes with Mr Locke. Tbe member for tbe East Coast is by profession a Liberal, but he has hardly yet been recognised as a politician. It would be, perhaps, a difficult matter for him to expound the principles of his party's policy, or, indeed, to say with any degree of certainty whether or not bis party bad a policy at all. Mr De Lautour even found himself cornered when he felt constrained to touch upon this subject. He is reported to have said, at this same banquet, that " the Liberal party had this platform—Advance, Progress—and they wanted no other." He went on to say that " the present House of Representatives, directly it finds its true level, will very quickly lead tbe van of progress in New Zealand. He contended that a strong Liberal party was in both Houses at present, but before they made their power properly felt they would have to arrive at some fixity in their constitution. Referring to the last session of Parliament, he said they could not hope to formulate all they bad to do in a few weeks. But they should make up their minds to sit as long as there was work to be done. They were all striving to secure the greatest possible happiness for the people of New Zealand. The present Government bad done a good work, but they had finished their course, and others very soon would bave to take up the reins of power. Tbe members of the present Government felt that they would soon have to give way to others. If this is the only consolation the members of the Liberal party can offer themselves it is poor comfort. It is, however satisfactory to think that even_ Mr De Lautour can award some credit to tbe Government for good work done. But why they should have finished their course because they have done good work only Mr De Lautour perhaps can say. The closing hours of tbe session afforded no indication of the weakness of the Ministry, nor was it seen that the Opposition bad in any way strengthened their own position. The reverse, indeed, was plainly observable ; commencing the session without a leader worthy of the name, without a policy of any sort whatever, having neither organisation nor back-bone, the prorogation saw them leaving the House in units at their own sweet pleasure, while tbe Government just carried all before them with a rush. Such was the sorry spectacle presented by an Opposition that boasts of representing the liberal feeling of tbe country; such was tbe conduct of men who bave the hardihood to entertain the idea that from their ranks a strong and useful Government could be formed. The senseless commonplace cry, ''Progress," may do for the gentlemen who would turn their backs on Mr McDonald should he turn his back to " his party." but it will hardly serve in other communities where real progress is preferred to the mere emptiness of the utterance.