Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1881.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 62, 16 March 1881, Page 2

Evening Post . WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1881.

THE FUNCTIONS OF A GOVERNOR. ♦ Pbacticallt the first important public speech yet delivered in New Zealand by bis Excellency Sir Arthur Gordon was that in which he responded to the toast of his health at the Chriatchurch banqnet hist Saturday evening. Considerable interest, therefore, naturally arches to his remarks, more especially as Sir Ari hue appears to ! have be«n aware that his advent hither had ' been preceded by various minors that he I held somewhat prononnced views as to the functions of a Governor, which might be suitable to a Crown Colony but not to one possessing Constitutional Government. He could hardly fail, indeed, to be conscious that doubts have been expressed from time I to time whether he did not entertain opinions on this head which were likely to be extremely unacceptable to New Zealand colonists. His Excellency has taken the best possible means to disabuse the public mind of this idea by boldly meeting the suggestion half way, and 7 while thoroughly sweeping away any misapprehension which may have existed on the subject, stating in clear, vigorous language his own views as to the duties and functions appertaining to his high office. Sir Arthur Gordon's ipsissima yerba are worth quoting. He said — ' ' I think it not impossible that those who have been curious enough to investigate the antecedents of my career may have exchanged doubts and expressed alarm, and said to one another — what is perfectly well known — that for many years— fifteen — I hare been exclusively engaged in the Government of what are called Crown Colonies, that t is to say of countries where the whole executive power and a preponderating voice in legislation are vested in- the Governor ; and that for the last five years I have exercised a power even more absolute than is generally the case in Colonies of that description, and it may be asked; nay; I ant'snro that it has been asked, ' Is this a good school in which to learn the lessons of constitutional government P % "Will a man, who has had theee powers, submit to L the ,'restrainta( fchicL, are here imposed upon him ?'* Well, gentlembn, these are questions- which I cannot with propriety attempt to answer or even to discuss, but the fact that' it has been raised is sufficient to justify me in' making the. declaration I desire to make. I hold with the certainty of absolute conviction, that in Colonies where the mass* of the inhabitants out-number in great proportion those who hold the ruling power among them, of a different race, withdifferent habits of thought, different objects, and differents habits oflife, there it is essential, if we would avoid the ascendancy of a narrow, cruel, and selfish oligarchy, that power should be in the hands of one independent man But on the other han3; ! -y««d r &*b*ol^ljt-*h»fc^ a confc munity Bnon as this is, where the great majority of the inhabitants are men of English desoent and feeling*, not only is no other than such a Government as now exists possible, but no other is desirable. I wish this to be understood, that strong as is my conviction that, where the dominant race is in a small minority, power must be committed to one man, it is as strong that in a community like this it must rest with the people themselves.* ' This is a perfectly just and accurate theory ! as to the relative positions of Crown Colonies and those enjoying representative institutions. Still it could fairly have been rejoined that his Excellency might hold the most admirable theoretical* conceptions of the situation, and yet his mode of reducing it to practice might prove, arbitrary in the last! degree. His Excellency seeing t3 have anticipated the possibility of this rejoinder, and promptly disposed of it in advance. He proceeded ;— " But some will say ' that this is all very fine, we give you oredit for the best intentions, and you probably think now that you will only fill your constitutional place, but have you loarnt what that place isp Have the last fifteen years of your life fitted yon to know what are the restraints you must submit to ?' That, too, is a qnestion which I cannot possibly answer. I can only tell you this, that my estimate of the functions of a Colonial Governor is exactly that expressed not very long ago by the late Governor-General of Canada, himself one of the best of constitutional Governors, a man full of the wit and humour hereditary in the family of Sheridan, and endowed with ability and sound sense of his own. Things march fast in these days, and I dare Bay that speech, which made somenoise at the time, is now quite forgotton, and I may, therefore, be excused for repeating its substance. After giving in a speech made at a banquet like the present an elaborate and most able account of a Governor's duties, he summed up in this way: he said that the functions of a constitutional Governor most closely resembled those of 'the" htlmble individual who, dressed in a" white, fustian jacket, and carryisg a tin can vriih a long spout to it, hovers round some elaborate _ machinery, dropping a little oil into this joint, and a little oil into that. Those functions, humble as they are, are extremely useful in keeping the machinery moving without friction ; the man does not attempt to interfere with the working of the machine, or to play with the valves, but his oil-dropping keeps the whole concern moving smoothly and easily. I may also add, with all seriousness, that perhaps the man who has lived for some time in the exercise of despotic power is, of all others, the least likely to contend for miserable shreds and fragments,, > of authority which can in no case replace that power which he has given up." It is not surprising that these remarks were received with hearty applause. They demoto strate conclusively that our new Govjernor , has thoroughly mastered andappreoiatid the true theory of Constitutional Government, and of his own place therein. His speech will give all the more general satisfaction, inasmuch as some ill-informed persons, whose wish probably was father to their thought, have industriously disseminated rumours as to overbearing inclinations on the part of Sir Arthur Gordon which his frank and well-timed speech must clearly show that he does not in the least degree entertain.