COLONIAL GOVERNORS. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 131, 1 December 1888, Page 4

COLONIAL GOVERNORS. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir— ln my first letter I attempted to deal with tho more personal quoatiou of the appointment of Mr. Blake, afterwards Sir H. Blako, to the Governorship of Queonslannd. I now propose to consider the olaim of the oolonien generally to have a voico in selection of their Governors. And first, lot me point ont that this is a claim made by all the Australian colonieß exoopt Victoria, or rather I may say " the present Parliament of Viotoria, because it ia extremely probable that if this became a prominent question at a general election the decision of the present Parliament would be reversed. Let ns look for a moment at the position — South Australia first asserted with success her right to reject a Qovernor ; Queensland, at first modestly desirous of being confidentially consulted as to the proposed Governor, ia now driven into tho necessity of demanding a formal veto. In New South Wales, on the 22nd inst., an address to Her Majesty was carried by 45 to 2 in the Popular House, which conoluded thus :— "That ■ it is thought advisable, reasonable, and in strict aoco'd with the privileges constitutionally conferred on Australian subjects, that the Government should be informed who is the person selected as Governor boforo ho ia actually appointed." ] The Premior of New Zealand, Sir H. Atkinson, is reported to have been interviewed on tho 13th inst.; and to have said :—": — " That while not agreeing with the aotion of Sir Thomas M'llwraith he would protest in a similar manner if the Colonial Office attempted to appoint as Governor of NewZealand any gentleman whom the Government considered objeotionableor unsuitable. " What distinction Sir Harry draws botweon himsolf and Sir T. M'llwraith it is hard to cay, sinco the constitutional question is equally raised if the right of rejeotion of tv Governor is claimed before or after his formal appointment ; tho olaim in the latter case would only lead to a more serious conflict, and it ia this very conflict which has been forcod on the Queensland Premier by Lord Knntsford's refusal of the first proposal. Here then we have a common consensus of opinion, Viotoria alone dissenting, that the Australian colonies should have a voice in the appointment of their Governors. It is perfectly certain that this right will be conoeded. Some journals have been at infinite pains to depict the torrible results of such a demand. It would be mpoh more to the purrose if they would consider what would be the result of the refusal of the demand.. England holds the Australian colonies under her soeptro on the one condition of not thwarting their wishes. It is only the lightness and elasticity of the tie that causes it to be maintained. Other writers of the press have written long and elaborate articles on the constitutional powers of the oolonies, and have gone into columns of paroxysm ovor the wiokedness and folly of Sir T. M'H wraith in daring to trespass over the blaok-line'l margin of some wonderful parohroont constitution. They are quite beside themselves at the idea of a colonist having any riehts at all outside this parchment. ' Really, sir, I do not know whothor to 1)0 amused at tbis silly display of pedantry, or to give way to my indignation, that stuff like this should be offered in the year 1888 to the people of Now Zealand. The oolonies havo no right, forsooth, but what the parchment constitution gives thorn ! Why, sir, one would think that the world bad gone back Borne 120 years, and that we wore living under the reign of George 11 1., and tho administration of Mr Grenvillo. It was just each silly Tory pedantry as this, such " misunderstanding of tho rights and pretonsions of colonial communities who had carried with them the laws and franchises of Englishmon," as lost the Araorioan Colonies to England, and caused her the pain and humiliation of an unsuccessful civil war. Not only have new Constitutions been granted from time to time to the colonies by the English Parliament, .but the oolonies have by their own power revised* their own Constitutions'. What has become of tho New South Wales Constitution of 1842, with 'its single chamber? What has become of the constitutions of 1850 granted to Victoria, South ' ~Ha,. and Van Dieman's Land, with -■•"•.tubers, and tho oue- third of *od by the Crown ! It •*"»re altered in -'•tution

of 1850. True ! The constitution of 1850 wns elastic, and fortunately bo, for it has been stretched till almost every limit of it is mdificorniblo. Constitutions are liko the clothoß of boyhood, which mnst be cast aside for tho ampler habiliments of tho man, and the Australian is proverbially rapid in his growth. But let us see what agieat writer aaya on this question. "In those oolonieß tho majority of tho Domooratio Assembly, for the timo being, are absolute mastora of tho colonial Govornment; they can overcome the resistance of tho Legislative Council, and dictato conditions to the Governor, and indirootly to the parent Stato " Those are tho words of Sir Erakine May, who, with the wisdom of experience and tho mature judgmpnt of a ripo know-lodge, digceras tho truth with unerring paucity. It may be said, if tbis bo so, where ia it to atop ? 1 candidly cojilcsh that I see no permanent halting placo tbis n'do of Tndnpondence. But, I assert with considerable oonfidenoo, that any attempt to violently arrest the progress of the Australian people towards this independent nationality will precipitate tho event »nd that which will, if Engljoh statesmen are wise, take placo with tho imperceptible progress of a natural development, and accomplish itsolf withont any kind of catastrophe, will, if an attempt is made to control or coorco it, under the assertion of a aupreme authority, take tho form of a violont disruption of the British Colonial Empire. It ia a misfortune that bo considerable a portion of the preßß of thia colony is entirely ont of touch with thia movement of tho Aubtralian colonies. Sooner or later that large Continent of Anatralia will decide the future of New Zealand. It will bo tho chief Pacific Power, and it will bo impossible for Now Zealand to bo unaffected by its policy. No one can say whether tho influenco will be politically and socially good or not. Bnt one cannot but be Btruck by the very small knowledge, ahown by tho proßa of this colony, of Australia, and Australasian affairs. While by some journals whole columns of dreary leading articlea are constructed ont of a boiling down of the opinions of tho English Preaa on what ia termod "Tho Enropean Situation," and othors delight to show a vain intimacy with tho " Almanach de Gotha" and to have all the pedigrees of Prinoekina and tho alliancea of noble lords at thoir finger ends; some, more narrow-minded, still exhibit their detestation of democracy in a persistent sneering at tho Australian people and their premier statesman. That this last folly ia tfno largely to prejudice and ignorance does not mafco it the less doplorablo. Wo want to havo our ideas widenodratherthannarrowed. Wohavemuch to contend against in the dispersion of our urban population into five widely separated provincial towns. The tendency of all suoh small centres is to a certain narrowness and conservatism, and to tho exaltation of inferior men— men who, in the large cities of Australia, would find themselves quickly discounted to thoir true valup. A totally different measuro exists of publio men in tho large citios of Australia, and thoso there who aspire to beoome leaders of public opinion, or to tako a leading position in publio lito, must havo some very solid qualitiPH, while they may be irretrievably loßt in tho ÜBe of the aspirate. A different standard of value is thero appliod to publio men, based on a widor estimate of the power and capabilities of tho people. It is cortain that tho Australians aro j stoadily growing into a nation. Yon cannot hinder this growth, but you may certainly precipitate the cominif of age. It was I think suggested in a journal the other day that if Qaeondand separated from England 3ho might find a Chinese Bbip of war_ in Brisbane harbour to demand _ reckoning from hor for anti-Chineso legislation. Tho writer failed to boo that tho appearanoo of a Chinese ship of war under suoh oonditiona wonld inßtantly convert Australia into a nation. From the whole cirolo of tho continent armed men would pour into Qaeensluurt to fight for Australia. That Chinese warship would prove the alembic in which all the refractory ores of hoßtilo tariffa and iuter-oolouial jealousies would be inßtantly fused. It ia only nocessary to make that one warship into six, or to convert it into a hostile armament from Russia or Germany, and Australia will reooive hor baptism of blood, from which eho would arise to tako her proud place among tho nations of the world, tho destined Queen of the Pacific. I am, &0., 26th November. Order.