The Evening post. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19. 1890. THE STRENGTH OF PARTIES.

Evening Post, Volume XL, Issue 147, 19 December 1890, Page 2

The Evening post. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19. 1890. THE STRENGTH OF PARTIES.

What purports to be the card showing the strength of parties in the House, as prioked by the Government, has been published. It is as follows : — Ministsrial, 35.— Atkinson, W.S.Allen, Bryoe, Buokland, Buchanan, Carroll, Duthie, Fergus, Goldie, Hamlin, Harkneas, HallLawry, J. Mills, Maoarthur, Moore, Mere, dith, Soobie Mackenzie, T. Maokanzie, Mitohelion, Newman, O'Conor, Palmer, G. F. Riohardson, Rolleston, Russell, Rhodes, Swan, X. Thompson, R.* Thompson, J. W. Thomson, Taipna, Valentine, Wilson, Wright. Opposition, 32.— Ballanos, Blake, Buiok, Cadman, Carncroaa, Dnnoan, Dawson, Earnahaw, Fish, Fisher, Guinness, W. Hutchison, G. Hutohison, Hogg, Hall- Jones, Joyce, W. Kelly, J. Kelly. C. Mills, J, M'Kenwe, Maokintoih, Pinkerton, Perceval, W. P.

Reeves, Rees, R. Reeves, Shera, W. C. Smith, Seddon, Steward, Tajlor, Tanner. DooBTfUL, 6 — Houston, Maodonald, E. M. Smith, Sounders, Parata, Ward. This is a very nice little Hat as it stands. It is so beautifnlly arranged, in fact, as to render it necessary to analyse it. We shall only refer to one or two names. The first ia Mr. Allen. This gentleman has been absent from the colony for a considerable time. Be came out here, bought a property in the Te Aroha district, went Home again, and has not yet returned, bavin? been elected in his absence. What warranty have Ministers, therefore, for reckoning so confidently on his support when ho comes back ? As a former member of tho House of Commons bo will probably be fonnd to have somewhat precise ideas of honour, and of the sanctity of au agreement, even with a political opponent. The possession of any such old-fashionod English ideas by Mr. Allen would of course be very inconvonient, as holding them he wonld be quite unable to support the Ministry. Then we come to Mr. Bryoe. Nice sort of Ministerial Bnpporter he. is, who a few weeks ago wob wailing to the electors of Waikato over " the deterioration of Parliament," " of which last Bession was a frightful example," the Government being rospoi.fiiblo for it through their " feebleness." The Ministerial condnot he Bummed up in these words: — "When the prosecution of a measure in the House has seemed dangerous to the retention of office, the paramount consideration in the minds of Ministers has seldom appeared doubtful." How anxious Mr. Bryce rnuat ba to Iceop this Ministry intact in office, in order that thoy may pursue a similar policy in sessions yet to come ! The next name to attract attention in the Ministerial Hat is that of Mr. Duthie. What a thorough-going supporter Mr. Duthie is may be gathered from the following fragment of his spceoh at the Opera House : — " For about a quarter of a century he (Mr. Duthie) had admired Sir Harry Atkinson, but lie regretted that he could not now undertake to support him. The failure to carry useful measures ir tbe last Parliament mußt bo laid at tbe door of Ministers rather than tbe Parliament itaelf, for they had introduced financial measures which were at variance with the views of their own party. They we; o thus obliged i o rely npon the Opposition to carry tha measures through, and this led to Parliamentary demoralisation. Last session the illness of the Premier made matters worse, and he feared that before we could again have really good Government tho present Ministry must be turned out. Tbongh he might possibly be fonnd on thoir side of tbe House, it their party still survived, ho yet thought it was necessary to make a fresh start " In his published address again Mr. Dathie emphatically declared "thero must be a reconstruction." There cannot be a reconstruction until tho present Ministry resigns as a whole. A mere chango of one or two holders of portfolios is not reconstruction, and Mr. Duthio is pledged therefore to vote against the Ministry as it st jnds, in order to secure reconstruction. There are many others in tho Ministerial list ot "supporters" similarly pledged, ! ut it really is not worth eroing any further through the names The list is ludiorouely misleading. One singular featuro of the card, however, is tho persistence of the Ministry in placing Mr. T. K. Macdonnld amongst the Doubttuls. They will not believe him when he cays he belongs to the Opposition, but treat tho declaration as a joke, Then, why they should class Mr. Parata and Mr, Ward among the Doubtfuls, we oannot understand. They wore staunch members of tbe Opposition, and there is nothing in their record to justify tbe belief that they oan ba " influenced " to desert thoir party. But even the Ministerial card does not give the Government a mnjority. They hope to seonre one between this and the 23rd of January by the exorcise of " nobbling"—by holding out inducements to members to falsify thoir election pledges and di°po;o of their votes for a consideration. What a terribly low state of political morality must oxist when a Ministry openly boasts ot its hopes in this direction, and seeks to retain office by such means. It is an insnlt to the new House to snpposa it oontains any number of members capable of. being purchased, and an insult to the country to assume for an instant toat it has returned members who are open to inducement to betray tho tiust reposed in them.