THE CHILIAN REVOLT.

Evening Post, Volume XLI, Issue 55, 6 March 1891, Page 2

THE CHILIAN REVOLT.

MUZZLING THE PRESS. f SPECIAL.! (Reoeived March 6, 11 40 a.m ) Valparaiso, sth Maroh. Newspapers are not allowed to appear in Chili. , THE FEDERAL CONVENTION. » CONTINUATION OF THE DEBATE. [united press association.] Sydney, sth March. Mr. Munro, in continuation, said he could not permit the minority to govern the majority on the question of finance. They | must be just to the whole of the colonies whilo oreotiog a Government whioh would prove effeotual. mb. playford's speech. Mr. Playford (South Australia) thought it quite an error to suppose that free intercourse between the colonies should begin before the Federal Parliament arranged the tariff. They must continue aa at present until the Federal Parliament was in a position to formulate a tariff. The greatest difficulty would be in adjusting tho finances between the Federal and present local Governments. If the Federal Government took over the defenoes, they would undoubtedly have to take over tha debt. South Australia would certainly expeot the Foderal Government to take over her forts and pay her for them That the whole of tho Customs revenue oould not be given baok to each colony might be taken for granted. They might bo able to give baok part. Referring to the form of Government pro. posed, he said there waa no doubt tha oolonien would objeot to the Upper Chamber amending money Bills. If both Houees wei c to have 00-equal powers respecting monoy Bills, then unmistakably a dead look would result. One House must rule with money Bills. The Senate might ba invested with power to rejeot a Bill, but nothing eke. ''Fanoy," he said, "two Houeos having to pass the tariff. They would nevor be ablo to come to a conclusion. Take the Estimates. If you give tho Senate tho right to veto any particular lino it may ohooae, see what a Btate of confusiob would result You cannot graftresponsibligovernmentontheAmorioan system and give tho same powers to a Senate as they have at the present time." There were ways of strengthening the Senate and preventing the Housa riding roughshod over the Senate. In regard to the tariff, if the Senate objected they could throw it ont, but they oould not otherwisa interfere with the power of veto whioh is supposed to be exercised by the Queon. They ehould do all in their power to abolish this right as far as pussiblo. So long as any law was within the Constitution, the veto should be abrogated. It wsb very littlo exorcised now, und it was time it was done awny with altogether. In the event of a law being passed which waa objected to by the minority, then the measure auonld bo referred to tho process of the Keferendum, and it the constituencies deoided in favour of the Bill, it should not be subjeot to veto. In regard to tho Exeoutive, every colony should bo represented in tho Executive. He was prepared to give way to the will of the majority, whatever deoision might be arrived at. BIR T M'ILRAITH'B OPINIONS. Sir T. M'llraith (Queensland) thought if the resolutions were carried Federation would be formed whether all tbe color iea came in or not He regarded Iho commeroial aspeot as iho uhief thioß. There mm no question iv hiß mind but that the resolutions implied froetrade among tha ooloniep, and protection against the world He believed in protection against the world If tho question were referred to the ooloniets is would meet with universal support, The Senate represented the people quito as rauoh an the House, and ha Baw no reason why tbe pole money power should be given to the Lowor House. The separation of States would have to be provided for. CAPTAIN RTJSBKLL SPEAKS FOR NEW ZKAL&ND. Captain Russell (Now Zealand) donied tha absence of a Federal spirit in New Zealand. The groat question waa whether the Australiau ooloniep would form themselves into a state to whioh all the colonies unrepieBcuted could eventually attaoh themselves. Ih-t great objeot in the Federal Constitution should bo to frame a Constitution that remote oolonies could join when they caw fit. Power should rest with the people. Ho ventured to affirm that the Senate might more properly represent the people of Australia tLan tho House. They weie speaking for a large territory now nnoocupied, and if they said the sole power should rest with those representing tho colonised portion of Australia, how oould they have true ferleiation? Thoy murt give the Senate full power to numerically roptesent the whole of Australia. They must boar in mind that if they adopted the present system of responsible government — and he might remark, by tho Way, a largo section of the New Zealand publio were beginning to doubt the benefits of responsible government— great publio questions would ho often subordinated to personal popularity and to who was to be Premier, &o. Stonewalls wonld be set up periodically, he might almost Bay perpetually, to prevent the majority giving expression to their views. Under responsible government they had failed to get a true expression of the will of the people. If they gavo considerable power to tho Senate that state of affairs would be diminished. So soon aa Anstralaßia developed nationality, bo Boon would it become a power dealing with foreign powers The system of turning out Governments, and the oonslant Bhaffling of the cards, would become a great inoouveni. ence when they had Ambassadors. Tho reason why ho thought they should have a system of Federation aa loose as posxible w*a that all tho more outlying portions must bs allowed to work out there own destiny. They in New Zealand practioally had a foreign policy, having to deal with the native races. The Convention must agree that they would require to be safeguarded in that respeot before they oommitted Ibemsolves to a Federal polioy. Again, in regard to what was known aa a sooial nphaaval, every ooloDy must be left to deal with tho matter in its own way. In matters like that, man would appeal to the municipalities rather than to the Federation. The question was yet to be resolved whether America would not divert the trade of the South Seas to herself. Therefore the soheme of Federation should be ao loose as to'prevent these atoms flying off to the United States, which might probably ooour if Australian Btateemen did not prevent it. New Zealand was not inimical to Federation, The colonists were unwilling to abrogate (hair internal powers of management, bat there were all aorta of laws whioh might be assimilated to those of tho Federation. With respeot to trade, Australia waa important to Now Zealand, and it would be a great losa to lose her trade, but it would be an equally great loss to Australia to be deprived of the products of Now Zealand. He ventured to say that New Zoaland had other markets than Australia, but the Utter, whether she liked it or not, would be forced to take a good part of his colony's vegetable products. The marriage laws might be assimilated. In the matter of land defence they wonld gain nothing, though in maritime defence they might be benefited. It should be remembered that New Zealand possessed great coal supplies, acd thfpo supplies should be brought into close relation with Australia. In the remote future the great harbours of New Zealand should not be isolated from Australia. With regard to the Judiciary pro pofals ho was not prepared to give •> definite opinion, but ho would be willing to see the laws assimilated as far aa possible. Aa to the Executive he oonfeßsed his mind w&a nebulous Undoubtedly be felt there were many anomalies in the present form. A MBBBAGE FBOM THE QUXKN. At the conclusion of Captain Eussell'a apceoh, Sir H. Parkea read a cable message from the Queen, wiahirg the assembly anoceaa on thia important occasion. ME. DEAKIN'S VIEWS. The Hon. Alfred Deakin (Viotoria), oooupied the whole of the afternoon sitting. He oritioiaed at great length the viewa of tha previoua speakers. Referring to Captain Knssell'B remarks, ha said that gentleman occupied a singular position. While a-euring them that New Zealand's sympathy with the movement was ao ardent, ho (Captain Russell) waa careful to tell them that they must not at the present time expect any* thing from Now Zealand. Mr. Deakin went on to say that auy conclusion to be arrived, at mnst be unanimous, as they had met seeking to be honest to the principles of the different colonies, and to indicate the attitude which their Parliaments were likely to take up. The Convention's proposals moat meat with the sanction of tbe people of Australasia, else all their work would be in vain. He oomplimented tha President on the framing of resolutions wbiob, he contended, embodied tbe exact principles at present lying at the root of the Federal Counoil Bill. The tariff difficulty which was felt by each oolony would bo multiplied sixfold when dealing with the whole of Australia. It oould not be left open, but must be settled by tho Federal Parliament at onoe. There were vested interests to be considered. He refuaed to believe that the Federal Parliament would ignore the question of what might ooour if protection were swept aw»y. It waa their duty to obtain a guarantee for the preservation of interests snoh aa these. Tbe tariff on our own eeaboard must be Battled, taking Australasia aa a whole, no matter what any individual colony might feel, but not, perhaps, »t a eingle bound. They might first of all only rednoe a certain percentage, so that the people would be appealed to once or twice before the protective tariff waa swept away. Thus they would give those who had invested capital in tbe colonies a chance of knowing what to expeot. However, he did not think tho Federal Parliament would sweep away tbe protective tariff. He fondly hoped that the union would be eternal. A guarantee to the effect proprßeH would satisfy himßelf and many coloniea. Time could be allowed. Regarding defence, he trusted that it would be placed on the basis of as small a standing army aa waa consistent with efficiency, and on as large a citizen soldiery aa the means at their disposal wonld command. Each colony mijfht be left to elect ita members to the Senate as it liked. Until tho mede of election was fixed, the powers of the Senate could not bo determined. The second Chamber nhould consist of men of ripe judgment and high character. The Senate should only have the power to reject, not alter measures of tbe House. He did not wish to sea the Senate acting in any degreo under compulsion of the Honae, or the reverse. All taxation under federation must be of a uniform character. - State rights wonld not be prejudiced by thia, bnt they must be defined. With regard to the Judiciary, he thought certain questions of common law ahonld still be sent to the Privy Council, although the greater. portion of oases now sent might well be dealt with in the oolonies. He believed in Responsible Government. To endow two ohambera with equal authority would be to encourage deadlocks. In conolueion, he referred to the Ah Toy case as an insUnoe of a constitution*! difficulty whiob,

demanded the serious consideration of the' Convention. He read the opinion of judges, one of whom went bo far as to cay that the rights wo now enjoyed were not warranted by tho stato of the law. He hoped that a firm Constitution, absolute and perfect in every particular, would be founded.