A HYPNOTISED LEGISLATURE.

Evening Post, Volume XLVIII, Issue 66, 15 September 1894, Page 2 (Supplement)

A HYPNOTISED LEGISLATURE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir— lt is possiblo that a combination of questionable politicians such as tho present Ministry, under tho designation " Government," may provo to bo a moro audacious tyranny than a monarchy under the most ■ dissolute or ambitious ruler than ever trampled on the liberties of the people. A Parliament forgetful of the traditions of the great people from which it has sprung may reudily bring this about by the humblo and terror-stricken manner in which it yields up its proper powers, and by tho eagor haste it displays to rush through its work in a supefioial manner to got away as quickly aB possible from its proper duties. Parliament has lately exhibited weakness and neelect in many ways. Tho humiliating: rejection of the control of Parliamentary officers, of whioh the Sergeant-an-Arms episode outcome was tho outcome, is one. In the case of the Cheviot purchase Parliament has renounced the proper control of the purse strings, leaving it to tho Minister to expend moneys from the proceeds of the sales year by year without appropriation. Probably no case has occurred before where such painful weakness has been shown as this abandonment of the principle of annual specific appropriation of money. It was an evil day for tho Colony whon Parliament allowed such a doparture from good constitutional practice. Parliament recently provided for the control of the railways by officers directly answeruble to it, drawing their authority and funds solely from Parliament. It has been sufficient for the Government to utter some silly trash relative to "retaining the railways to the peoplo," and Parliament is ready to re-echo such nonsense and to cast away th» direct control which it had assumed, dropping' the substance and snatching at the shadow. Hypnotised by that hydra-headed, soulless, bottomless thing called a Ministrjr, it will will soon declare black to be white with alacrity. Unless Parliament jealousy watches the operations of the Government in working the railways through Parliamentary officers technically qualified, directly answerable to itself and independent of the Government, as the Auditor- General is, the railways will be a machine for corruption and tyranny through the rates, and a terror and danger through operative maladministration. In the case of the Bank guarantee, Parliament absolutely collapsed, giving itself blindly into the hands of the Government. Nor has it dared since to make any enquiry into the position of the institution which it has guaranteed. It is only to a Parliament so timid and negligent of ita duties that a Government ■ would dare to present the Cheap Money Scheme as revealed to us. Parliament is to give its Ministers power to raise £1,500,000 annually for several years, and without further references the Ministers are to have unrestrained power to invest it with such persons as they think fit. It would not be more surprising to- see the Government wheedle three years' supplies out of the Parliament, and send it about its business. There is an eager desire to shirk work and to get away at any price, and to give over all power and responsibility to tho Government, which the Colony will have cause to regret deeply ere long. It is a shocking display of apathy and recklessness, which every patriot must deplore. I am, &c, Nemesis.