Evening Post. TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1905.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 39, 15 August 1905, Page 4

Evening Post. TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1905.

AT THE TOWN HALL. In point of Parliamentary numbers the New Liberal party is but a feeble 'folk, but its debating power is ifar in excess of its numerical strength, and it may be doubted -whether either of the orthodox parties could provide so attractive a platform display as that to which the "four New Liberal champions treated .their large audience in the Town Hall last night. As ono of them observed, the party, though only a /thing of yesterday, is already breaking records all along the line, and tne last of their triumphs ifl not the least remarkable. It is a novelty indeed to charge for admission to a political meeting — a novelty which was forced upon 'Mr. Taylor and his colleagues by the disgraceful rowdyism which broke up their first meeting in Dunedin and broke up a considerable quantity of furniture at the- same time; but, despite tho charge for admission and the wet night, there was an audience of at least three thousand, many of whom were contented to stand throughout the performance, and for nearly three hours the speakers had no difficulty in retaining the attention of the whole number. It is, of course, not to be supposed thai) all the three thousand, or even a. .majority of them, are members of the New Liberal party, or are prepared to break away 'from old ties and enrol themselves under the new banner at tho coming general election. Curiosity and the expectation of some startling , disclosure w«ro undoubtedly tho prevailing motives with many of thp audience, but the- goodwill of the vast majority was abundantly manifest throughout, and there -is no political veteran or team of veterans in .the colony who could command a more appreciative and enthusiastic hearing. It was a Uopetul sign to see young New Zealand so largely represented in •tho gathering, and young New Zealand wa3 obviously very proud of its able representatives on the platform.

In one respect at any rate the audience may have been disappointed ; for those who came to hear more voucher revelations or some other novelty in the way of extravagant and spicy invective can have found nothing to satisfy their expectations. Tlie voucher inoidenl, indeed, was hardly touched by the three Benior speakers, and it is a question whether Mr. Fisher would not have done better if he had more closely copied their reticence on tho point. The public will commend the courage with which he dicks to his guns. Where Mr. Fisher had hiß audience most enthusiastically with him was in his denunciation of the Government for entrusting such an enquiry to a gecret tribunal to which neither the public nor the virtual prosecutor has the right of access. Reckless and .unmeasured 1 vituperation of the Government was fortunately absent from all tho speeches last night. Mr. Taylor, who has great talents in thin direction, put a wise rcnlrnint upon hironelf, nnd his stronx iudietmwii ni fJnddoalttu trnvUd-

ministration distinctly gained in force by the unwonted moderation. He opened this part of his speech with a very suggestive and, in the main, sound distinction between the responsibility for legislation and the responsibility for administration. Legislation, he urged, is the work of public opinion, to which Parliament and Government must alike bow, and are only too eager to bow. The character of the administration, on the other hand, is the direct reflex of the personnel of Parliament and Government, lie measures a Government, therefore, not by the legislation for which a higher power is responsible, but for the administration, in which its spirit finds expression.

It is by this distinction that Mr. Taylor reconciles his support of the legislation of the present Government with his uncompromising opposition to its administration and pensonel, and we 6hould be glad tv support tho constitutional reforms for which the new party stands if v/p. thought that they would enable the avowg%> elector to draw and act upon ths same distinction. But we have never been able to &cs much in tho Elective Executive, tho Referendum, or tho initiative that would help matters, and Mr, Bedfoid, io whom these subjects wero entrusted last night, did not handle them 'very convincingly. Conceding that the Referendum alone would promote tho ends of .the political shuffler, he argued by a process which we are unable to follow that the initiative would count-Dract this tendency. As both theee reforms would detract from the responsibility and independence of Parliament, their influence would in our opinion tend to augment the very evils which the New Liberals are seeking to cure. The i'eal service which the party is making to tho cause of constitutional reform is not by its advocacy of these debating society Teforms, but hy its strong insistence upon the paramount value of character, courage, and disinterestedness in public life, and the ob-ject-leeaon in these virtues which eomo of its members afford. A Parliament of strong, independent men would regain its liberty and kill the prevailing tyranny without Teca3ting the constitution. In his justification of the general lino of attack made upon tho Government during the last Imprest Supply debate, Mr. Taylor was unanswerable. The systematic perversion of public trusts for private uses is a scandal on which an honest man may ha pardoned if he occasionally speaks -too strongly, but no such excuse was needed for the speakers last night. Their mistake on the previous occasion wai3 in supporting general and in tho main unanswerable chaTge6 by specific example* which would not stand examination. On the broad lines adopted last night their case, iboth in its critical and in its constructive aspects, is a powerful one : and the splendid ""eception given to their docbrino indicates that the Premier himself is not likely to get a better hearing than they in any part of the colony. We trust that their present intention of following him up closely on hia next- electioneering tour will be fully carried out.