THE BENT MINISTRY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 143, 16 December 1908, Page 7

THE BENT MINISTRY.

IN THE HANDS OF THE PARTY. By Telegraph. -Press Association.— Copyright. (Received December 16, 10.12 a.m.) MELBOURNE, This Day. The Bent Ministry has decided to place itself in the hands of the party after the election. If the party prefers a particular leader, he will be given a free hand in the formation, ot a Ministry. The Bent Ministry was defeated by 37 to 25, and the State Governor (Sir Thomas Carmichael), after considering the matter for two days, granted the Premier's request for a dissolution of Parliament. The elections will probably be held in the second week of January. Mr Murray, the Labour member, on whose motion, the Government was defeated, purposes to rally Iris following behind him, and says the opponents of the Government are prepared to fight through the country. The Labour party, always prepared for eventualities, is pleased with the prospect of a threeparty fight, in which it hopes to retain, some ot the seats that would be lost in a straight-out contest, and also to gain others as the result of the split in the vote. Women will not be able to vote) at the elections, because the Franchisi Act has not yet received the Royal assent. Commenting on the political situation in Victoria, the Sydney Morning Herald sayr> : — "In view of the recent Federal precedent, under which a Labour Government holds office, the news from Victoria that Sir Thomas Bent has been granted a dissolution comes somewhat of a surprise. Had the Victorian Governor chosen to do as did the GovernorGeneral in the cas© of Mr. Fisher, the opportunity would have been, given Mr. Murray, as the ir,over of the motion inflicting defeat, to show whether he could form a Government which would , command a majority of the House. But while the Federal precedent might have furnished a certain amount of constitutional cover for such a course, there can be little doubt that the Governor lhas done the best thing in, the ultimate interests of the public life of the State j in sendang the Parliament back to the people. . . At first bluah it would not appear that a party which appealed to the country under the leadership of ' a man who has recently made such poli- I tical leeway as has the Victorian Premier could feel very sanguine about the j result. But Sir Thomas* is an old 1 and uncommonly shrewd Parliamentary hand, and may even in this emergency show ' himself equal to the occasion. Once a man gets himself firmly planted in tho saddle as leader of a political party it is never easy to get rid of him withouttemporarily embarrassing the party, j while it is almost impossible to depose him on tho eve of a general election without prejudice to the party at the polls. Particularly is this so in the case of so vigorous a man as Sir Thomas Bent."