The Evening Star. TUESDAY, MAY 7, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 2875, 7 May 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star. TUESDAY, MAY 7, 1872.

Yestesday our morning contemporary acknowledged that the proposed postal arrangement with Victoria could not have been more satisfactory. Taking into consideration previous persistent endeavours to weaken any effort that could be put forth to effect such a contract, at first sight the acknowledgment looked 'well. It had the appearance of a desire to make the amende honorable , and gave promise of *he beginning of a new course of conuuct when good measures would be hailed with satisfaction, no matter by whom arranged. This would but have been generous, and it is a great pity that the writer of the article, whoever he may be, should have marred it by introducing anything calculated to detract from the candour of the admission. Carefully read, however, it is plain that so far from intend in" to give credit where credit is due, the sole intention of the writer, while praising the Colonial Treasurer, was to damage him and our City representative Mr Reynolds. “ Vicious persons,” says an old writer, “put on a mask, asbeing ashamed of appearing to the wox’ld in the features of their own consciousness.” Just so it is with our contemporary. While conceding that “ a more satisfactory arrangement could scarcely have been made,” the whole of the first part of the article in question is intended to prove that Mr Vogel was prepared to act in defiance of the expressed resolution of the House of Representatives. We need not attempt to controvert the imaginary motives imputed to the Treasurer, nor discuss the reasons which might have influenced the Executive had they existed in their minds. By men’s works they must be judged, and not by imaginary standards set up by then’ detractors on the one hand, or their admirers on the other. When therefore it is said that such-and-such an Executive Minister has assumed to himself power to enter into an agreement not authorised by the Legislature to which he is responsible, it becomes necessary that the charge should be examined into, and, if false, refuted. We do not believe in that intense political animosity that can see nothing but evil in the motives and intentions of our leading men. Mistaken all may be. Driven into measures they do not sincerely approve, all Ministers are ; but to imagine that under a system of responsible government a Minister would dare to act in defiance of the expressed will of the Legislature, or if he did that his contract would be ratified, excepting under very extraordinary and unexpected circumstances, is too absurd for any man or journal sincerely to believe. The consciousness that this covert charge was known to be false when it was penned, is sufficiently evident when the following extracts are compared :

“Daily Times.”— The House of Representatives, it will be remembered, decided last session that in any rearrangement of the Webb Contract the terms contained in the sixth clause of that agreement should not be departed from. It is provided by that clause that one of the steamers employed in the service ‘ shall leave Port Chalmers once in every twenty-eight days, and shall proceed to San Francisco, by way of and calling at Lyttelton, Wellington, and Auckland.’ This restriction was not forced upon the Government by the House. * * * * * *

It is more than probable that he consented to the amendment proposed by Mr Reynolds, solely with the view of conciliating that honourable member and his friends, and that he resolved at the same time to visit Australia and make the best bargain he could for the < olony, irrespective of the restriction which the Legislature had decided to hamper him with. Resolution of the House.—From the Journal of the. Home of Representatives, 1871, 7th November:—

8. SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE

The Order of the Day being read for receiving the report of a resolution from the

Committee of the whole House relative to the San Francisco Mail Service ; Mr U’Korke accordingly reported the following resolution : Resolved— That whereas in the contract entered into with Messrs Webb and Holladay for a steam service between San Francisco and New Zealand, it is provided “ that it shall be lawful for the Postmaster-General to determine this contract at the end of three years, if the General Assembly of New Zealand shall refuse to ratify the same for a longer time, and notice of such refusd sha l ! have been given in writing to the contractors, or left with their agents in Wellington, hereby authorised to receive the same, within six calendar months after the first steam vessel under this contract shall arrive in Wellington/’ -this House hereby expresses its desire that such notice shall not he given, and that the contract shall continue for the full period of ten years, subject nevertheless to such alterations and modifications as may mutually be agreed on betwm n the Government and the contractors. Provided that no such alter itions or modifications shall have the effect of increasing the sum payable as subsidy, or shall exempt the contractors from clause 6 of the contract, which requires the steamers to call at the ports tbei ein named. And the resolution being read a second time; Resolved —That tho House doth agree with the Committee in the said resolution. We leave it to our readers to say whether or not this restriction was forced upon the Government by the House, and whether in the face of such a record there is the slightest ground for the charge of truckling to secure the support of certain parties or of defiance of authority iu the manner in which Mr Vogel has carried out the resolution.