POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 7333, 4 October 1887, Page 2

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

ItuKsaid that Mr Dargaville intends to contesji the validity of the Marsden election on the ajleged ground that Mr Thomson did not deposit LlO with the returning officer at the nomination. ; A deputation of supporters Bevanf pnd alleged that the provisions of the Corrupt practices Prevention Act had beenwnteaveijedjii, nyHjjrwpy ß . They requested him have Mr Grimmond unseated. iL2OO was subscribed for the purpose. Mr Bevan, in reply, said he felt he could not take the seat under the circumstances, though he was satisfied that roll-stuffing, personation, double voting, -bribery, voting by minors, etc., had been carried on. , At the declaration, of the Eden poll Mr Mitchelson said Connell had indeed %eeir-80 -ehivalrous'ttmt he had not exercised his own vote in his favor, and this was probably the only instance throughout the Whole 67 the provincial district where such a Jibing had occurred. He believed they would now be as good friends as it was possible- to be. He sinoerely regretted the defeat of the Premier, who was an able man, but full of fads, and also the rejection of Mr Bryoe, one of the ablest men in the Colony. It was' a national calamity. He had come to [ the conclusion that the people of the Colony must accept Major Atkinson or Sir Julius Vogel. He felt great sympathy with Major Atkinson in his great task, which was of special difficulty, because this being a new Parliament he had no opportunity of eon- * suiting those members elected in the 1 Opposition interest, and some time might therefore elapse before he eouldform a stable Cabinet. If Major Atkinson could not form a Ministry without the aid of Sir Julius Vogel he would Bot do it with his aid, and' ( he trusted that those who had been crying ,oji t against the administration of Sir Julius - ; ■yogelwoutdnow join in supporting Major v Atkinson. Had the latter been so unfortu. nate art? have < been beaten—and he had a 'narrowu escape—the country would have "been placed'entirely in the hands of Sir Julius VqgeL ;> ■ 'At the declaration of the Bruce poll Mr J. C; Anderson, M.H.R., is reported to have s»id«.~"Hp regretted the defeat of, Sir Robert Stout- He was a man Who stood ' head and shoulders above any other noliticianr in the country. His defeat had been the result of a mere caprice on the part of the electors. . It was simply intended to show him that he could not depend on ;so large , a majority as he expected, and many who voted against him had no jidea or intention that the result of thej polling would be affected by their action. Although he (Mr Anderson) was against the Government he was not against Sir R." Stout personally. That gentleman had done well for New Zealand, and especially well for Otago and for Bruce.' He had unfortunately allied himself with a certain E arty which had carried him away. Had e been -associated with men of his own .kidney, he would have proved the best man for New Zealand. There was a petition lying on the table, praying Sir R. Stout to reconsider 'his . decision to retire from political life. He knew they would all sign it, as be was sure their sympathies were with Sir Robert, and that they all felt the country would sustain a serious loss if he retired from political activity." Mr Donald Reid, in the course of his remarks, said that he .had not purchased a single vote either with money or with whisky. To him it was a moat humiliating reflection tbat there were men who would not vote without being deluged with grog. He would rather stay out 1 of Parliament for ever than win an election by such means. It was gratifying to, him to hear his opponent talk about his Solitical leader, Sir R. Stout, as he bad one. He felt that his own defeat had been in a.measure brought about through following him. Jt wqa all v«y well to qrag in Sir Julius Vogel's name.' He hajd, followed Sir Robert Stout because he thought - him the best man for the country. ; [FnflM.'Our Special Retort**.] WELLINGTON, October 3. Tne. Proverbial Calm;. Que would scarcely imagine from appearances here that we are within two or three days of the opening of the sessioq. Matters politically are' seldom quieter than they are here just now ; the storms of the recent election, with their subsequent development, being followed by a remarkable calm. Ministers are all in their places at the buildings, but so far the only other member at present here is Mr J. D. Lance! ' Parliament Buildings a\e being prepared for the sessionj and already a proportion of the; seats in the Ldver House "have been allotted, former members appear,' so iw, to be satisfied with their'old seats; but Mr" Moss has changed to the bench occupied last session by Mr' -Hatch, and' 'directry 1 in front of the Speaker, while Mr Graham has taken the seat next to Ministers.' ' ' Cablnetanaklnß

The fact that Major Atkinson is in Nelson plaoes it beyond my power to give your readers any information respecting the progress made in the formation of the new Cabinet. He is expected here on Wednesday, and it is believed that nothing very definite will be done until his return to Wellington. The present Opposition party are to be invited to attend a meeting either on Wednesday or Thursday, and they Will be consulted with: regard to the personnel of the proposed'new Cabinet before the names are' Xiiij Excellency. &aior .Atkinson jhas been in frequent communication bj telegraph with, his most prominent porters, both North and South, since he was sent for, but absolutely nothing definite has" been determined. When he left here on Saturday the Major was 1 , however; sanguine that he would succeed in the task entrusted 'to him.

J of Success.. The probabilities of "the situation ace freely discussed here ; and it is worthy of remark that in the best-informed circles there is a general oonviotion that Major Atkinson will succeed in forming a Government. There is, however, a great deal of diversity of opinion respecting the probable strength of the following, and, singularly enough, even the Majors friends do not seem to think that he will meet the House with more than>u bare majority. The difficulties of his task are intensified by the many seotlons into which the House is split up, and the fact that very few of these seotions give allegiance to a leader whose inclusion in the Cabinet would secure the support of the whole of the section. Probable Ministers. Quite ar number of names are mentioned in connection with the new Cabinet. The belief prevails amongst many people here that Sir John' Hall will be Premier, and it is to some extent justified by the fact that Sir John Hall had a consultation last session with Major Atkinson and other leading Oppositionists, and announced himself for Selwyn on the accepted understanding that he_ was to take the leadership of the party this 1 session. But the question arises whether circumstances would justify his inclusion in the Ministry. The elections give Sir John one supporter only from Canterbury (Mr Pearson), and he cannot be considered a very powerful aid. On the other 7 hand, some of the undeclared Northerners of Liberal tendencies, who might be expected to leave this central position to support a Government which would be found to take the place of the Stout-Vogel combination, would be very unlikely to do so it such an ultra-Conserva-tive .as Sir John Hall were at its head. Amongst the other names spoken of as the most probable Ministers are Captain Russell, Messrs' Mitchelson, Peacock, Fergus, Richardson, Scobie Mackenzie, and George Fisher; while rumor! is current that either Mr •Rolleston or Mr Conolly will be called to the Upper House. But nothing is said about Mr'Bryce. • ■ ' ' - '•• ; Sir Julius Voxel. It is just within the range of possibility that Sir Julius Vogel may yet be asked to form a Government, and his own friends here are confident that he will attempt the task. Major Atkinson's success is by no means assured, and the other side attach jgreat weight to Sir JuUub's compact following of twenty-five Canterbury and West Coast votes. There is no doubt that Sir Julius has a power characteristically his own jn attacbintcto his train men whose support it is possible to obtain,and' this might he used with very considerable effect j in a new House, whioh includes so many new members. Neither Major Atkinson nor Sir-Julius could hope to succeed'without jbe Support of the Freetrade party; wbldh is Very strong, and which "would hot easily be satisfied by either of the Protectionist leaders. •"' ' ' "' * '< Sir Julias Willing to Coalesce.-' Politicarstw?nt£itt declare that Sir fouW Vogel is not only willing but'anxious for* ! Coalition with Major Atkinson,' 'notwithstanding tfi»' published assertibn of <the * latter that he would (jonsider, such an [,' alliance dishonorable. • Imprgbable jf this.

rumor appears, it gains in importance when taken in conjunction with an article published this evening in the ' Post,' which usually gives expression to Sir Julius Vogel's sentiments on matters in which he is concerned. The article in question makes light of Major Atkinson's professions of the impossibility of such a Coalition, and then proceeds to refer insinuatingly to the fact that the Major and Sir Julius were old colleagues, expressing at the same time the opinion that it would have been a good thine for the Colony if the old relations had been renewed three years ago. The writer cunningly reminds the Major that members who are now classed as Oppositionists would accept Sir Julius Vogel when disassociated from Sir Robert Stout and Mr Ballance, and that the of the. country was not against Sir Julius; and concludes thusly: "We have too high an opinion of the patriotism of both Major Atkinson and Sir Julius Vogel to believe that personal feeling would be allowed to influence their action if the public interest demanded a certain course of conduct on their parts." Slating tbe Colonial Treasurer.

The Press of Wellington is not unanimous in its friendliness to Sir Julius Vogel. The 4 Press' to-night attacks him most bitterly, accusing him and his supporters of making no secret of their rejoicing at the defeat of the Radical element in the Cabinet, and asserting that he openly and obtrusively declared his readiness to join an Opposition Ministry. It denies that his following is as Btrong as represented. Speaking of the Canterbury, Westland, and Nelson voes it says: "To our certain knowledge a good many of them have no notion of following him apart from his colleagues; while some carry their distrust of Sir Julius Vogel so far that, if it be a choice between following him and joining the party who are at present the Opposition, they will assuredly adopt the latter course. A large proportion of those whom he most unwarrantably calls his followers are not followers of his at all 5 but, even if they were* he would not nave a formidable party for the reason that there is not a single man of mark among them. All the most capable and influential men in the House are dead against him, and are not reconcileable on any terms. They have drawn the sword upon him and thrown away the scabbard. The?e followers of his are either novices, respectable enough perhaps, but totally unknown to fame, or else men who would be a drawback to any party." Canterbury Public Opinion. The same paper is warm upon Sir Julius Vogel in connection with the recent peculiar expression of public opinion there. It says it is quite the other way ; and that the treatment which such deservedly popular men, for instance, as Mr Bruce, Mr P. Cunningham, and Mr Reese were subjected to at the hands of his ruffianly followers, with his full knowledge and approval, will recoil upon him with fatal force. It never answers in the long run to stop people's mouths with mud. Sir J. Vogel's apparent triumph in Canterbury has alienated from him the public favor of almost all the rest of the Colony, and even in Canterbury itself we hear there are signs of a great revulsion of feeling. Sir Julius Vogel has been completely deluded by the apparent success of his candidature at Christchurch. Because his supporters have carried most of the seats ahout there by methods of violence and blackguardism which have been a scandalous disgrace to the Colony, he imagines that he has been accepted as a powerful party leader, with a real hold on the public feeling of the country. Appointments to the Council.

An impression appears to exist that prior to their retirement from office Ministers will recommend for elevation to the Upper House some of their prominent supporters, such as Mr Bevan and Mr Dargaville, who were defeated at the general election. Such a course would be exceptional, and I am assured by Ministers that under no circumstances would they make such recommendations. Qne or two such appointments will probably, however, be made by Major Atkinson in the process of Cabinet-making. Items. The opening of the House on Thursday •Bill be a very quiet affair, and will be effected by Commissioners. It is probable that the Governor's Speech may be read on the following Tuesday, hut there is little likelihood that it will be ready till some time towards the end of next week. It will thus be seen that the House will not settle down to work for some time. Practically the only business for next Thursday is the eleption of Speaker, and Sir Maurice O'Rorke is the only candidate for the office Spoken of as yet. In anticipation of the opening the Press gallery has been widened and lengthened, and the obstruction caused by the Speaker's canopy been practically removed. October 4.

(Great difference of opinion exists here respecting the strength of political parties. The f Times' to-day credits Sir Julius Vogel with twenty-five followers, ar.d Major Atkinson with thirty, an<} Eays that of the remainder the majority are merely pledged to keep Sir J. Vogel out. The «Times' also says that it is certain that whatever party is in power no new loan will be pi posed this session. Sir G. M. O'Rorke will be re-elected Speaker without opposition, but it is unci - Btooil some Sjouth Island member will be nominated in opposition to Mr Hamlin as Chairman of Committees. Sir G. Grey has promised to support Major Atkinson, but, despite tlie strong feeling here, I believe that the Major will on Friday be able to announce his ability to form a Cabinet. ' The Wanaka arrived from the South this afternoon with the Hon. MrTaiaroa, Messrs Ross, Taylor, M'Gregor, and Pearson, M.H.R.s. r AU " Sir R. Stout remains here until after the House meet." ' Major Atkinson returns from Nelson tomorrow forenoon. The general impression in Wellington is that Major Atkinson will be unable to form a Ministry which will stand, and that another coalition is inevitable. Should the Major undertake the task it is expected that Dr Newman or Mr Beetham will represent Wellington as Postmaster-General. Mr Downie Stewart's name is mentioned here as a probable Attorney-General. As there is no Government, there will be no Address-in-Reply. Major Atkinson left Nelson this morning for Wellington.