The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, DECEMBER. 8, 1930 A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 11383, 8 December 1930, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, DECEMBER. 8, 1930 A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT.

The selection of Sir Isaac. Isaacs, ’Federal Chief. Justice, to the Govern-or-Generalship of the Commonwealth, marks? a. most important departure in connection with loyal appointments. As it so happens, this is the first occasion on which the government of a Dominion has-over-ridden the traditional method of filling a Vioe-Regal vacancy. In the ordinary course of events, the Home government would have made a> recommendation to His Majesty on the subject. It would appear, however, , that the Commonwealth Government decided that the post should go to a native-born. Australian,. and Mr. Seullin would not ho deterred from this course. Before he wont Home to the Imperial Conference, it was an open secret that Sir Isaac Isaacs had; been selected for tlie position, but the Homo government was not prepared to recommend iho appointment to His Majesty. Seemingly, Mr. Sou LI in had no difficulty in getting round Mr. Ramsay MacDonald and his colleagues during his stay in England, anl, in .consequence,. Ilis Majesty must have felt that, even although the decision amounted to a. departure from customary constitutional practice, it would be impolitic not to confirm the selection. Nobody for a. single moment would, of course, suggest that Sir Isaac Isaacs will not make a capital Governor-General. His is, indeed, one of flte keenest intellects in Australia. If he had so desired, he might , it is 'hold, have reached the Federal Prime Ministership, hut, instead, he resigned from the AttorneyGeneralship to become a High Court Judge’, and to-day he holds the . rhief judicial position in the land. Now will fall to his- happy lot the highest post which anyone can occupy in any of the King’s -Dominions. This is. not the first favor which lias come his way, for, -in 1924, he was made a .Privy Councillor, and three years later, he. was appointed a member of.its Judicial Committee. A knighthood followed in 1925. When it leaked out that Air. Seullin and his colleagues wished Sir Isaac Isaacs to bo the next Governor-General, the people of Australia were, it will be recalled, not by any means unanimous ns to the wisdom of giving that particular appointment to a Commonwealth resident. Various organisations lost no time in registering ai protest on the matter. : It was objected that such, an appointment would amount to an infringement of the Royal prerogative, but. what was probably more strongly behind the objection was a feeling that it would open the door to the practice on the part of Federal and State governments of rewarding - followers with such a rich prize. What has transpir-. cd savors very much of the American system of making high appointments. In the United States, ns is wellknown, ike strongest party invarE ably secures the selection of its nominees for positions as Governors, Judges, etc. . Happily no such move as that- which has now taken place in connection with the Governor-Gener-alship of Australia, has ever been favored in this Dominion, which has been very • fortunate in the matter of the gentlemen who have been sent out here in a. Vice Regal capacity. Tf one takes the cases of the .last three appointees to the position—Earl Jellicoe, Sir Charles Fergusson, and now L-ord Bledisloe—it will he agreed thafc it would have been difficult for the selections to have been improved upon.