SIR GEORGE GREY.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 537, 27 November 1890, Page 2

SIR GEORGE GREY.

The retirement of Sir Georgp Grey from political life will be a source of sorrow to all who can rise above petty parly feeling. They will deeply regret

the cause, and keenly feel what a great loss to the people will be his' -absence freftn the Housejg The old man has 1 ever stood high above the-ordinary run of politicians, and has'suffered more for his virtues than for his faults. Hishistory is so well known to all intelligent people that we need make no reference to it here. Had die been a time-server he would have been the most powerful man in Australasia, but he disdained anything but what he believed to be the right, and he fought for it against ; q.ll the ..influence that wealth could bring against him. His spirit wouW -bend.-te ne-tnanv and had

he the reins, of power he would thus have been prevented from retaining his h01d... Butthe-remarkable.thing about Sir George Grey is that sooner or later his ideas have forced- themselves upon the serpus attejtiqfi of the people, and many have beed put-into prlctrce. It is amusing now to note how politicians who seek to keep with the stream ot popular-’-favor eahnly express theirapproval of measures which everyone knows to be unpalatable to those individuals. Conservative candidates nowsweetly tell us they are in favor of the one-man-one-vote system —when it has become a recognised fact, though Sir George- Grey only managed to get it passed by a side-wind thaLepabled him to frighten the Governtnent into ostensible acquiescence. Everyone must recognise that ths-- old man ■has been a great power in the land, and that it is due .to his efforts that this fair county has not become the" property of a &ore or so of land-grabbers. Declining.,, years has naturally made Sir George Grey irritable, and at times he has’ndt been judicious, but only a very small-minded man would consider that these faults are to be considered in judging., the man. He has, though out of office,' done more permanent good for "New Zealand than any other man .that l)as ever sat in the House, -and wheru New .Zealand history comes to be wrjtteji, at a time when the fierce bickerings Of the.-'present day have"ceased, Sir George Utrey’s great and good work for. the c'qlofiy will be warmly acknowledged- byre very man, woman, and youth who has. the power to read and; think. ■ men Sir George has made mistakes, and said things that on secondary thoughts he would wish to recall, but no fair man can belittle the great reputation which he has justly made. Having been a stumbling-block to .monopolists of >all kißds ha. has .to oaind the tempest of abuse, but he has still calmly gone on bis- staly, endeavoring to do the right, nd rriatter what hostility he had to encounter, or what accusations were made against him in the blind fury of disappointed antagonists. The loss of ,his services will be as great a blow to ..the country as his absence from the House will be a source of triumphant glee to monopolists of all kind.