The Hastings Standard Published Daily. FRIDAY, JULY 31, 1896. NEVER RIGHT.

Hastings Standard, Issue 82, 31 July 1896, Page 2

The Hastings Standard Published Daily.

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 1896. NEVER RIGHT.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrongs that need resistance, For the future in the distance. And the good that we can do.

Fp.om the point of view of the party cranks the Government is never in the right. The latest howl is in regard to the postponement of the sittings of the Banking Committee. The Premier accepting the motion of Captain Russell as one of No Confidence immediatelysought to suspend all business until the motion was dealt with. The work of the Banking Committee is in the direction of enquiring into the banking policy of the Government, and it is customary for such work to be suspended until the motion traversing the entire policy of the Government is settled. The greater takes in the lesser ; the No Confidence motion covers the Banking policy, and it is only right and proper that the Ministry should be free to enter upon its defence in regard to the greater charge. Of course the postponement will delay the work of the Committee, but that is not a sufficient reason why the policy of the Government as a whole and its Banking policy should be under discussion by two distinct tribunals at the one time. There will be waste of time, and we can no more blame the Government for that than we do the Opposition. Captain Russell was quite right in tabling his No Confidence motion, and Mr Seddon was quite right in getting the Banking Committee to suspend its inquiry until after the disposal of the want of confidence It is idle to call this postponement a deliberate attempt to waste time, or to insinuate that it is an effort to burke inquiry. If this can be charged against the Government, it can also be charged against their opponents, and with more force. It is the Opposition that has taken the first step; it is the Opposition that expresses its want of confidence in the policy of Government, therefore it is the Opposition that initiates and gives rise to the delay. The party cranks can see no goodjn the Government, but that is because they are blinded by a prejudice which is very intense. The sins of the Seddon Government are many and varied, but there are many sterling points too, and full credit should be given for what is good. The party cranks believe in dealing out full measure of blame for all errors with never a word of praise for anything meritorious. Political warfare is answerable for a good deal of nonsensical chatter on the part of those who profess to lead public opinion on the platform and in the Press. Justice to opponents is a feeling foreign to the average political crank, and the cranks are the ones that bellow the loudest. The senselessness of railing at the Premier for

getting the Banking Committee to suspend its labors while the No-con-fidence debate is in progress will be apparent. The motion traverses the whole Government policy; when that is disposed of and the majority of members record their votes in favor of the Government, the work of inquiring into a portion of that policy can be resumed. The House will not condemn the entire policy of the Government, but it may condemn a part of that policy. The whole policy is questioned, and the sense of the House must be taken on the whole, for if the House decides that the entire policy of the Government is bad there will be no need to examine into a part of that policy, but if the House decides otherwise, the inquiry into the part can proceed. Suspending the work of the Banking Committee was the correct thing, and the Premier should not be censured for doing what is right. Party fanatics will not agree with us because in their view the Government is never right.