New Zealand Statesmen.

Hastings Standard, Issue 423, 11 September 1897, Page 4

New Zealand Statesmen.

MR SEDDON

The new edition of Mr Gisborne's " New Zealand Rulers and Statesmen," published this week, writes a London correspondent under date July 23, brings that work up to date, and contains some frank, but not illnatured, appreciation of Mr Seddon and his associates. Many of the remarks about the Premier seem singularly shrewd, and will be confirmed by those who have been privileged to meet the right honorable gentleman in England. It is, for instance, most true that Mr Seddon shows to little advantage when making speeches. If he would be brief his inflated and often incoherent style would not matter, but the longer he goes on the more intoxicated he becomes with his own verbosity, and the more tiresome to listen to. The Anglo-Colonial community have compared him wonderingly with Mr Ward, while they thanked Providence for Mr W. P. Reeves. The Agent-General suffers like the Premier from a tendency to prolixity, but he is interesting and often eloquent on great occasions, and witty and generally delicious on small ones. Mr Gisborne says that " Mr Seddon, as leader of the House, has not learned the difficult art of governing men in the management of two opposing parties. He concedes too much to his own side and too little to the other. "When he is angry—which is not often, for he is good-natured and placable—he rvms round the Opposition benches like Talus with his club. He hates to be thwarted. He knows what he wants, and is not happy till he gets it. Naturally rather autocratic and domineering, circumstances have tended to confirm him in a habit so often fatal to Premiers. He has lost within the last few years, by death and by retirement, three leading members o" bis Ministry,

and has praeticaily been, during the session of 1896, in addition to Premier (quite enough for an ordinary man) his own Colonial Treasurer and hi:; own Minister of Public Works. This plurality of Seddons in the Cabinet naturally loads him to think, if not to say, with Louis XIV. of Franco, Ij'Etat! e'est moi. Like Mr Gladstone, Mr Seddon is a devourer of work. He does not, however, devote his spare half hours to studies of Homer, versifications of Hoi-ace, or lucubrations of Locke, he keeps to his own business, but out of mere exuberance, as a sessional pastime, he fires off to the gallery a few fantastic fads in the shape of Bills with titles which are meant for show and not for use, and, fortunately for all concerned do not survive, if they ever reach, second reading. After this relaxation, Mr Seddon turns up fresh and smiling to his ordinary work of a political Cerberus, ' three statesmen at once.' with an insatiable appetite for more. Whatever faults Mr Seddon has, he has ample time to correct them. He has already achieved greatness and can achieve more. He still holds his own. The result of the general election on the 4th December, 1896, gives him a lessened, but still a working majority. What he should aim at is not a personal monopoly of power, but to secure able colleagues and identify his Government with liberal, progressive, prudent policy, and sound finance."

CAPTAIN RUSSELL

Of the Leader of the Opposition the same work says : —Captain Russell has considerably more than average ability. He has a gentlemanly manner and is a good speaker. As a debater he often hits hard, but never below the belt. His words are well chosen, his style pleasing, and his matter logical. He has greatly improved since he became leader of the Opposition, but, on the whole, he cannot be altogether considered an eminently capable and effective one. The truth is that a great leader is almost phenomenally rare. A man may have a good head for political strategy, but he must also have the difficult art of managing men. He is not a military general, whose will is law to those whom he leads. He has to win the confidence (a plant of slow growth) and thus to secure the discipline and the obedience of his followers. And, moreover, he must frequently take " sweet counsel " with them, and often let them-have their own way in minor matters, while, if he continue to be their leader, he must have consummate knowledge of human nature, must possess great ability, and be endowed with high social and moral qualities. It is a remarkable fact that of the two greatest political leaders in New Zealand, one, Sir Edward Stafford, comparatively failed when he was in Opposition, and the other, Sir William Fox, never succeeded when he was in power. And, conversely, when they changed their respective positions to the other side of the House they seemed to respectively renew or lose their strength. Sir Julius Vogel, in his prime, was the best allround leader on both sides. Captain Russell, although popular and respected and fast improving as a statesman, has occasionally, since he became the head of the Opposition, been more led than leading. Apparently he lacks deep conviction, and has not the superior personality which ensures the proper acknowledgment of his position. His good nature has occasionally led him to adopt, without due reflection, private suggestions from opponents which have Jed to misunderstanding and dissatisfaction among members of the party."