Arrowtown: March 19, 1896.

Lake County Press, Issue 700, 19 March 1896, Page 2

Arrowtown: March 19, 1896.

Following close upon the able address of Sir Robert Stout and his scathing criticism of the present Ministry’s adaiinistration of public affairs, to the Wellington electors, comes the speech of Captain Russell, leader of the Opposition at Hastings. As we have but recently pointed out to our readers, it is always much easier to discover a fault, especially with those men who have the control of our public affairs, than it is to convince the public that the fault finder is capable of suggesting a lasting and complete salvation from the wrong doing of, in this instance, their political opponents. According to the utterances of Sir Robert Stout and Captain Russell, we conclude that the only chance of restoring prosperity and again establishing public confidence in New Zealand is for the electors to place Mr Seddon and his followers in a hopeless minority at the next general election, which means of course,‘that Sir Robert, Captain Russell, and their (at present) small Conservative following will assume control of the Treasury benches, and will endeavor to steer us safe oat of the shoals and quicksands into which, they would fain make us believe, the present Government has allowed the ship of State to drift. We say will endeavor, because we have very grave doubts whether Sir Robert Stout, Captain Russell, or any of their following are capable of forming a Ministry-that will be able to achieve this much-to-be-desired end. If we mistake not, both Sir Robert and Captain Russell have had their political opportunities in the past, but, whilst conceding them the honor of being men of ability and able debaters, we cannot compliment either of these gentlemen upon having introduced measures for the benefit of the masses nor an earnest endeavor to elevate tho social position of the working classes throughout the colony. This much we claim at least for the Seddon Government —that they have endeavored to legislate in this direction. To working-men, who have, peihaps, been somewhat improvident in tho past, the opportunity to secure a decent piece of land, with money at a moderate rate of interest to improve the same and establish a home for himself, wife, and children, must surely be a rare advantage and a blessing in the end. Looking back over the past 20 odd years can anyone truly say that the men who have had control of the public purse for tl>e time being have •been able to satisfy the great majority. The fact'is that the seeds from which has sprung an enormous public debt, were sown when the colony was in its infancy, comparatively speaking,, and it is unreasonable to expect that the present Ministry or their predecessors could carry on the operations of the country without slightly increasing the same, more especially during a period when the staple products of tl B « olony, wool aud grain, were at their lowest, and a marked stagnation had set in in mining aud other industries. If there has of late been a marked depression in New Zealand generally, the fact remains that the neighboring Australian colonies have suffered even more severely,- and the working classes here are better off as a body than their neighbors across the water. Considering that the foundation of the Bank of New Zealand’s financial difficulties was laid years before the present political party came into power, aud that there was no other course open to the present Treasurer and bis colleagues, but to legislate in the direction they have done, in order to keep the business of tho country in motion, we fail to class their banking legislation as a serious political blunder. Whilst agreeing with the Otago Daily Times in their denunciation of certain Ministerial tactics at the recent bye election at Christchuich, wo cannot help noticing that our contemporary advocates the stumping of the country fcy Sir Robert Stout in order that the people shall be educated up to bis political principles before next general election. This is surely but a sorry tribute to the intelligence of New Zealand men aud women. The electors, we believe, are quite capable of thinking and judging for themselves when the eventful day arrives, and we trust that they will always boar in mind that, so long as party government exists, the advocacy from either side will be more to the interests of their own particular class, than to the welfare of the colony os a whole,

The Opposition “Warning.