The Lyttelton Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1896. CAPTAIN RUSSELL’S POLICY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 11122, 23 November 1896, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1896. CAPTAIN RUSSELL’S POLICY.

u The Opposition policy,” said Captain Eussell, in concluding his electoral address at Hastings the other evening, “ will be to endeavour to reconcile differences and do their utmost to restore prosperity to the colony.” That is only another way of saying that the Opposition has no policy but one o£ negation or retrogression. No one knows better than the leader of the Opposition that there is no need to “ restore prosperity,” as it . has been steadily growing during the past live years ; and as for reconciling differences, neither he nor his followers have been able to show any that want reconciling. On the contrary, they have all protested their complete satisfaction with the legislative status quo , and pledged themselves not to alter or repeal a single statute. The phrase about reconciling differences has, however, a suspicious resemblance to another used by some Conservative candidates, who support the Liberal policy with the saving clause that some of the statutes might require to be improved so as to make them work more smoothly. If they would condescend to state what improvements are necessary, or what differences need reconciling, the electors would have at least the outline of a policy by which they would be able to differentiate candidates. Captain Bussell is aware of the unsatisfactory nature of his declaration of policy, for he has fallen back upon the old plea that there is no need to propound a policy until he is in a position “to do something.” For gushing ingenuousness this is simply incomparable. He practically asks the electors to take him and his party on faith—to give them power and opportunity, and they will “ do something.” They have not the courage to speak out what is in their minds and state what that something would be, but their utterances at a time when election day was somewhat remote leave no doubt that they would promptly proceed to reconcile differences of opinion between them and the Liberal Party by re-appoint-ing Bailway Commissioners, by abolishing the graduated land tax, by reducing the rate of payment to members and by “ improving ” out of all recognition the Advances to Settlers Act and Land for Settlements Act. Captain Bussell's appeal to Liberal precedent in the matter of withholding his policy is a most unfortunate one for him. There is no analogy whatever between his present position and that of Mr Eallance after the late Premier had formed his Ministry. Mr Ballance had won the election of 1890 on a plain declaration of the broad lines of his policy; he had defeated his opponents in the House, and it was then that he claimed time, not to declare his policy, but to formulate and bring down his policy measures. The country does not ask the leader of the present Opposition to give details of the programme which he thinks ought to be carried out in the interests of the people, but it has a right to expect some definite declaration instead of flimsy and elusive phrases. There is no room for doubt as to the negative character of the Opposition policy, for Captain Russell and most ot his supporters are strongly adverse to nearly all the Government proposals, such as reform of the Legislative Council, Government fire insurance, master and apprentice legislation and old age pensions. Captain Bussell,, in hoping to non, the-eieetion.

on the cry of “ restoring prosperity and assisting legitimate enterprise,” pays but a scurvy compliment to the discernment of the people, who have seen prosperity restored, and the most generous aid extended to every branch of industry by the party in power, dimming the railways on “ commercial principles,” and complacently telling the unemployed to leave the colony were, as everyone knows, methods approved by the party with which Captain Eussell is associated; and only those people who believe that prosperity can come by the use of such means will help to place that party in a position “ to do something ” in the same direction.