Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 1896.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXX, Issue 141, 16 June 1896, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 1896.

A political crisis iB fast approaching, and the duel ■with«the buttons I off; the foils will begin in earnest in the House of Representatives this afternoon, " The great Liberal Party," so far as members of Parliament are concerned, has crumbled away and disappeared. There are no •• dumb dogs " now, for all the erstwhile silent ones who gave no tongue but merely followed the hunt are yelping loudly to save their skins,. A sop has been thrown to them in the resignation of Mr Ward, whose political carcase is to furnish them and their constituents with a meal ; bnt more sops than Mr Seddon can give will yet be required. It cannot be assumed that either Captain Russell or Sir Robert Stout has increased his following in Parliament because' of the Ward affair ; but, as pointed out in ' these columns on the eve oc the* ses -non. a third party, a croBS-bench hostile to the Government bnt not of necessity friendly to the Opposition, has been, has been created with great suddenness. As predicted, Mr Seddon's hitherto complaisant majority has broken away with the greatest ease, and, leaving Mr Ward entirely out of the question, It will never " come to heel" again. Changing the metaphor, the rats are leaving the -inking ship, and the question of strategy to be decided is whether Captain Russell and Sir Robert Stout will make a bid for office now, with a third party to dpminate the voting power, or whether a dissolution shall be forced and the present Government be compelled to go to the country as Ministers.

It waß obviously originally intended by Captain Russell to move a drag-net amendment to the Address in Reply affirming that the continuance of Mr Ward in offioe was detrimental to the best interests of the polony ; but events have occurred so quickly between the meeting pf Parliament on Thijrsday and tlje Ministeria caucus yesterday that the ready support t&e . tymenclment would receive has rendered its introduc: tion unnecessary, Seddonism in Parliament has gone to pieces in a few days, in a few tours, from in herent defects j and its only hope is an ad misericordtam appeal on false issues to the unthinking, to the prejudiced, and to the class hatreds, of the country. Mr Seddon as Premier and his colleagues as Ministers would meet a disso- ' lution with all their political sins unanswered for: but if ousted from office they might plead expiation and more than full measure of punishment already meted out.

It seems, therefore, chat the downfall of Seddonism needs no hastening by an Opposition shove, and that it will come to the ground by its own impetus. But the resignation of Mr Ward cannot dissociate him from the Ministry, any more/than the Ministry can dissociate itself from Mr Ward by merely throwing his political carcase to be torn to pieces by the now growling but hitherto " dumb dogs •'' of his pajrey. Tho end has apparently pome with remarkable suddenness, ahd the opposition,

instead of forcing matters to a head, must play a waiting game and accept developments as they come. Politics aside, however, all olasses of the community would have preferred an amendment to the Address in Reply affirming that certain Ministerial doings and elements were utterly disapproved of. The country has suffered greatly in its credit by Mr Ward and Mr Seddon, not only in consequence of the J. G. Ward Association's affairs, but also by Mr Ward's visit to England, by the betrajal of the New Plymouth bondholders, and by the Midland Railway transaction. The Advances to -Settlers loan has proved suoh a ghastly failure that it may be regarded as having been obtained almost under false representations. And finally the entire management of the finances of the colony seems to have drifted into disorder. The Governor's Speech at the opening of Parliament hid all facts undei- a cloud of ink, and when a synopsis of it is read in Englaid its utter want of meaning will cause considerable uneasiness. In these circumstances it would be reassuring if it were demonstrated clearly that a majority inParliament and also a majority in the country disapproved of the acts which had led up to this slate of administrative confusion. The question of office should be subordinated to the weal of New Zealand. Who cares whether Mr Seddon or Captain Russell is Premier, so long as the country be well governed, and its affairs set right ? Hence ib is to be regretted that, for the sake of party strategy, no affirmation of disapproval of Parliament to certain ministerial acts is to bo sought. It may suit the Government to "ride for a fall," secure defeat under an adverse motion from the Opposition, and appeal to the pity of unthinking sections of the electors. But it would be far more satisfactory to the colony and to the colony's creditors abroad if party tactics were completely set aside and the constitution and doings of the Government were discussed on their merits.