Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY JULY 29, 1896.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXX, Issue 177, 29 July 1896, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY JULY 29, 1896.

THE moving of a no-confidence debate in, the House of Representatives by the Leador of the Opposition seems on the surface to be a hopeless proceeding, calculated only to show the weakness of tho party opposed to the Government and its ways; but the rapidly growing distrust of the Administration in the country justifies the action taken, if only aa a protest against the tyranny whioh burked a debate on the financial statement. There are occasions when Ministers cannot be blamed for taking advantage of the forms of the House to close a profitless discussion and save time by shutting down iho floodgates of talk ; but Barely men claiming to worship " liberalism," free speeoh and political equality are inconsistent when they avail themselves of a qnibble to stifle criticism of the Budget. It ib a very small matter that J>y Mr Seddon't) flomewhiit questionable tactics trie close of the session has been hastem-d. The public know thai: , this is the last session before the general election, and it really is unimportant whether members spend their time in the House, or canvassing for their seats. Of course members themselvHs may not tiikfi this view, but from the country's standpoint it is immaterial whether the session closes three months or two months before the dissolution. But ie Is of the utmost moment to the country that the financial statement shall be thoroughly criticised and discussed, fco far it has been to the general pablio merely a mass of figures and verbiage. It has. been partly analysed and dissected by the press ; but fill the newspapers of the colony have been waiting for the financial debate before dealing with the budget speech, only to find that the debate has been cleverly burked. The few speeches made by members of the House have come mainly from JVJinißterialists who are naturally spocial pleaders for the Government, and as soon as it game to the turn of the Opposition to have i|fcs siy, I^r rteddon took advantage of the forms of Parliament to close their mouths. ,This may be " liberalism," but it bears a strong resemblance to the most high-handed

political tyranny of which themos» conservative of Tories could not be guilty. Of course the Government organs are already crying out that the free discussion of the budget forced on by Captain Russell's no- confidence motion ia a mere waste of time for which the Opposition ia responsible ; but as already shown, it does not matter in the last session of Parliament whether members disperse to their constituencies a month or two months before the general election. Moreover, there can be no waste of time in freol y debating and criticising the country's finances. Captain Russell's accusations against the Government us embodied in his no-confidence motion contain all the charges he has .nade during his political tours through the country, whon those charges were endorsed by large audiences of of the electors. He deolares that an Administration which owes its reason of being to its avowal of selfreliance and a policy of non borrowing, has increased the publio debt in five years by £5,000,000. The Government which obtained power on the plea that it would represent the people, ease them of olass burdens, and equalise taxation, has thrown on them an additional taxation on the necessaries of life, which the rioh are able to avoid by absenteeism. The Ministry which was to be so self-reliant as to rehabilitate the credit of the colony has aimed & blow at that credit by seizing the sinking funds of local bodies' loans and used them to swell fictitiously the revenue returns. The men who posed as political purists have availed themselves to the utmost of the praotice of awarding "the spoils to the victors. The politicians who were to regenerate and purify the public life of the colony have become concerned in the gravest financial scandals Australasia has known, and even now one who was till recently a Minister, and who is nominally.a Minister no longer, is in a manner awaiting his trial. Yet, with cynical disregard of the proprieties, the chief of the Ministry ia doing hia utmost to control tho Banking Committee and to shape its inquiry as he desires it to be made. Lastly, the ostensibly " self-reliant and nonborrowing " Government which has already increased the pvblic debt by £5,000,000 in five years, has brought down a proposal ia its Budget to borrow an additional million for public works on the eve of a general election. The laat-mentioned schemp is inherently immoral, for if consented to it would give the Government which has all to gain by lavish expenditure'at this juncture the means of bribing the constituencies into continuing a ffupport which we have a right to assume ia abd"ut to be ■withdrawn. 'Putting all other considerations aside, though the House of Representatives might carry the loan by its majority, which is no longer representative of the people, the Legislative Council would have the right, and would be Joing its duty, by throwing out the loan bill till the Ministry returned from the country. Of course no one expects the noconfidence motion to be carried, unless indeed Mr Seddon is '• riding for a full"; but the step taken by Captain Russell reopens the financial debate so tyrannously closed by the Premier, and enables members of both parties in the house to go before their constituents with clear issues. The result of the motion on the House itself is a foregone conclusion ; but it will be far-reaching in its effects, and it will have an important bearing on the coming general election.