WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1516, 3 October 1868, Page 5

WELLINGTON.

(from oub special correspondent.) September 28. The Government having obtained a majority of one, the general inquiry now is what will they do ; will they "hold on?" will they resign? will they dissolve, having first obtained a six months supply ? Every one answers the query according to his own political light. But they are not so very difficult to answer. The " out and out-lying" members who support Mr. Stafford say he -will hold on in spite of the Opposition. The Opposition would not be worth the name if they had not the power to prevent this. To the second question I would answer no, for I cannot believe that ministers would, of their own motion, relinquish office while people are looking forward to, or preparing for a general election. Therefore they will notresign. The Teply to the third question, I think, is, " It is probable," for it appears to be admitted, the only solution of the difference possible is the decision of the people given on the hustings.

The political gossip that is prevalent is for the most part very stupid ; some of it is positively ! the emanation of political insanity. There are half-a-dozen poor illiterate spouting gentlemen in the House who swear by Mr. Stafford. These people are like Indian fakirs, always on their bellies before their idol, and never are they better pleased than when their god puts his foot upon them. They have never seen any struggle on a seale larger than that which takes place at a local board, and with them politics is a system of trickery. Of course from this point of view the cleaner the trick the greater is the manifestation of genius. Equivocation, duplicity, and dissimulation, are the whole btock-in-trade of the politician, according to these honorable members. Those who have had any experience of statesmen, whose reputation entitles them to that rank, will be disposed to think that such qualities go to make up nothing better than political " jeremy-diddling." I hope you will excuse me for using phraseology which an English grammarian would hardly sanction. The truth is so depraved or so neglected Jhas become style and expression down here, that I have no hope of getting hon. members to understand me without having resort to their own vernacular.

Next after tho ministerial crisis nothing is talked of but the Auditor General's report. We are beginning to know how it has happened that the accounts are all wrong. To show you the darkness in which the ministers work, I will relate an incident which happened recently. I wanted a copy of the estimates, and went to one of the clerks to get one ; I received the following reply: I cannot give you one. "Why?" "I cannot help it." " There has been a copy sent

to I inquired of whether that was so, and received an answer in the negative. There is not a day that passes that some new development of ministerial action—l am disposed to call that action intrigue—does not take place. But to come back to the Auditor-General's report. I have heard merchants and persons of competent skill declare that, if such a report had to be made on a set of mercantile books, it would promote the suspicion of, —well, never mind,—but the cashier of such a concern would be himself cashiered. The last bitter pill came from a Government supporter. It was sugared with much political suavity. Mr. Cox remonstrated against an item to be written down in Hansard as £71,000, which was really £159,000. ' People,' said the hon. member, ' are very likely to be misled.' Yery likely indeed. You will, perhaps, not be surprised at the new expedient which has been resorted to for defence. A Government supporter gets up to make a speech, he desires to show the House that his constituents are to a man in favouT of the Government policy. He takes out of his pocket a local newspaper, and reads an article from it. That article must be inserted in Hansard by order of tho Government. I told you, in one of my recent letters, the source from which the intelligence was conveyed to the Cross. For anything that appears to the contrary, a minister may have written the article. But in this way it is hoped to preserve their credit. Those who know, as Mr. Haughton would say, " How the cat jumps," will not hesitate to call this practice ministerial "puffery." Such subterfuges, if they were not so mischevous, would be thoroughly contemptible.

The recent division has left behind it, like the smoke of a conflict, of anecdotes which are more or less comical. Some people to whom these stories are told exhibit a laudable, but by no means a worldly, show of virtuous indignation. I have seen, upon a much larger scale, and in a much more dignified House than that in Wellington, the numerous artifices by which, when a division is expected to be a close one, members of Parliament will try to " shut out" their opponents. Some of theso stories, even in the House of Commons, are full of raciness. At the risk of being thought trivial upon so serious a theme as politics, I will recount this pretty episode.

To make the whole of the narrative intelligble the last event of this eventful history, must bo told first. The bell had rung for the division : the c-'peaker had ordered the door to be locked, all the speeches had been made and the interest in the '* ayes" and the 11 noes was at its highest, when I heard the voice of one of the Maori members, who speaks English though imperfectly, " Mitta speaker. Mitta speaker"! Every one turned to look at the hon. and aboriginal member, for the Southern Maori division. I could detect from his tone that he was panting for breath, and his words indicated that he was under the influence of some immediate excitement. I would not have it understood that the excitement was owing to any other cause than the events which occasioned it, for the natiye member is a very respectable decent fellow. Again he called out, —" Mitta Speaker; me no bullock, me no pig; what do they do this to me—you drive pig one way, he go t'oder —Yali!" This speech provoked a tremendous burst lot laughter, for very few understood what it meant. As I am in the secret I will (t have the permission of all concerned) reveal it to you. A Government supporter who had himself " paired," thought it •vould be a capital thing if he could spirit one of the Maori members out of the house. All but one, however, were safe in care of their political shepherds except the elect of JEaiapoi. There was a chance. This aboriginal is a capital whist and cribbage player. He was addressed by the tempte* 1 —" Come on Patleaon, let's have a hand at' cribb ;' there will be no division yet." " Don't mind if I do," was the response, and out went the two members to a neighbouring public, where the "book and booker and two glasses of hot grog were called for. So ends the first act of the politicallittle comedy. The Opposition, on whose side it was known that Patteson intended to vote, soon missed him. "Where's the nigger ? Hon. members went in every direction to find him. One hon. gentleman of the Opposition went to his hotel, tho Princess, andjto make assurance doubly sure, proceeded to his bedroom. He passed his hands on all the beds, but Government supporters were on his trail, and locked that gentleman in. I have heard who was the hon. member, and. he was obliged to make a main staircase of the j window-si'.l. The Maori and his friend were at length discovered smoking their cigars and counting theirfifteen two and a pair. Instantly the former was seized. The Government pulled him one way and the Opposition the other; and so the unfortunate Maori was lugged into the House, losing his hat in the progress from the round table to the Opposition benches, and placed between " shepherds." What wonder the poor man should exclaipa, disarranged and out of breath, " Me no pig, ha ! you drive pig one way, he go t'oder. Yah ! I vote for the ' Ayes.'" (Loud cheeis from the Opposition.)

The on 'dit is }hat Mr. Stafford will not relinquish office on the recent vote. There is to be a meeting of Government supporters to-day. Mr. Stafford has obtained a victory, such another victory would ruin him —a majority of One ! in a full House and after the hardest fought parliamentary battle I have witnessed in this colony. The scene in the House of Representatives this morning between one and two o'clock will not readily be forgotten either by the spectators or those who took part in the struggle on the "floor of the House." The galleries were crowded to suffocation. The passages even to the reporters' and ladies' gallery were, to use a phase excusable in this case, " crammed." The e vents of the last two days and the progress of the discussion had worked expectation up to the highest pitch of eagerness. The Government had worked their hardest to delay a division, and it was generally thought even an hour before the division took place that the great issue would not be determined until Wednesday next. Mr. Stafford, however, created a diversion, and as it turned out it was a fatal diversion for the Government.

To enable you to realise tlic progress of events and the interest which they exert, I must describe as nearly as I can what took place.

In one of my last letters I told you that Mr. Stafford had threatened to move amendments to the resolutions of Mr. McLean if necessary, in order to get an opportunity of again addressing the House. H aviug delivered himself of the menace on Wednesday night every one was prepared for what took place on Thursday when Mr. Cracroft Wilson moved an amendment "that the condition of the Northern Island requires that an efficient force of Constabulary, organised after the Irish model, should he embodied for a definite period." This was regarded as a triumph of parliamentary strategy. Mr. Cracroft Wilson is a zealous supporter of the Ministry, and though Mr. Stafford disavowed all knowledge of the amendment, those acquainted with parliamentary tactics will hardly give him lull credit for sincerity. The " great guns" of debate had already gone off, and the debate opened last night with a volley from the " little goes." It wa3 known that Mr. Stafford would not speak while Mr. Fox would have the opportunity of following him. The consequence was that the discussion flagged for a while. At length Mr. Fox walked up to the table and having arranged his papers commenced a speech which was one of the best things of the kind I ever heard. Fervid, vigorous, subtle, accompanied by rapid turns of thought and"gesture, he described the amendment, as a red herring thrown across the scent of Parliamentary harriers on his side of the House. Parliament was not to suffer itself to be deceived by any such subterfuge.. In the middle of his speech the hon. member for Kangitikei stopped short, land paying a high compliment to Dr. Featherston, whose absence from the House all deplored, read a letter he had just received from the Superintendent of Wellington. The delivery of this important document was in its way a masterly piece of reading, and I noticed that the effect on. the House was very marked. Haringmade an appeal to the members of the Middle Island who would have to pay the cost of an indefinite and protracted struggle with the natives, and to the members of the North Island whose lives and homes were at stake, Mr. Fox returned to his place amidst loud cheering. Mr. Stafford rose and began his speech- with that grim kind of humour which distinguishes him and which is in its way very effective, because very acrid. At times Mr. Stafford's oratory can be compared to nothing more appositely than corrosive sublimate, because of its. mordant pungency. He sneered at the " coming man," who, he said, had nothing in him after all the fury that hon. gentlemen had delivered. He was but a poor dried up animal— a dessicated fox whose back bone had received an unseemly curvature between Jerusalem'and Jericho. Major :!Atkinson, the late Defence Minister, was next subjected to the Ministerial lash. He accused the member for New Plymouth of giving officers' commissions to a se» of drunkards, and of giving'to these drunkards absolute power over life and death. He next turned his attention to Mr. Dillon Bell, whom he accused of suppressing, when a Minister, an important dispatch. Mr. Dillon Bell, writhing under such an imputation, said he would bring that charge to an issue by moving an address to his Excellency requesting him to command that the despatch alleged to have been suppressed should bo laid on the table. Next, Mr. Al'Lean was subjected to a series of well directed taunts and sneers, and charged with only opposing the Government when they refused to give him the money he demanded to carry out his policy on the East Coast. At length Mr. Stafford concluded his speech with the flourish that he, the Government, would support the amendment, and challenged the House to test, by an immediate division, the support which the Ministry were prepared to give to it. This defiance was received with cheers by the Ministerial supporters.

The effect of this movement was very noticeable in the House. It was a diversion, as I have said, which took lion, members by surprise, for no one had looked forward to a division so soon. Major Atkinson, smarting under the words of the Premier, was anxious to adjourn the debate with a view to vindicate his conduct when war minister. But when there is a little excitement on people are more disposed to see the end of it, and the House was evidently disposed to go on debating for two or three hours longer; it was then just one o'clock. Mr. Williamson, the!! Superintendent of Auckland, made an appeal to the Souse in favor of Mr. Atkinson, who was evidently suffering from the effects of a severe cold, for he was hoarse. But the House would not hear of an adjournment, and Mr. Atkinson rose to answer the charges which had been made against him. The officer of whom such disparaging words were spoken was greatly distinguished in India. The power over life and death referred to was, he said, simply a power, when he caught natives branded with murder, that he should have power to " string them up " and " added the hon. gentleman, " if I could catch Titokuwharo I would string him too, which would have ail excellent effect upon those who would bo disposed to have followed him." This speech was uttered with a force which, gave to it the fullest effect, and the announcement was received with, loud cheering. Mr. Bell next rose, and asked whether the Premier adhered to his statement respecting the suppression of the despatch. Mr. Stafford rose with an air of apologetic deference, and said he was sorry to have made the statement, for he had found the paper printed in another part of the book from which he quoted. Mr. Stafford evidently stood convicted of another of those ministerial prevarications

which have been so conspicuous this session, and which I must say are not creditable to any one who resorts to such rueaas of attack, much

less a statesman, whose position should be above the suggestion of a falsehood. The feeling came across ■ my mind that the statesman who could have employed such a means must well be suspected. If the secretary of a 'parish vestry in England were discovered to use such an artifice, he would be ordered to resign his situation and his books, and if his books were not correct, he would stand a fair chance of going to the treadmill. Iho cheering during this passage of amenities from both sides of the House was loud, and the counter cheering was, if anything, louder. This scene lasted only a few minutes, and amidst loud cries of " divide. The supporters of the Ministers were animated and hopeful iu consequence of the triumphant air of their chief, for they thought he couM have hardly assumed such a valorous tone it he had not some reason for thinking that there was no resisting the amendment of the hon. member

for Coleridge. Mr. McLean rose a little before one o'clock and delivered himself of one of those masterly and well-sustained liaraugues, which are so telling, owing to great fluency of the speaker. There is a harmony about some of the periods of the Superintendent of Hawke's Bay which strikes pleasantly on the ear. He had the air of a man who -bad sought to render service to, his country, but had been spurned by those whom he had so long and .well served. He'concluded his speech by declaring that, whatever the result of the division, he would be prepared again to aid any Government that might be in power, and apply his best ability and energy to the pacification of the country, and the promotion of its prosperity. The hon. member sat down amid general cheering.

The Speaker now read the resolution, and the amendment moved thereto, in the usual Parliamentary form, "to leave out .all the words after 'that,' (the first word in IVlr. McLean's resolution) with a view to inserting the following—'The condition of the Northern Island requires, &e." Roth sides of the House vied with eacli other in giving breath and volume to their "'aye" or " no." Again and again he put the question, aud he declared the "noes" had it. The mode of putting the question is a Parliamentary formula, and runs thus—" That the words proposed to be left out stand part of tl.e question" Of course if all the words after that were to stand part of the question, the resolution of Mr. McLean would be carried. The " Noes." therefore, was a vote iu favour of the amendment on the voices. The Speaker declare'] that the " ?<oes" had it, and a division was demanded, "Messrs. McLean and Ormond being nominated tellers for the "Ayes," and Messrs. Wilsou and Cox tellers for the "Noes," The excitement of taking a division in a full house, and 011 a great issue, involving (he future of a whole nation, is very absorbing. At length the votes having beeu duly recorded, there was the greatest anxiety to gather the result. Some hon. members said the Ministers had a majority of two, the more sanguine believed they had a majority of three or more, and in these speculations lion, members engaged themselves, while the tellers were counting up the division lists. £ ou are aware that according to parliamentary usage it is the business of the tellers for the majority to bring up the division lists, and hand them to the Clerk of the House. When the numbers are equal the tellers on each side bring up each list separately. When the tellers were seen walking up the House with only one list, several members exclaimed a " tie," a

"tie." 'lhis elicited loud cheers and counter cheers. The Clerk having counted the names over, handed the lists to the Speaker, who declared the result of the division to be -ayes, 32 ; noes, 32. Cheers again followed the announcement. The Speaker then gave his casting vote for the " noes," which was a vote for the Government, and another round of cheering and counter cheering greeted him as he did so.

But what followed made the excitement if possible intense. Mr. Cracroft Wilson's amendment becamc a substantive motion and was about being put when Major Brown, the member for Omata, came forward and said that sooner than see a great question set aside by a " red herring being thrown in the path of hon. members, he"would move an amendment." He accordingly moved the addition of the words which are printed in Italics to Mr. Wilson's proposition. For the sake of greater intelligibility I put Mr. Wilson's proposition and the amendment together ; the latter as I have said in Italics.

That the condition of the Island requires that an efficient force of constabulary, organised after the Irish model should be embodied for a definite period (addition, but that regard to the welfare of the colony requires that the organization and disposal of that force and the administration of native affairs should not be entrusted to the present JUinishy ) This again raised the real question, and the reading of the additional word was received with the usual parliamentary plaudits. The speaker put the question and a division was demanded. While the division was being taken expectation was on tip-toe to learn the result. This time there was not the usual indication of a tie. The Speaker then promulgated the result of the division: — For the resolution as amended, ayes 31 ; against, noes, 32. The Government had a majority of one. Independent of this bare majority being equivalent to a defeat, the way in which the] new position came up marks the disapprobation by Parliament of the conduct of native affairs. Ministers looked beaten, but I do not think the result surprised them. Not a word was said. As it was near two o'clock in the morning, members hurried home and Ministers remained iu their seats on the Government benches until most of the members had gone into Bellamy's or home.

It cannot, of course, be known what course Ministers will take until they may vouchsafe to explain their intentions to the House. After so great a fail they will require breathing time. It happens, fortunately, that the division was taken on Saturday morning. They will have longer time to consider the situation." There is in most quarters a sense of relief in the knowledge that Ministers have been arrested in a policy which must have ended in disaster and financial ruin to the colony. It is probable that there will be a dissolution. If ministers do not choose to resign they will have to encounter an opposition whose strength will become every day more formidable. They have all along boasted that they had the people with them. The decision will now be with the people. Owing to the lateness of the hour at which the division was taken, and I suppose the hurry of going to press, the division lists given in the Independent are not quite correct, one or two names having been omitted. The following is the division list on Mr. McLean's want of confidcncu motion:—

Ayes, 32; 'Noes, 32. Ayes--Messrs. Atkinson, Baigent. Bell, Borlase, Brandon, Brown, Burns, Cargill, Collins, Dignan, Fox, Graham, TTeaphy, T. Macffarlane, G-. McFarlane,Main, Ormond, O' Korke, Parker, John Patterson, Potts, Kolleston, Reynolds, Stevens, Studholme, Tancred, Tareha, Taylor, Travers, Vogel, Williamson. Tellers—Messrs. M'Lean and Ormond. "Noes—Messrs. Ball, liarff, Bradsbaw, Bunny, Campbell, Carleton, Clark, Curtis, Eyes, Gallagher, Hall, Harrison, W. H., Haughton, Hepburn, Jollie, Kenny, Kerr, Ludlam, Mervyn, Mitchell, C. O'Neill, J. O'Neill, Paterson, James, lieid, Richmond, Russell, Stafford, Swan, Wells, Wood. Tellers—Messrs. C. Wilson and Cox. On Major Brown's amendment to Mr. Cracroft Wilson's motion, the House divided with the following result:— Ayes, 31 —Messrs. Atkinson, Baigent, Bell, Borlase, Brandon, Burns, Cargill, Collins, Dignan, Graham, Heaphy, Macfarlan, T. Macffarlane, Main, McLean, Ormond, Parker, John Patterson, Pots, Eolleston, Stevens, Studholme, Tanered, Tareha, Taylor, Travers, Vogel, Williamson. Tellers—lVl ajor Brown and Mr. Fox. Noes, 32—Messrs. Ball, Barff, Bradshaw, Bunny, Campbell, Carleton, Clark, Curtis, Eyes, Gallagher, Hall, Hankinson, Haughton, Hepburn, Jollie, Kenny, Kerr, Ludlam, Mervyn, Mitchell, C. O'Neill, J. O'Neill, James Paterson, Reid. Richmond, Russell, Stafford, Swan, Wells, Wood. Tellers —Messrs. Wilson and Cox.

?Tatura!ie!s point out, to us that the ea'mon is formed as a :rr, so th:-J it rnay rereive (he least possible amount of resistance in ascending rivers One is rJm" r -t remptc:! to turn vegetarian at the prospect of ouch •' !'>; T .'. ii-Ie frKoro us.