SESSIONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9580, 3 August 1894, Page 5

SESSIONAL NOTES.

[BY TELEGRAPH,—SPECIAL correspondent.] ■■ ■: '' ' = : '[ ■ * ; Wellington, Thursday. " fa has been the aim of true ' Liberalism all the world over, r says Sir Robert Stout, to keep the State from falling under the heel of the debenture-holders. He quotes the words of M. Emile de Laveleye,' the eminent ,: Frenoh economist of the advanced school of Liberalism, who points out that by the growth of these enormous'public debts the democracy becomes the prey of the debenture-holders, whioh is nothing bub a new form of slavery. The interest to be paid is more grievous than the rent of land, for in times of depression landlords muse reduce their rents ; but, whatever happens, the interest must be paid. Bub the present Government, ib seems, care nothing for the warnings of M.De Laveleye in particular, and have an infinite seeming contempt for political economists in general; for, as Sir Robert Stout clearly demonstrated, last night, they are recklessly plodging this fairj colony to the moneylenders in London. He also ' contends that Mr. Seddon and his colleagues have introduced that pernicious spoils to the victors' system, which has damned every domooraoy that has tried it, and has ruined the political life of America ; for where "the spoils to the victors " is practised, a pure administration cannot exist.

The extraordinary speech of the Premier last night showed even more unmistakeably than the utterance of the Colonial Treasurer that the Budgeb interviews which you have published, more especially the masterly analysis of Sir Robert Stoub, went home right up to the hilt. The Premier ramped and raged and roared, and when Mr. Tom Mackenzie, who sits opposite to him, with ironical seeming innocence, mildly interjected,- while Mr. Seddon was shouting himself hoarse, " Can't hear," the House could not forbear a hearty laugh. But the Premier was in no laughing humour. In terms of bitter denunciation bo referred to the senior member for Wellington and his interviewer as conspirators, and simply because he had courteously allowed himself to be interviewed he accused Sir Robert of preferring the stiletto to the weapon of the highwayman. Never before, perhaps, has ever Mr. Seddon allowed himself to bo betrayed into such an undignified exhibition of passion. For nearly the whole of his hour he faced and addressed himself directly to Sir Robert Stout, In the language of the New Zealand Times, " He springs upon Sir Robert ab th start, hurling a shout ab him which ought to be audible ab Karori and Petone and Mirama and Island Bay." "Cold-blooded speech," he yells ab him. Waving arms, working shoulders, swaying trunk, shaking head, jerking body, blazing eyes, purple complexion, all give force to the term "cold - blooded." He shook his fist ab the knight, or varied the gesture by pointing a finger trembling with emotion at him, and' when Sir Robert chuckled or openly laughed, the Premier thumped his desk, and belched forth his invectives like a volcano in eruption."

Sir Robert Stout's powerful indictment of the Government last night, and his telling exposure of the falsity of their boasted self-reliance, strong finance, and non-borrowing, has been much discussed to-day. Those members of the party who have not finally abandoned all sense •of personal responsibility and natural independence must have felt uneasy when the indignant tones of the Knight rang out with the assertion that in no Parliament in the world had the Liberal members been treated as in this Parliament. Every Bill was forced upon them at the point of the bayonet, , and they had been driven like dumb dogs into the lobby. Time after time this had been done. " No, no," interjected an hon. member. " Why," replied Sir Robert, "I tell the hon. gentleman who says ' No, no,' that ib has been done to him, and in his innermost soul he must feel ashamed." Ministers were converting Liberalism, the member for Wellington continued, into a pure autocracy. Members were not allowed to express an opinion lest a Minister should resign, and they were most improperly and unconstitutionally threatened with a dissolution, whilst throats were also hurled at the Upper House should they dare come between the Minister for Lands and his intentions. That these charges went deeply home was very evident by the intense heat and bitterness with which the Premier replied that "the hon. gentleman will find some of them to be dogs that can both bark and* bite, and they will bite for the people of this country."

" A moat complete disregard for all ordinary and accepted courtesies of Parliamentary life," says the Post), "was shown last night by Ministers in putting up Mr. Tanner to follow the Hon. Mr. Mitcholson in, the financial debate, Mr. Mitchelson is nob only an ex-Minister, bub for several sessions he was 'leader of the House, and acting Colonial Treasurer. Hid standing and experience warranted the position he occupied in opening the debate on the part of the Opposition, Captain Russell willingly giving his former colleague the pass as being more especially qualified to deal with the financial questions before the House. Thab a Minister did nob follow Mr. Mitchelson was apparently intended as a studied insulb, worthy of the boorish minds which conceived the idea of offering it.

During his speech on the second reading of the Land Bill Mr. Massey (Waitemata), in dwelling upon the question of insecurity of tenure involved in the Bill under the provisions for resumption of private estates by the Government, ventured bo prophesy thab once the principle was affirmed, there would quickly come proposals to reduce the area the owner of the estate might retain,' and .that whereas the Bill provided that he might keep for his own use one thousand acres of first class land, he would probably booh find himself limited bo two hundred hnd fifty acres. Mr. Massey could hardly have expected such early verification of his warning, bub ib haa already come in the shape of the following proposed amendment of clause 6 of the Bill, to be moved by Mr. G. W.Russell, of Riccarbon, "provided that in the case of land situated , within five miles of any borough or town district, 1 the limitation in this section shall be reduced to two hundred and fifty acres."