THE HON. W. ROLLESTON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9610, 7 September 1894, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE HON. W. ROLLESTON.

BANQUETED AT BELLAMY'S. fBY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] The Hon. W. Rollesfcon was banqueted at Bellamy's, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, on August 18, by his political friends. The company, which numbered about thirty, was almost exclusively composed of past and present members of the House of Representatives and members of the Legislative Council. * The Hon. Captain Russell presided, the guest of the evening being on his right and the Hon. John Bryce on his left. The Hon. E. Mitchelson occupied the vicechair. After the toasts of *'The f Queen" and " The Governor," The Chairman proposed "Our Guest," and in doing so referred at some length to the good work done by Mr. Rolleston as a pioneer settler, superintendent of his province, and as a colonial legislator. Duty had always been his maxim and watchword. He had ever adhered to consecrated convictions as against all suggestions of compromise and coalition. He had still many years of good work left in him, and it was to be hoped he would again come forward and lead the party. They had to fight against a tyranny that would cripple the press, and assume dictatorial powers. They had much to discourage them, but if they kept to truth and principle the day would yet come when the country would believe that the party which Mr. Rolleston had so ably led were in the right. (Applause.) . The Hon. W. Rolleston,. who was very heartily received, said he hardly knew how to express all he felt, after the kind things that had been said aboub him. Personally he would rather be out of Parliament, and if he ever returned to public life it would be nob of his own seeking ; but every man was bound to come to the fore if his fellow-colonists asked him to do so. In any case his desire was to follow rather than to lead, and their present leader was a man in every way deserving of the confidence of the party. (Cheers.) His own defeat at the last election came ab a time of great difficulty, when stronger and abler men might well have been glad to be relieved of responsibility. He came out of the fight with no sense of shame or discredit. To obtain popularity he had abandoned no principle, appealed to no prejudices, and pandered to no class animosities. He fell a victim to side issues, and did not complain of his fate, for his services in the past had been amply recognised, and his shortcoming meb with generous consideration from the public. Mr. Rolleston then proceeded to give a sketch of hie political career and the friendships which had been made and cemented with brilliant statesmen of the past, many of whom he declared to be Liberals of the besb type. Referring to Captain Russell, Mr. Mitchelson, and others around him that night, he said ib seemed a strange perversity of fate that they should be regarded by some as out of sympathy with the masses, and adverse to the spirit of progress. There was no reason to believe that in any point the land administration of the past was ab all inferior to that of the present; in fact, he had reason to believe that the present land administration was in a terrible mess. He did not care whether they were called Conservatives or Liberals, they were waking towards whab was urgently needed, the formation of a national party representing all that was ablest, best, and truest, for withoub truth nothing could be accomplished. His party had aimed ab social progress as distinct from social fads. They had endeavoured to remove grievances, but he did nob think ib was the duty of the State to interfere until State interference was shown to be necessary. The weakness of the party was only numerical; their numbers were small, but the principles for which they fought were great. They were a standing protest against the notion that a healthy democracy could subsist with a gagged press and a muzzled Parliament. The tendency appeared to be towards the state of things mentioned by John Stuarb Mill, where exclusive government by a class usurps the name of Democracy. The party which resisted this tendency of Democracy to absolute Government, which asserted that the rights of the individual and the eacredness of personality, which believed that Govern men by a class, whether rich or poor, would fail, which recognised thab national progress depended on theindividual being sureoi reaping the fruit of his labour, which insisted on the maintenance of a sound currency, and set its face against what President Cleveland called "the baneful system of paternalism," and a suicidal, • selfish policy of protection—such a party had a bond of union which could not easily be broken, and would sooner or later command the respect and confidence of the people. For the present they could bub patiently abide the creation of a better educated public opinion. The colony was at present passing through a severe crisis. The industrial classes were suffering severe privations, owing to the loss of confidence ocsasioned by the Government leaving principles and passing on to fads. Their great safeguards were freedom of speech, the liberty of the press, and an independent judiciary. They did nob want a gagged press or a Parliament) stifled in respect to liberty of speech. This country had a great future before it, and those round him were quite able to grapple with the circumstances. In conclusion, he thanked them for asking him there that night ab whab mighb be the close of his political career, and that evening's gathering would ever be assorted in his mind with the most .grateful memories. (Loud applause.) Mr. R. C. Bnuce, ex-M.ILR., proposed " The Legislative Council" The Hon. C. C. Bovven, M.L.C., replied. The Hon. John Bryce proposed the next toast, "The House of Representatives." He said that his experiences of the House had been various, sometimes pleasant, sometimes, he was afraid to say, rather unpleasant. He had never felb inclined to undervalue the friendships he had formed through being a member of the House. He hoped Mr. Rjlleston would return to active political life, but if nob lie would leave behind an unblemished deputation for rectitude, and, above all, truthfulness, which lay ab the foundation of all political virtue. He (Mr. Bryce) was addressing true Liberals in the best sense of the term, and in contrast to the spurious article they had heard so much of. However, he bad heard such advanced Liberals as Sir Frederick Whitaker and Sir U. Atkinson called " old Tories," and gentlemen present must nob be surprised if such terms were applied to them. If he were addressing the Great - Liberal Party which pelt the term with capitals, he would ask them to look around at the countries where democratic institutions prevailed, and see for themselves the rock upon which democracy was splitting. Was ,lb not evident that the weakness of democracy consisted in the corruption, the s want of integrity, above all the wanb of truth on the part ol the leaders of the people, and in the desire on the part of those leaders to make every thing subordinate to obtaining votes, anc the extension of power. The greatei Radical a man was the more strongly h< should insisb on having purity and truth ir the conduct of his leaders. The county expected that the Opposition should preseni a strong contrast to the Government benches. If the Government's ways won crooked, let the , Opposition be straight forward; .if the Government loved conceal ment, if they loved darkness rather that light because their ways were evil, lot> th< Opposition seek openness and light Ministers faced with a light hearb and i reckless spirit social problems before whicl the wisest * and besb men in th worl( ehrankand trembled. They appeared to havi cast* away the safeguards of prudence, an( were running amuck. ,v The Hon. ; Mr. Mitchelson briefly re pliad, referring to his political connectioi wi'-.h Mr. Rolleston, and the ; latter's defea because he insisted on increasing the graii rates in Canterbury, believing the increas to be in the interest of the colony. • . Mr. T. Mackenzie, M.H.R., then pre posed " the former members of Parliament, which was replied to by the Hon. T. W Hislop. . . c ■

The other toast 3 were those .of - " The Press" (proposed by Captain Russell and responded to by the New Zealand Herald representative on behalf of the press gallery), and "The Chairman" (proposed by the Hon. W.'Rolleaton).