NEW ZEALAND HERALD, AND AUCKLAND GAZETTE. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1842.

New Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette, Volume I, Issue 56, 2 March 1842, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND HERALD, AND AUCKLAND GAZETTE. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1842.

Thei v men who pretend to any know- . of political economy, who have not been bly struck with Blaekstone's eloquent enu» iriera v.-»at are the requisites of a good government ; with or at least a portion ■of them, it is impossible that any good understanding: can exist between the Government and the g ■ or that any degree of prosperity can reasonably -be expected to follow,, so long as there is of confidence between either party " In »en hti, "all mankind will agree that gevemaieal ■ to such persons in whom these .... are ' : d, the perfection of which are among the attributes of hifn who is emphatically styled, the Being; the three grand requisites, I mean, of wisom» goodness and power; wisdom, to discern the reai inof she community ; goodness, ts endeavour always to pursue thai real interest; and strength or power, io carry this knowledge atsd intention into action/' It must be admitted/ that even where the governing party have been selected by the gov- > erned from amongst themselves, on account of their supposed wisdom and integrity, the above be considered a severe test;. and still more hen the Government are placed in their position by a superior power, as is the casr >nies, without consideration whether ibeir previous pursuits were such as might tend to render them equal to their highly responsible -charge. Colonists are in general, from sad exsnce, but too well aware that their rulers are for the most part nominated by the Home Governeither from family connexions, or in reward for services., often of a nature totally different to those which they are appointed to discharge; in this case the party governed-ihay look upon the governing with the highest Admiration for their professional acquirements and achievements, interests corrpei tj ■ ii own. they have great 11 !C 1 the least.j to • :■ • ich steps as by j ion voice are deelar injurious to hat they shall adopt such measures as will most effectually contribute lat prosperity. All governments are an implied contract between the people and their i he one party shall obey implicitly, and that the other shall govern wisely; and though it would not be consistent with the good order of society that a breach of this contract should, as in common law, annul the contract itself; yet the party governed have the utmost freedom, in lieu of this, to censure the acts of Government or of any of parties composing it, who may evince a dison to violate their contract with the public ; but the public cannot censure without some standard to which they can refer all acts of Government. They cannot take a better than the one just quoted from Blackstone and; though it would be idle to expect even from a National Government, much less from » Colonial one, a perfection which that sh ndard implies, yet it rausjt be L in mind that all allowances of departure from tat standard are to be judged by the public, and not by their rulers. One of the greatest mi in p- . aomy which the present age has produced, has paid :—" Under a government of .he motto of a good citizen i To obey punctually, to freely,"" and as long as this rule and standard are adhered io tc, it is next to impossible that they can ever go wro'4g. In fact, the power of censuring the acts of Government is not only beneficial to the Communi.y, but to the Government themselves. Acts which are never to be censured will never be imid. That which is never to be found fault j can never be amended, and the detcrmiaa-1

art of a

stt any rate, v fession of the ignorance of that Gove; am political matters, but would stead as aa bar to all present and future prosperity is then the voice which the public at large have in framing laws. It is their birthright, and by preserving it inviolate, they have indirectly as much share in making laws for their Government, as the very framers of those laws themselves; by neglecting or concede i gjbti they, cannot consistently complain of any injury that may befall them, Nor has a Government, if its measures be firmly based, on truth and justice, any thing to lose by the censure of any man ; on the contrary, it has every thing to gain. Rash censitre is certain to re coil upon i an imr. essionupon the public, or it cione; if none, it cannot harm the Government, but is pretty certain to \do him little goou who has made it without foundation. do make an impression, the Government the power of defending their own acts; if they can do so successfully, they gain a double advanand become in cc e more firmly rooted in the confidence 'of the public. With these circumstances in its favor, no Government which is at all confident in its own powers, or in the integrity of its own measures will ever shrink from the test to which the censure of a body or even of individuals may bring it Upon these simple principles, principles well understood and acted upon in our native country by all parties; and which only require to be pointed out in order to be acted upon here, so firrrily are* they based upon truth, and upon that liberty of action, which no man wort , name of Briton will ever permitto be infringed, it is our intention to review some of the moi acts of the New Zealand Government. Acts upon the future prosperity of this coutr. ids; and tl leration of is ■ '■■'. ■ ' ■ '<'■ nay be expected for the future; of those which are framed for the future, but not yet in force, by practicalapplication, as evincing the animus therein displayed. "With these prefatory remarks we shall postpone ng into our ease till our next.