THE WARD-HISLOP AFFAIR.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 915, 13 September 1889, Page 29

THE WARD-HISLOP AFFAIR.

MR HISLOP’S RESIGNATION ACCEPTED. When the House met yesterday week, the Speaker read a letter from Mr T. W. Hislop, dated that day, resigning his seat. a& member of the House for Oamaru. The Premier said he would movo, in accordance with custom, that a writ be immediately issued for the election, of a member for the vacant seat. He would take this opportunity of stating that the .Colonial Secretary had tendered hia resignation of all the offices held by him in the Government. He would say further that having known his late colleague for many years, and served with him during the last two years, he extremely regretted the action which the hon gentleman had, S 3 ® matter of honour, felt it necessary to take,. Although one might regret that occurrences, had taken place upon which the hon gentleman came to the conclusion that he shonlo* take the extreme step of resigning his seat both in the House and in the Government, with a view to putting himself right before the country, the House would feel proud that one of its members showed so high a sense of honour as to take the most extreme step possible to put him right before the public immediately censure was passed upon him. (Cheers.) It was with great satisfaction that he bore testimony to the fact that Mr Hislcp's sympathies were always with the peopls, and that in no aot of administration, though h© might have been indiscreet, did he do anything except with the one purpose of doing his duty to the Colony. (Cheers.) Knowing that, he (the Premier) could not help feeling proud of a colleague who had acted, as Mr Hislop had now done. (Cheers.) Mr Ballance also expressed regret at the action of the Colonial Secretary, and could take no exception to the remarks made about the hon gentleman by the Premier. He had taken the right course. At the same time he deeplv regretted that the Government had refused to appoint a Joint Committee of both Houses to consider this correspondence. The position now occupied by the Ministry was an anomalous one, for it was unusual for a Minister to resign in consequence of censure from another place. (The Premier : He has not done that.) The Government had acted in an .unconstitutional manner in refusing an inquiry. As to the Colonial Secretary, that gentleman had taken what appeared to him to be the right course. (Hear, hear.) Mr Turnbull expressed an opinion that Mr Hislop should have resigned when he admitted his indiscretion. A most. unwarrantable effort was made by Mr Hislop to interfere with the authority of the judicial bench. (No.) Whatever penance might now be done could not rehabilitate him in the eyes of the House. Sir George Grey said : I am desirous of ) saying a few words on this subjeot, and they must be very few. The impression left ou my mind with regard to this transaction is, that the Minister of Justice, and one or more of his colleagues, believed that a Judge had sat in a case in which he had an interest of that kind which a Judge in Great Britain possessing would not have sat on the Bench to hoar the case. I am quite satisfied that they earnestly and honestly believed that. Then it was their duty to take some steps or other in the transaction ; and what I have found as a rule through a long life is this, that if, in some cases in which it is believed a wrong act, or an imprudent act, or an impolitic act on the part of some great official, has been committed, and he is interfered with, then generally the course adopted is to raise objection to the manner of interference —to some word that was said, to some single act that was performed, and the original question is to a great degree lost sight of by considering the minor point. In dealing with a vast variety of cases in various countries and through a long life, I have found that it is almost impossible to go into the investigation of a subject of the nature of that which has occupied our attention without taking some step that may be objected to. Possibly the majority will approve the Btep that was taken, but there will be a minority who will object to what was done, and direct their attacks to the authority that had to interfere upon that specific point, and who very often will appear to be a much greater offender than thß person in regard to whom the original action was taken. I am quite satisfied in my own mind that Ministers on this occasion did that which they thought was necessary, was best. I do not mean to say that they may not have made some mistake, committed some indiscretion in action, or used some word which might have been better supplied by another word. That I wiU not go into, but I cannot find it in my mind to condemn the Ministers in what they did, so far as 1 am acquainted with the transaction. I believe they honestly strove to do their duty as they

thought right ~ a duty whioh I believe they felt to be a moßt arduous and unpleasant one ; and as far as I am concerned I will pass no censure upon them in reference to any action they took in the matter. I pardoD all parties, and I certainly pardon them especially for having had difficulties of au extraordinary kind to contend against such as it was almost impossible for them successfully to carry out without taking some step or other to which objection might very possibly be taken. The Premier warmly thanked Sir Georgs Grey for what he had said, and expressed an opinion that the hon gentleman's remarks would have weight in the country, especially after the very unfortunate speech of Mr Turnbull. Replying to Mr Ballance, he denied that anything unconstitutional had been done. It was not to bo expected that the Government would allow a proposal to be made for inquiry into charges against it. Mr Hislop had resigned simply because of the general feeling on the subject —the Government knew nothing of the action of another place. Ho contended that there had been no effort to interfere with the course of justice, and said the real merits of the case had been over-laid by other considerations. No English Judge or Magistrate would have sat in such a case as that whioh formed the subject of the correspondence. (No, and hear, hear). He repeated that, aDd challenged hon. members who questioned it to look up the precedents. The motion for issue of a writ was then put and carried.