THE “DARK” GREY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5564, 28 January 1879, Page 3

THE “DARK” GREY.

XO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Silt, —A friend of mine—that is, one of the people that are such pets with the present Ministry, especially its chief—accosted me the other day in a state of considerable alarm as to the meaning of certain articles that are appearing in the Ministerial journal. This organ, if rumor says truly, often speaks direct from the Ministerial heart and conscience. I cannot, however, suppose that there is any truth in the very unkind insinuation that there are others besides Ministers paid out of the public purse a part of whose stipulated duty it is to bolster up the powers that be through those columns. I for my part accept such rumors for what they are worth. The patriotism displayed by Ministers in connection with the special telegraph wire, during the last session of Parliament, should be in itself a most satisfactory reply to all such insinuations. In reference to these articles I had to confess (although I am looked up to as an authority in matters politic by my friends) that after I had read them carefully, hoping to get hold of the point aimed at by the writer, I utterly failed to find anything of the kind. I have seen nothing beyond some disconnected reference to the previous continuous Ministry which God forbid the present party should ever be —and something about Governors in "oueral, and our Governor in particular. By-the-byo, I have observed that the latter is more than a match for Grey, which no doubt is very humiliating to the good old knight. Sundry insinuations are made that Governors should be elected by the people. Now this election of the Governor is supposed to be a bait that the people will most greedily swallow, because it is so democratic, and places so fully the sovereignty in the hands of the people. Yet this casual acquaintance of mine said, “ I don’t like this idea of electing the Governor; there is something, to my mind, crooked about it • it looks to me like the first step towards severing ourselves from the old country, which I don’t believe in.” He then gave it ms as his deliberate opinion that the closer we stick to the old country and her institutions the better. In this I agreed with him, and was open to lay a fiver or any other amount—although I am not a betting man—that if the old Grey horse were out of the race for the Governor’s Cup, we should hear little more for the next seven years about au elected Governor. While I am satisfied that the people of this country have no desire for any constitutional change of that kind, I am by no means certain, even in the event of a Governor’s Cup b e incr n m for, that the old horse would wiu. It is°true he looked uncommonly well last year —bis action in his canter was grand, and the pice he showed in the preliminary gallop was wonderful ; so much so, it was generally supposed that nothing could live iu his company iu a race for such a prize ; —but since that time he has shown age, witli a stiffness in the joints, and general decrepitude. This was especially noticeable the other day at the Thames ; although he appeared in his usual trappings, aud had undergone a careful training at Kawau after his last season’s engagements, there was not much go in him, Oj:b oe the People.