OUR COMMONS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1062, 15 September 1879, Page 2

OUR COMMONS.

Mr. John Davies Oioiond, who has again been elected for Clive, has represented that constituency for many years. He is at once one of the oldest and" cleverest members of the House of Representatives. He is a fluent speaker, and possesses a considerable knowledge of the aiikirs of the Colony ; but unfortunately, like many other members, he is rather hasty-tempered, and prone to say exceedingly bitter things of his opponents. This hastiness of temper and bitterness of disposition was displayed to an extraordinary extent in the session of 1577, when Mr. Ormond most unwarrantably Sir George Grey, and brought clAuges against that gentleman of an outrageous nature —charges which, if capable of proof, would have rendered the Premier unfit to occupy any position of trust; but they could not be supported by evidence, and Mr. Ormond's hasty and ill-tempered assertions recoiled upon Ins own head, by greatly diminishing his power in the House and lowering his character for trustworthiness. Mr. Ormond was Minister for Public Works for some time in Sir Julius Vogel's Government, but voluntarily retired, and gave place to the Hon. E. Richardson. He afterwards became a member of the Atkinson Government, and remained so until the fall of the Ministry. He may fairly be termed one of the leaders of the Opposition, and would probably have been chosen the leader of Parliament were it not for the failings already alluded to. He was for several years Superintendent of Hawko's Bay—a position either he or Sir Donald M'Doriald occupied from the separation of that portion of the country from the Wellington Province and its erection into a new Province until the Abolition of Provincialism. In this position the chief work of governing the Province de-

volvccl upon Mm, for Provincialism, .13 it existed in Hawke's Bay, was not of the same nature as the Provincialism known down here. Hawke's Bay was created a Province under the "New Provinces Act," under which the Superintendent was a member of the Council, by which body he was elected. They had not all the paraphernalia of Parliamentary Government ; the executive officers of the Province wero necessarily members of the Council, and wero permanently appointed ; and they consequently ha<l not to face occasional motions of no confidence. The chief work of carrying Government measures through the Council devolved upon the Superintendent. who was directly amenable to that body, instead of Winsj shielded by an Executive. This position Mr. OnVond tilled with dignitj' and ability, and gained great- I'm!<>.s for the careful manner in which lie managed the public business. In another respect we cannot speak in such terms of unqualified praise. Ho formed one of that powerful band that aimed at acquiring vast tracts of land from the natives, a band known by the title of the " Forty Thieves." They did acquire large blocks of land, too, and that not always by the fairest i t means, and it was in consequence of tile manner ill which Sir George Grey denounced these transactions, that Mr. Ortnond made that impolitic and to himself very damaging speech already referred to. Mr. Ormond is unquestionably a clever man, and could he overcome his bitterness of disposition ho might becomo a power in the House. As it is, his power and prestige are greatly marred by die excess to which lie allows his tonguo to go in opposing the Ministry. Mr. Josei'ji Sukthard, the now member for Waimca, adds another journalist to the already long list of pressmen ill the House. He is a good speaker, possesses a clear intellect, and is temperate in his expressions and moderate in. his views of public questions. Ho can scarcely be relied upon to follow either side firmly, but will probably prefer to think and act for himself. Mr. Shepliard will, we think, prove an acquisition to the House iti many respects —ho will certainly add to its intelligence and respectability. And here we may remark that the new House bids fair to be 0110 o£ the most respectable, if not one possessing the greatest amount of genuino talent, that the country has ever possessed. Sir. William Sefton Mooritouse, who has been selected to represent Ashley,, the constituency for which Mr. J. Evans Brown formerly sat, is another old member of the House, though his membership' has not been of a continuous nature. Hois a politician, endowed, perhaps, with, more than an average amount of ability,, and is a very fair speaker, but for soma reason that we need not pause to explain, he does not carry that amount of influence: that might be expected from a man of his experience and ability. He was for some time Superintendent of Canterbury, but resigned on getting the Province into financial difficulties;. He was the originator of the railway-construction policy, for it was owing principally to his originative mind and advocacy that the LytteltonChristehurch railway, with its long and expensive tunnel, was undertaken. Mr. Moorhouse sat in the last Parliament for Christchurch, and was- at first, a candidate for re-election, but was frightened out of the field by the fact that Sir George Grey became a candidate. It is probably as well that ho did seek election elsewhere, or he might have suffered the same fate as the Hon. E. Richardson, and been excluded from t.he House. Mr. E. fIAMU-N, who has again been returned as one of the members for Franklin, lias sat in the House for a short time. Ho is a man of some ability, but is not likely yet; to occupy any higher position than that of a private in onc»the contending parties in the House. --fiM Mr. Haumis, the colleague of Mr.. Hamlin in the representation of Franklin,, is an untried and unknown man, and has. yet to establish bis claim for the honor of being classed amongst the men or talent, in the House. He must, however, b& an improvement upon Mr. Hobbs, the sanctimonious " rat," whose place in tha Senate Chamber he has been chosen to till. Mr. W. J. SrF.TiiHT, the now member for Auckland City East, will not, we fear, prove a fitting substitute in many respects for Mr. liees, but in others ho may prove an improvement. He is a man of moderate ability, but does not possess the trouie#n dous power of speech for which the fete, member obtained such a fame ; wi the. other hand, he is likely to prove, more, discreet, and will not be so. prone to, injure his party by the injudicious warm-, ness of liis advocacy, and the letting off of an extreme amount of gas in season, and out of season.