News by the Mail.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXI, Issue 6505, 14 March 1896, Page 4

News by the Mail.

PEEL ON THE AUSTRALIAN TEAM.

Interviewed as to what he thought of the coming Australian cricket team, Peel said : —" Well, it is a very good side—l may say a great side ; but some of them will be surprised when they come to play on English wickets. There is such a difference between Australian wickets and ours. They have hardly any experience of a crumbling wicket, or one that gets fiery. They may perhaps be a bit at sea at first, and fail to do themselves anycliing like justice, especially with so many fresh players in the team who have never played on an English wicket. But there is a lot of good batting on the side, and if they happen to get on a perfect wicket they will want a lot of getting out." *' A very large proportion of the team are new to England?" "Yes, of the thirteen names published, eight have not been in England before."

AN ERA OF GOOD FEELING. In his speech on 30th January, at Arbroath, with which he successfully opened his campaign, Mr John Morley referred to the demand that is now made not to embarrass the Government, and to take broad and benevolent views of what is going on. "You hear (he said) a great deal just now of something called the Monroe doctrine. The administration of President Monroe was called an 'era of good feeling.' I am all for eras of good feeling. (Laughter.) But the good feeling must not be all on one side. I have noticed that while we of the Opposition are called upon not to forget that we have now an era of good feeling, two Cabinet Ministers at least have talked the ordinary hack party talk of the vacillations of the late Government and of the legacies that that Government bequeathed to their present successors. I will only iemind them that, among other legacies, we have left them a mighty fleet. (Cheers.) We have lfffc them a surplus of five or six millions, after paying for our own ships, and paying for some others too. (Laughter and cheers.) If we are going to have an era of good feeling, I would very humbly suggest that the Chancellor of the Exchequer was very ill-advised when, the night before last, he ventured to talk—of what? Of the treason of Mr Gladstone. If that is good feeling—if they think that language of that kind is likely to conciliate the Opposition—if they think that language of that kind about the greatest man of their time—(cheers) is a way of presenting a united front, they deceive themselves. Mr Gladstone himself has left the arena, but his memory remains, his fame remains, his services remain, and I think audiences like this will not endure that treason-—a word of that kind—can be imputed to this great man. Let us look for a moment at the Parliamentary position. A minority is quite powerless to pass Bills itself, buc political opinion in a free country, and a free-spoken country like this kingdom, is a fluid and elastic thing, and miajorities, however great, and. Governments, however strong, are impressionable things; and an Opposition, if it is watchful, if it is industrious, if it takes care to keep itself well : informed, if it is steadfast, depend upon it that such an Opposition,such a minority, is constantly able to produce—indirect though they may •Sects of the highest order of bqth npcfii legislation and upon poliay and

upon administration. Can yon suppose that occasions will not arise, arise speedily, upon which those two rival sets of principles, the principles of vested.interests and of privilege against the principles of freedom and equality and no privilege, will come into collision and into antagonism ?"