The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1910.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10542, 25 August 1910, Page 3

The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1910.

After a groat deal of delay tlio vexed question of tlio ChairChairman manship of Commitof Committees, tcos is settled. Thee woro reasons that made the original nomination of tlio Government impossible, and there were reasons why the House did not take as kindly to the claims of Sir AVilliam Steward as that gentleman would have liked. Chief of them we take to 1 e that it is incongruous for a man who has hold the Speakership to descend into the Chairmanship of Committees. The Chairmanship is the first rung of tho ladder of promotion, not the last step in the scale of disratement. Many years ago Sir William did good service and got nothing but thanks. lie itwas for example who moved the motion which got tin 1 Continuous Ministry out of office. Hut the Stout-V oge' 1 combination that succeeded to office novel' remembered the service in any way. It was thought at tho time that the least that could have been done 'ii that way would have been to invite him to take a. place in tlio Cabinet lo r ' which he had opened the way. But no thought at all was ever given to tho service, hi this respect, indeed, tlio lifo of Sir AVilliam is somewhat remarkable. The fact is that his loyalty to his party has invariably with one exception been its own reward. That exception was the Speakership, which was voted to him after a severe contest against Mr Kolleston. In the next Parliament, however, Sir Maurice O'Borkc came hack to the House, and it was impossible to have any other Speaker while lie was there to take the chair. It was the fortune of war an 1 Sir AVilliam Steward had to .submit, and did so wifli the very best grace in the, world. All these other experiences the veteran recalled to the House on Tuesdav before the election, and (.lid so as a preface to withdrawing a candidature that had become inconvenient to tho party. It is a sad late, but the fact remains that the appoin!meiit as Chairman of one who lias held the Speakership would have been an incongruity. The atmosphere was supposed not io have any room for parly feeling on this occasion. 'I he I'rime Minister disclaimed all party sentiment, and as lie did so I lie Opposition laughed. In his I urn Iho .Loader ol tho Opposition disclaimed ami in its turn the Ministerial Parly laughed. The division proved conclusively that (be laughers were right. I'!very Opposition'man voted for iho Opposilion candidate, ami every M inisterialist voled for the Ministerial nominee, while the two or throe independents showed their independence by going with the Opposition, which in a general way represents their sentiments very much less than does tlio Government party. The result is useful in a way. It- has iormed up tho two parties once more in crucial division. Twenty-seven forty-five, with a solid majority of eighteen, is the barometer still sot at ''stormy" for the Opposition. Tho Liberals alter many rude shocks of tho session know where, they are and what they may expect. Tho Government has carried its candidate without using any ol the party forms of persuasion. The discord is over, and over early, and the prospect for good work i.i increased largely. Immediately alter the .settlement'tlio Government asked for another day and the private member had to give up one of the days that he habitually consecrates to chaos. Mr T. E. Taylor aired some strange doctrines during the discussion. Of those tbo idea that everything ought to be settled by caucus was tho strangest. This leader's idea is that there ought to be no party. But lie is trying hard . to establish a now party every day of his political life. It suits his purpose to declare that ho does it for the purpose of getting for the caucus everything that is to be had by tho party of the majority. The caucus, according to Mr Taylor, must appoint the AVhips, the Speaker, the Chairman of Committees, every officer of the Lower House, and. ill addition, must have tho nomination of all the members of tho Council so long as tho Dominion people refuse to accept the advice i f Mr Taylor to have no Council at all. Mr Tavlor abused the forms of the House by dilating at great length cn these tilings, which are quite irrelevant, and got an unusually long tether from the Speaker. The voices that cry in the wilderness cry at their own sweet will, but when tliov get into a civilised assembly governed by a set of rules they should be made to obey those rules. The exhibition was valuable as showing the. object of a certain policy in tho House which aims at upsettiiig tho Liberal chiefs and dominating the Liberal party by a porsonalitv given to irrclevano.ies and rash judgments. 'Principally the value lies in the demonstration jiivon by the slowness of the pace at which this new political course is advancing. The voice crying in the wilderness will be heard often in tho House before the end of the session, of course.; but it is not likely to have much effect on the course of events.