THEJ3TAGO WITNESS. Dunedin, Saturday, November 13, 1858. THE ABORTIVE ATTEMPT.

Otago Witness, Issue 363, 13 November 1858, Page 2

THEJ3TAGO WITNESS. Dunedin, Saturday, November 13, 1858. THE ABORTIVE ATTEMPT.

The long expected encounter between the Government and the Opposition took place on Tuesday last, when the Opposition was not only thoroughly, but ignominiously beaten. So long have we been accustomed to hoar assertions of the incapacity, the imbecility, the weakness of the present Government pass current both publicly

and privately without contradiction, that we had begun to fear that there was truth in the assertions. The debate of Tuesday has proved that there is vitality, strength, and vigour in the Government, still that the weakness of the Government is stronger than the strength of the Opposition ; and it has proved what we far more highly prize, that our Provincial Council have too high a sense of what is honest and manly and honourable to lend themselves to the base designs of a reckless and unscrupulous faction whose only political principle is personal animosity, and with whom abuse takes the place of argument and virulence of vigour. More than once since the Session commenced have the Opposition been in vain challenged to the attack. The taunts of the Government they received in silence. They chose their own time and their own mode of attack, and that they were miserably beaten, nay, even compelled to surrender at discretion to their opponents, indicates either the wretchedness of the cause they had to support or their own utter weakness in support of it. Seldom have we seen in our Provincial Council such a marked difference in the whole tone of the debate on either side of the House. On the one side the proposed amendment was used merely as a cloak for the most vague denunciations of the Government in general, and for the most virulent and cowardly personal attacks on the two absent members of the Government (or rather late Government) in particular — the Chief Commissioner, Mr. Cutten, and his Honor the Superintendent, No arguments were brought forward to show how the public interest was to he advanced or public business facilitated by the proposed dissolution of the Council — no delicacy restrained the honourable (!) members from attacking absent men or from indulgingin the grossest self-adulation. On the other side there was a manly openness, a contempt of personal allusions, a chivalrous defence of the absent, a stinging use of the tv quoque argument, and withal a dealing with the proposed amendment on the broad ground of the public benefit to be derived from it. The member for the Eastern District (Mr. Lambert) led the Opposition and moved the amendment to the reply to his Honor's address, requesting a dissolution of the Council. He took some pains to inform the House what they would certainly never otherwise have suspected, that he did so from no party or personal motives ; but we suspect his assertion would have been more readily believed had he left unsaid nine-tenlhs of his speech, which consisted of a personal attack on Mr. Cutttn. The member for Taieri (Mr. Burns) seconded the amendment almost without remark. Then came on the same side the member for Dunedin (Mr. Reynolds) who, as Shakspeare says, " spake an infinite deal of nothing," whose " reasons are as two grains of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff, you shall seek all day ere you find them ; and when you have them they are not worth the search." He. as the Provincial Solicitor naively remarked, " with his usual honesty let the cat out the bag," that the virus of the amendment was aimed not at such small fry as the Commissioner or Executive, but at the Superintendent, " the root of all the evil." It was for this the dissolution was wanted ; by a side-wind to do what they dared not openly attempt though challenged and taunted to try it, to oust the Superintendent. The murder was now out, but not another member could be mustered to speak in favour of the amendment except the member for the Western District (Dr. Purdie) who, with his usual keen penetration, perceived what no one else did, that the amendment was not equivalent to a vote of no confidence in the Government, and therefore supported it.

In reply, the Provincial Solicitor came out manfully as the champion both of the Superintendent and of Mr. Cutten. His defence of the latter, to whom he has been so often opposed in political matters, was at once weighty and generous, and contrasted advantageously with the conduct of the Opposition. The view enunciated, by the Solicitor, that a Government consisting of men of independent minds must necessarily be characterised by concessions of part of each man's peculiar views for the harmonious working of the whole, deserves to be pondered over by some of our embryo statesmen, who seem to think that if in office they would carry everything according to their own special crotchets or else resign. Seldom indeed are three men to be found whose views arc in perfect unison on every point, unless it be the unison of sycophants or tools to their leader, and from such a united Government we pray to be delivered. Another sentence of the

Solicitor's is also worthy of remembrance 1 , that " until the leaders of political parties can forego personal animosities, there is no chance of the affairs of the Province being well conducted" — 'tis true and 'tis pity it is so applicable to our present state of affairs. On the same side followed the member for -the Eastern district (Mr. Young), in a spirited speech. Then thehon. member for Dunedin (Mr Harris) came down upon the Opposition with, telling effect. He reminded the Opposition of the maxim of comnig into court with clean hands ; and beyond all questtion, fixed on them the charge of being; themselves the causes of the difficulty in forming an Executive, by their refusal to do their duty to their country, and takeoffice when it was offered to them by His Honor. He shewed clearly that the very success of the amendment would be thebest evidence that it was unnecessary ; inasmuch, as, if carried, the present Executive would at once resign, and the mover of the amendment would be bound to form i a new Executive ; and thus the difficulty | would be at an end ; there would be no occasion for a dissolution. The member for the North, (Mr. Teschemaker), in a short but polished speech, vindicated the Commissioner, and was followed by the member for Tokomairiro, (Mr. Cargill), in a speech containing some stinging retorts to the atacks of the Opposition. The hon. member for Dunedin (Mr. Harris) then rose to reply, but so thoroughly had thedebate swept away the arguments, and crushed the vituperations of the Opposition, that no reply was needed, and it wa3 evident that the Government would command a large majority. He, therefore, only remarked that he would not resign his seat in the Executive until a successor was appointed to him. At this slight remark, the now thoroughly beaten Opposition at once clutched, as a drowning man at a straw, and their leader said that, on this promise of the hon. member, he (Mr. Lambert) would withdraw his amendment. The Opposition were thus placed in the humiliating position of being compelled, after provoking the battle, to ask leave of their opponents to withdraw from the field. With a magnanimity, in accordance with their whole conduct of the debate, the Government granted the required permission, and so ended the abortive attempt. Had it come to a division, we have reason to believe, the Opposition would only have had the small minority of six, many of their more honest supporters deserting them. But even a defeat on a division would have been less disgraceful than the craven shrinking from it, and the lame excuse for withdrawing was even more discreditable than the attack itself. The result of this debate must be most damaging to the Opposition, and it will be some time ere they can recover from the disorganizing effects of it. The country now know the true secret of the Opposition — not a desire for the good of the country, but the basest, most contemptible personal animosity ; and we feel assured that when a new election comes on, the electors throughout the town and country will pause before they commit their interests to the keeping of men actuated by such motives. It is not from such a party that our Superintendents and Executives should be chosen ; for whatever may be the opinion entertained regarding the capacity or incapacity of .our present Government, there can be no difference in this, that courage is better than cowardice — that imbecility is better than wickedness. Sly underhand scheming ha 3 received a notable check, the moles have been unearthed and their underground workings exposed ; and we trust the people of Otago will ere long show that they require men of unblemished honour and integrity to be their representatives, not those who have so clearly declared that faction is their policy, and that honour with them is but an empty name.