PARTY GOVERNMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 918, 3 July 1869, Page 2

PARTY GOVERNMENT.

Those who dwell upon the evils of government by party may find a very forcible illustration of their views in the political condition of this colony. Both in the House of Representatives and in the Councils of the various provinces, those evils are perpetually forcing themselves on public attention. At the present moment, the House of Representatives is occupied — to the exclusion of far more important matters — with an unscrupulous struggle for power. The urgency of the business which our representatives have been called together to consider, and the grave neces-; sity for united aotion on their part which the presence of a common danger involves, have not evea been taken into consideration by the leaders of that movement. The business of the House has scarcely been commenced before Mr Fox rises for the purpose of endeavouring to unseat Mr j Stafford. The question thus raised is a purely personal one. Whatever may be the immediate result of the debate upon this question, it is but too clear that the country has nothing to gain by it. Mr Fox's views on the subject of the Native disturbance very much resemble Mr Stafford's views. AJI that Mr Fox pretends to say upon that subject is, that Mr Stafford's administration of afeirs in connection with the disturbance, is unsatisfactory. Tlfere can be no doubt on that point j but what assurance have we that the adinjbaistration of affairs would be satisfactory, if Mr Fox were in office ? Our system of parly government creates fryo, parties in the Houae, wHc}i, without any teal djffer-enqe of opinion between them, are always arrayefi against eapb, p.tb,ei>. The more critical the situation of affairs, the more determined becomes their antagonism, Jn the midst of tjucb a scramble for power as we now witness in Wellington, Mr Richmond's appeal to the House to 'sink minor differences' fop tfw sake of foe country, [appears

an<>u^ppea^ ;HbTOe l ( ,sv^me<6tj,wlCT6^|^TOnjQ(ifise. , '■»* 1 '■ Smaller' sp^er£, of ;'PrbskciAl! politics renders- '•tfie'mcpnyenieaices^a^ !weil' :! as^ibhe^aßsar<iitMs ff of the, party sysUnf' still more^anifest > 'TtoV system,, indeed, 1 resolves lts,elf /into one bf the 'grayest; 'arguments 1 against' Provin'cialism^as it exists antong us. All sections of' political opinion admit the inconvenience V attending ' : frequent changes in' the administrtition. The' theory ! of parliamentary response bility is' carried " to' r a ', suicidal extreme under the present system. In the smaller provinces, for instance, it f has mbre ' than once been demonstrated that the theory, as applied to circumstances, is radically inapplicable tothdml A * crisis 1 ' of an alarming nature has recently occurred i±t ( Southland. An" Executive Council—enjoying the confidence of the publics-failed to give satisfaction to' the Superintendent, who thereupon dismissed them. The Provincial [.Council, however, appears to be too small to furnish another Executive. The political machinery is consequently at a stand still ; and the political thinkers of the province have naturally set themselves to discuss the situation of affairs. An able correspondent of a Southland journajl boldly attributes to the system of party government all the shortcomings of provincialism, and advocates a radical change in the mode bf appointing the Executive. The most prominent disadvantages bf the present system are forcibly pointed out by this writer. In the first place, it restricts the choice of Executive Councillors to the few men who happen to occupy seats in the Provincial Council, thus excluding probably the ablest men in the province : in the second, it renders the existence of an Executive so precarious that two or three votes may at any, time put an end Ik> it, and thtis begets a spirit of indifference on the part of its members : in the third place, it results in placing, not the most competent men, but the men most successful in intrigue, in possession of office : in the fourth place, it tends to corrupt the members of the Legislature, by holding out hopes of office as a reward for votes : in the fifth place, it tends to obstruct public business, by engendering factious disputations and manoeuvring : in the sixth place, it places independent members of the Provincial Council under needless restrictions in the exercise of their right of voting, inasmuch as the effect of their votes may compromise an Executive in which they have confidence, and strengthen a party' in whom they have no ' confidence : in the seventh , place, it prevents impartiality in voting, because votes are not always given on the merits of the case ; in the eighth place, it tends to compromise the theory of responsibility, because an Executive which has lost the confidence of. the Council cannot always be replaced by members on the other side : and lastly, it lessens the public estimation in which the Provincial Council should be held, by the exhibition of so much that is mischievous and absurd. To remedy these evils, the writer , we quote proceeds to suggest tb.at the members of the Executive Council should be elected by the Provincial Council from the whole body of voters on the electoral roll. Their removal should depend on a majority of the Council being recorded against them. — not on any ordinary question of policy or administration — but on the question of their removal. They should be elected when the Superintendent is ' elected, and for the same term of years, subjeot of course to removal either collectively or individually. One member of the Executive should be salaried J and. Jie, if not> an elects member of the Hous& ghquid h,aye as.eat hp. it, with the right o,f debating but net of voting,

, The plan of reform thus indicated is a thoroughly sound one, It is far more suitable to the circumatanoea of provincialism, than the unwieldy machinery borrowed from the Housb

|^dd^ffi^;^sa^^|^^ifofi^ei^ftyN lenpysWm^^ ;,Councillpiray .either \ by 'the^peppje, oi£by tlieir Vepresentati^s, is nbt;;unknbwEf td^th^coristatfitio^kl practiced? -otner ' countries.' V^ltt, <S^tzerlaiid aWd in. tHe t North American StateSj the Councils are so elected^ : while in* Italy" ■and the Netherlands^ Ministers of 'Stateiare|not always electedv members Vof the {Legislature; These 'Suggeitibxls for tne!reconstruction of a system, almost' universally . condemned, are eminently j worthy of consideration j and we hope ' •they will receive it.< , ' • "