SIR GEORGE GREY AND THE CONSTITUTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1449, 30 August 1879, Page 10

SIR GEORGE GREY AND THE CONSTITUTION.

'From " The Writinsß and Sp>ieches of the late J. R. Godley, by Mr J. E. Fi z^erald," we make the following extracts as indicating Sir George Grey's sentiments, and the estimation in which be was held, 30 years ago. On the 15th November, 1850, Mr Oodley attended a public meeting of the "'Corusti tutional Association" at Wellington, and moved the following r'e-iolution : — , "That the constitutional measure whi;h Sir

George G-rey is understood to bo about to off- r to the colonis's, and whica has heen nlrpady published by him iv the thape of a draf , Ordinacce, does not deserve tht'ir approval or a-'csptauce, inasmuch as it do'S not ccnf tv upon them an effectual control over the management of their own affair*. Toat the appirent libarality of it 3 provisions with respect to the election and duration of Asssmhiu s is rendered completely nugatory by the limit itions iin posed upon their jurisdiction and powers That while no" Oonstifcuti m can be said to cod fer real powers tf s-lf gowrnmeut upon a people which doe* n^t vest in ih-ir representatives the diapisal of thsir own revenue, the Civil List reserved under the proposed measure, which amounts already to nearly one turd of the revenue, and whiou Sir George Grey has recommend-id to be incr-saued to nearly cn^-lulf, is withdrawn from the jurisdiction of tho colonists altogether ; and ap.wtr ! i ■ further given to a nominee Couucl < f taking I whahev-ir proportiou of the rjmaindec they may think fi<; for the pun oaes « f the General Government ; so that in fauf. th* buianca ltft at ■ the disposd of the Proviccial Councils will be lifct c moro thin nominal. Atid taat. lastfy, j the institution of a LegnUt.ve Council, com- | posed partly ».f represquta'iv->» of the people, an-1 partly <f nominees of tha Crown, is n t ody incompatible with good^overnmeat, but I appeav-t as if expressly calculated f>>r the pur- ! pose of produoittg d : sourd and mutual obstruction. For tho f jrcg>iog reaioua, therefore, tbisnueticg rejects tue measure in question, a')d pledges itse f to resist it< iatrodujli.m by every conyiitutional means." In doing bo he spoke as follows :—: — " To giva us representative inatiiu' ions without full powers, is worso taan a naoukery and a delusion : it is a earef il and deliberate provision for keeping ttin mauiiin« of governnnut at a perpetual doadloi k ; or, if that be avoidei through the weakness of the Assembly, forconBtitutint; a, political debating eu) of the wor*t kind, and investing it with the digni'.y aud claim* t>f a mv.iou*l legislature. I have iueisted thin etrjngly upon this preliminary I'oitir, because it i-t ofpf\r tt me that, if it were not f>r this juggle and word-play about; representative institution*, nobody could have f eriously proposed that y,>n should accept such a measure as this of Sir George Grey's ss the charter of ) our liber viea. Is U a mea-ure f>>r coustituting'proviccidl debuin^-clubs ; that U til. Th<s resolution lam a^iout to prop, s-i twks i you to reject the bill, • etsause is d"»s uo-. give you lha ma lagetnen*. < f y »ur own aff »iw ; tin* is the Kro md upon which. I trns*. th*n jo i will adopt it. Those wh-> come »f wmu will examine, more at lenj'h than I have phvs'o4.l .power to do, the provisions of the bill, and will bhow you itH Btioitoiuitigs m datail I vH content »uyuelf wit i st **ing that it withholds from you th'i dismal i f the greater pare < f the revenue, and consequently of aU practical control o.er the Executive ; tha l ; it c impel < you to conform your legislation to Colonial Office instructions ; that it c mtuins that ridiculous anl inexplicable pr jvisioq agucsS making any law repugnant to tin law <f E.igland; that it make* tbe pernicious tleineut of nominauis'u part and parcel < f your Constitution ; and that, besides all this, it gives n. veto upon all local legislation to a Governor not responsible to yiiurselve*. If you tbink that tbe priv\l*g9<f el'ctfng representative-* to do nothing be mfficient to compensate for such defeeti as the-se, if your ambition be to enjoy t.he name of v onstitwtioual country, whila the real power of governing you res-dey 16,000 miles off, than, I say, throw up your hat", and cheer fir th? Constitution. But if you thiuk with me, that thin bill will be merely a etumbling-blocK and an obstacle in yo.ir way ; if yoa believe, a* I ' do. that by accepting a-id uanutioning ie ■ you will dabar yourselves for aa indefinite tunrj from setting anything iwtter; that you will compromisn every principle thit yoa hava Leon ans.-r'in^. aad ma'<e ii evident to friends and foas tt>at you have uei-n figh'in^- for names, and not f >c realities — *bove j>ll, if you fwl couvinced, as I Ho, that if you rtfuso to bd put off with the t-hado v, y ai will assuredly get the substance, then I ask you t<"> assort thoa-j *>enti rnents nnd views by an euphatic condemnation <f the bill. Ido n- 1 blime Sir GG j or{r« Grfy for «ff'rir>g it; I believe that h*» it lona fide anxious to make every possible concession 10 yon, ana, inajeu, tu<»i> • n helicves he has already done po j but tho ficc is that he ha« ii<>t the power cf giving you a good Corstitutirn, if he were eve- si w^l ciwiio-ed ; he in f-tt-red by A.-<« • f Parliament and instructions, which only fresh Acts and fre?h instructions can revoke. He ii o power to give tip th-i Voio, uo povvoi- 1 > give you what is exiled resDoncible gov j rnmeoc, — th »t is, th« vircual adoiinis'ration of v.mr own affiira Nuw w« want no pruviuonal ralaxv ti'in cf arbitrary power, depending on tha casual favour cf the in«m who m*y napp^n io exerc'pe it ; we want tho sanction < f irrevocable laws tor out own rights, and thi' w* c«n only ge^ fr.im fbe foimtaia of law for the British Empire — the Imperial Parliament. ■' On the point of the autocratic tendencies which Sir George had then diiplayed, the f Ilowing letter f-om Mr Grrdlty to D. Mmim, E-q. (he l*t» Su- Dwvirl), uiay be addnced. D*te, October 2ad, 1850 :— " I am very sorry that th=» nensure on s our political coudact, in which I joined, his given you pain; I caunot, however, alrnit that I j >inpd in it without; coanid ration or inquiry, or without having satisSed my«e]f thit t'-inpo were goo 1 ground* for s ich censnra. My conviction was. and is, that by scepting a teat at Sir George Grey's Onnn-iJ Jt»"yrd you contributed tv>v/ardfl thn it.fl'c ion of a m >»t s rious ?<nd irreparaMe injmy tivoa febe o 1 nis^H of Nkw ZsaUud. Thio igh your nie'ttm Sir Ge )rge was *nabl»d to carry <>tit bis ani colonial po'icv ; n» langu<ge, ther f tre, <-n tbe p-«rt cf th« c »loi»iKt.e< <au, in my opin : on, too utrongiy express iheir reprobation of t;oi«dnct by which they ht.ve so gr ivo>i*ly buffered. But yu complain of certain assertion* contained in ihe fifth resolution, p»«8Kl at the meeting <»f the l'J.h Aogunt, in t.he npirit of which I entirely concur. Those a ss»ti>us are — fir^t, that lvid Gwy's dispatch i>laceii the noini'e s in a huniili+tm* but jmt liffht; and, «-con<i, that thfy ate und -nbteHlv the j.uppeiH and obedient servants • f th<j Governor. , " But perhans tbe besh pr-y £ l caa g i ve o f lh« snVtautial 'ru f h <f the statemen sy< v imtiug \. ifi to be f u> d in the weeni rences *h ; ch have giv>n riso to thi^ curre pnndence. If yon » ere bo fr-e and iadet endeut (us you assert), if yo r position a« a «i>mi' cc wai oo rood a «m«, all >w me to ask— fhy you, resigned it? According to my view, th* whole bSjdv wa< quite siinpl« and natural. Sir George Grey cviI dently consiclerir g F nn a « ' puppets and obedi- ' etit Rftrvant",' »re»ied you with the «nanty ceremony wo\ er to «uch a relation ; of er y-u ha^l served h's turn by constituting youw«-lvpi-a ' Legislature.' there was no further need of you ; according, as h«» thought the exhibition made by the Ct uadi neither- u^ef al nor c«vdita>le, he determined to f irego the empty f >rm tf assembling and consulting it, and lo uovetn openly, as he had before dona virtually, with and by hin own will and pleasure alone. You rebelled against so distinct and i«refragiblflan averirent <i yntir' political nullity, ttnrl d<d the ouly in iependeut tbirg which it *w' pcsilbJe for a nominee to do — that i«, youre- ■

signed, iiat, if >on c >i»l I nave don i anythmg" better — if yon could h-vva a't^red your independence by effective polit ; cal acciiin, sgain, E ask, Why did y>u lesgn? The f*ot w, that your moral instinct revolted against the degradaf.iou of the position wbich you thioretically drfeadfld. You inikjut artjue as y>n ples^ecf ab .ut your ladependmcc*, tmt you felt tnatyjuwere a ' puppet; aod obfldieat aerva^.t ;' — thsfc i-« to cay. tb«,t it was only on the condition of being so tha<; you wece allowed to have any political existinc-) at all." Sic George Grey's Constitution was eventuilly set a.ide fir a more liberal one from Home.