POLITICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2323, 8 September 1898, Page 26

POLITICAL NOTES.

The value of the Premier's reply to the criticisms of the financial debate may be judged by a typical remark. " Only two members of the Opposition — Messrs Duthie and Fraser— had really criticised the finances of the colony, and their remarks had been extremely favourable." Well, we published a verbatim report of Mr Eraser's speech en Thursday and Friday of last week, and thus our readers are happily in a position to form their own opinion "as to the " favourable " character of the criticisms. "Utter unreliability was the chief fault imputed to the Premier by the member for Wakatipu as regards financial matters, and the sentence just quoted shows that tM same little foible still characterises Mr Seddon's oratorical methods. There was nothing to reply to ! — and why? Because, in the first place, the criticism had been " favourable," and, secondly, because the speeches of Ministerialists had been so creditable. The Premier's audacity is sometimes mischievous, but in this case it was merely comical. It served as a fitting finale to the Ministerial share of the debate.

Did the Premier mean to be specially generous on Saturday morning? If so he missed his mark; his hints regarding Mr George Hutchison — his "I could an I would" — were perhaps worse than any definite charges. -As for the histrionic effort, — the imitation of Burke throwing t. dagger on the floor of the House, — -perhaps this is hardly the column for dramatic criticism, but somehow the performance seems to have lacked the absolutely convincing note : it wanted inevitableness (to use the critical jargon). Still, we were not eyewitnesses, and Mr Taylor, a hostile critic, accords the right hon. tragedian a high meed of praise. The best actor he had ever seen in his life : a perfect performance beyond all praise ! Anyhow, apart from the dramatic aspect, we think that Mr Seddon, as Premier of the colony and leader of the House, would have set a better example it lie had destroyed his vengeful notes before entering the House, or, better still, if he had never prepared them. As it was, he made a great show of magnanimity while (as Mr Hutchison complained) publishing innuendos which could not easily be answered.

It. may be said of the Minister for Lands that " none but himself can be his parallel," and for a parallel to the Hansard map scandal we must go back to the Libel Limitation Bill, of impious memory. The later escapade, however, is the more dangerous of the two. There never was the slightest possibility of the Libel Bill becoming law: the proposed dose was too nasty even for the not overnice stomachs of a "Liberal" majority; but Mr M'Kenzie has actually prevailed •upon his party to swallow the map. If it is the desire of the Cabinet, assisted by the Printing Debates Committee, to make the New Zealand Parliament famous, odiously famous, throughout the world, assuredly the right course is being pursued. According to our parliamentary correspondent, at least two members of the Printing Debates Committee who voted " for the map " had privately expressed disapproval of the Ministerial demand, but this is quite an ordinary phenomenon nowadays. Was Major Steward one of the two? It is almost inconceivable- that this Hansard outrage should be endorsed by a man who has been Speaker of the House of Representatives, — a man, moreover, who has put himself at the head of the movement for the abolition of party government. Mr Carncross, too, might have been expected to stand out for constitutional decency. Had these two members of the committee voted in accordance with reason and — may -we not #dd? — their consciences, the map would apparently Lave been condemned. The decision is simply degrading. We are sick of the ireiterated necessity for this sort of criticism, but the utter lack of seemliness which Ministers and their supporters display when any constitutional principle is at" stake cannot be passed by in silence as each new instance occurs. There is reason to believe that the Premier and some of his colleagues wince under Mr M'Kenzie's egregious freaks, but the offender must be humoured, forsooth. He has the temper of a wilful, spoilt partisan, and he might resign, you know, and he is too valuable a man to lose ; and so the reputation of Parliament for seemliness and sanity is trailed in the mud in order that the Hon. John M'Kenzie may be saved to the " Liberal " Government. Some people may be inclined to think that after last week's experiences the less said about Parliamentary reputation the better ; but the report of this Hansard business will travel further than the noise of the amenities of the financial debate.

The Opposition, in their disapprobation of Mr M'Kenzie's tactics, should not give way to the temptation of trying to cap the Ministerial indiscretions. "It is being asked," writes our Wellington correspondent, " if a map of Sir John Hall's estate is to go into Hansard, why should not a picture of the famous Bushy Park also find a place there. Indeed, it is quite -possible that an attempt will be made to have it inserted." It would be a mistake to adopt an attitude of this kind. A constitutional principle is at stake, and the constitutional party should stand firm and refrain from sinking to the level of the M'Kenzieites. An emphatic and dignified protest, supported by consistent conduct, may have the effect oi preventing a repetition of the outrage. Of course, however, if the practice of adding maps and tables to the Hansard reports should be repeated by the Ministry, it might be just as well to go a fetep further and have a freely illustrated, advertising, fin-dc-siccie, and really interesting Hansard, — the moie comical the better. A cartoon with each number might improve v the sale, and possibly the reporters' gallery can boast a genius capable of furnishing pleasant little caricatures introductory to each speech, or illustrations of notable incidents in debate. "The Eight Hon. R. J. Seddon forgoing his revenge and flinging his notes on the floor of the House " would perhaps be too

mighty a subject for the sketcher : that scene should be immortalised in a great historical picture ; but there need be no lack of material for the Hansard illustrator. In short, Hansard could be remodelled on the analogy of Punch's '^Essence of Parliament."

Apropos to Hansard, many of our readers may not know what a large amount of poetry our representatives are in the habit of quoting. The telegraphed reports of speeches are, of course, condensed : even the prose has to be severely summarised, and there is no chance for the verse ; but an entirely prosaic copy of Hansard is quite an exception. -The Premier,' for instance, favours the House with a parody of an old song ; Mr George Hutchison declaims a passage from Lowell ("They are slaves," etc.) ; Mr Montgomery has the rather trite " O, it is excellent to have a giant's strength," etc. ; Mr Wilson Hansardises some stanzas by the honourable poet, W. P. Reeves, on "The Man with a Bill," — the man, that is, whose bill is being blocked. Like martyr of old on the grill By wicked inquisitor's will, In anguish perspiring, Red hot, half expiring, They torture the man with the bill. Mr Monk, again, is Shakesperian, as befits the man who uttered that prose poetry on the Little River Domain Board Empowering Bill : he addresses Mr Montgomery as " good my brother," and begs him not to show the sleep and thorny way to Heaven, and so on : the tag is something stale. We trust it is not a party leaning which causes us to regard Captain Russell's as the happiest of this year's metrical allusions. Speaking on July 27 the leader of the Opposition said : There are some words written by A. M. R. G-oidon — a skib upon "William, Emperor of Geirnany. I should like to quote one or two of the verses, and if we substitute the words "' Premier " and " New Zealand " for " Kaiser " an 1 " Vaterlaud," we shall arrive at a very correct idea of the view the Premier takes of his own position. I will not read the whole of the verses, because they are rather long, but I will read the two at the beginning and three at the end, and I think tho Houss will agree with me that they are very appropriate; and if we read " The Premier auf der New Zealand " for " Der Kaiser auf der Vaterland" it will precisely represent the Premier's view of his own position: — Der Premier auf der New Zealand TJnd Gott on high all dings gommand : Ye two! Ach, don'd you understand.? Meinsblf — und Gott! He reigns in heafen, and always shall, TJnd mem ovra Embire don'd vas shmall ; Em noble bair, I dinks, you call Meinself — und Gott! And then, after despising his enemies, lie continues : — 'But dey may try dot leetle game Und make der breaks: but all der same Dey only will increase der fame Auf Me — und Gott ! In dimes of beace, brebared for wars, I bear der helm und sbear auf Mars, TJnd care nicht for ten dousand czars— Meinself — und Gott 1 In short, I humoiir efery whim, Mit aspect dark und visage grim ; Gott pulls niit Me and I mit Him— Meinself — und Gott I Now, that is the attitude of the Right Hon. the Premier. He is for all the world an imitator — a poor imitator I am bound to confess — of the Emperor of Germany. He thinks himsalf absolutely supreme, a controller of providence, a regulator of earthquakes, and the sole judge as to the appointment of charwomen. A fair return for the Premier's parody about the returned " Willy."