The Southland Times. PUHLISHED DAILY. Luceo Non Uro. MONDAY, JANUARY 13.

Southland Times, Issue 3296, 13 January 1879, Page 2

The Southland Times. PUHLISHED DAILY. Luceo Non Uro. MONDAY, JANUARY 13.

, O The speech of the Hon. the AttorneyGeneral, delivered in Dunedin on Friday night, was another of his clever efforts, and, from a Ministerial point of view, ! straightforward , and to the point. Mr I Stout-dealt with his. subject in a masterly „m anner,, and to. his hearers must, have been. exceeding-ly interesting-. W iien_ \ speaking on general subjects he is neyer dull, and, as a rule, is more or less original. His "hobbies," as he chooses to term them, are' placed fairly before the public, nothing.is withheld. " These are my opinions," says' Mr Stout, " and if you give me the opportunity I shall certainly strive to give effect to them." Nothing could be fairer than this, and if there is a constituency in. the country that will maintain Mr Stout- in his political position, we can only conclude that Jiis extreme opinions are largely accepted, and although we very decidedly differ .with him yet we are prepared to extend every consideration,' and even respect, to the fixed convictions of any section of our fellowcolonists who may hold them. Still the duty of combating them remains, and must be performed. Mr Stout's speech was an olla podrida, of sound sense, special pleading, and some casuistry. He was loyal to his colleagues, and did his best to respectably cloke then* sins of omission and commission, but his argument that because there were people in Otago who opposed the Government, therefore there could be no truth in the assertion that the Government desired to advance the interests of Otago at the expense of the rest of the colony, will scarcely hold water, and certainly was a poor tribute to the self-respect and political independence of the people of -Otago. , It was a selfish argument, and we can but infer - from it that Mr Stout ■is of opinion that every man, woman, and child in the colony can be purchased at a price. This is certainly humiliating, coming as it does from a politician of such standing as Mr Stout. However, - we can only hope that he is mistaken, and that there are a few people at any rate in whom "some thought of honor lies." We can . sympathise, with the hon. gentleman in his predicament re the Otago University Bill, . and we agree with him "as to the extreme inadvisedness of divided authority in University matters as well as others. Imperivm in imperio is provocative of confusion. Mr Stout admirably succeeded in making much out of little when he paraded the successful efforts of the Government party during.the last session: But wha f . a meagre exhibition was it after all — a repast of bread and cheese elaborately served. A very thin string of statutes was dangled belore the audience in the Queen's Theatre:' a- Trades' Union, an Amending Friendly Societies, an i Amended Juries, a Native Licensing, | and an Administration Act that had yet to receive the Imperial assent. These were briefly dilated upon. The Land Tax Act and" Customs Duties Act were made much of, and long and lame explanations given for the failure of the Electoral- and the- Beer Buty Bills. Mr Stout charmed well and wisely too, but even he "did not succeed' in 'more than glossing over th© failure of the session. We are quite ready to admit that the majority of the new statutes were necessary, and promise to bear good fruit — the Juries, Friendly Societies, and Trades Unions Acts especially, and the Administration Act is a righteous measure that we hope will soon be declared law. Mr Stout would not have been the - speaker if allusion to the " unearned incremenfhad been withheld. The land question is one .of his hobbies, and,^ excepting that we must regard as impracticable his proposition for the retention of the fee simple by the State, we agree with him in the main in his. views, of the land question. At the same time we shall still object to the exclusion of any part of the public estate from the operation of the half-penny tax. The discomfiture of the Ministry in the rejection of the Electoral Bill was speciously excused by the speaker, but his statements respecting the Maori franchise,' the rock on which the. Bill split, we can' only regard as something approaching a perversion of the truth. The much-abused Legislative Council is to be thanked for the determined stand it took, on this point. No wonder its action excited the animus of Mr Stout and his colleagues, for their cumiihg ruse to create a few snug pocket boroughs in the North Island, in preparedness for the next general election, was thereby defeated. Mr Stout was really affecting in his lamentations over the woes of the poor down-trodden Maori. It strikes, us that the enfranchisement of the race is proceeding quite rapidly enough. To bestow a thing before its use is -understood is not only a mistake, but wilful waste and conducive to mischievous results. Whilst dealing with the present the honorable speaker kept within bounds, but as soon as his prophetic vision scanned the future then-he soared, and his peculiar philosophy became apparent; of course he struck at the Upper House, for there was the score arising out of the rejection of the Electoral Bill to settle, but we would ask Mr Stout whether he can affirm that the Council has even been rabidly obstructive, but whether, on the contrary, it has not discovered much complacency and a sincere desire -to run in comfortable doubleharness -with the Lower Chamber. To alter the Constitution is, however, in keeping with Mr Stout's theoretical philosophy, even to making the position of Governor an elective one. But his broad hint in this direction was not well received even by his --Dunedin friends. It savoured too much of " cutting the ■painter." The. levelling tendencies of Mr Stout's policy became very apparent when he remarked that care must be taken -to somewhat equally distribute money and property throughout the people. " Very paternal this, we must say, and mischievous and socialistic. The , suggestion ; offered is nbt.tp bo mistaken."

No man, let his ability be what it may, is to be permitted to climb too far above his fellows ol the herd. Superior ability, all the better parts of human nature, are to be held in check ; in fact, we are to be good and clever by rule, the rule of MiStout and his .worthy colleagues, or any other Ministry of similar degrading tendencies — we say "Ministry," whereas we honestly believe that the Ministry is not in accord'on this point,' but that some of the members are inclined to smile at the --hig'h-falutin'* vagaries of the and his philosophical henchman. There was one incident of the meeting that we must advert to. "MrTMacandrew was again absent when be evidently had been expected, and Mr Stout again apologised -for him. Mr Macandrew must be overtaxed by his public duties, and all we I can say is, " Uneasy lies the head of a Minister of Works."