THE POLITICAL BATTLE.

Colonist, Volume XXX, Issue 5015, 26 September 1887, Page 3

THE POLITICAL BATTLE.

(By Watchman.) Me Gore as Dunedin the other day showed tbe fallacies of the arguments of the opponents of the Government. He said—" The present Government had the reputation of grasping and spending ail the money tbat they could lay their hands on, but they might have got an increased revenue, had they parted with more freeholds." —Obyjously the argument ia quite unanswerable; the reply is straightforward and clear. 11 is transparently silly to call" the Ministry a legalised band of plunderers, and in the next sentence to, abuse them because they have not, like all preceding Governments, sold large areas of land, and spent the proceeds as if it were revenue, irstead of being what it really is, capital. Sir Julius Vogel remarked to the Wellington electors : — Wnen they heard of his extravagance, they must remember that he had no land fund as formar- Governments had, and taxation was neceesary in cobsequeace. Mr Fiaher had also made incorrect statements that'several colonial loans were placed.on th.9 London market on the same "day, for they were not placed on the same day; aiud his figures w<-re wrong'also ; aud he bad -aid that New Zealand bouds we « qn< t d ut 9 -J- aud 94£ oiv tbe,23 d o Match la-t,J when n'realiv was 9.7 and '98. (AppluUe i On behilf of the Government be iv not cornpiaio, but <>n b half oi thi? Oolouy h« believed ibis poiticm of Jit Fisher's speech was 'refuted cruelty. Mr Fibber s^ t'-I in thai speech th->.t we sent away three-qaanerß of n million more auu -ally tur interest on colouial loans than we really d:d send, tie said you would not find une farmer in f»;rty iv New Zealand win se establishment was not encumbered He (Sir Julius) had had that looked up by the Property Tax Department, aud it was'tautd, as far as tbe iavesti- - gation wenr, thfit, out of 2000 farmers, 946 were encDnabered and 1054 were (lnfcrjcumbered. * * * * '♦ A united. New "Zealand was what was required, acd if we had it we should not nave the -disparagemeiit of New Zealand we how ha-i. The depression, be said, should be an incentive to offorta to improve tbe position-- The Odiony wanted at this time a Goveroment, not of tyros, bus of experienced men. He believed the present Government were almost certain to come back with a majority on Monday. (Applause, ani "No!") Public opinion was on the whole just, end would recognise that the Gowninent had done sill that could be done short of impossibilities. ...(applause.)..-- The ne6d of tbe Colony was not -raw and inexporienced youths, bat experienced men to come to its aid and lezM ijieiiv y best services. No Government wag .',.., more anxious- to do its' duty than the present-onej and the members.of i! v ,<! s -] had done their duty to tUe, n |»est olf^| r \| their .ability,', though they'-had' ;bensS£^ subjected to such humiliating recrinij^;:^^; nations and aspersions M^oafi^witli" •iignity • and ■ B elf-w^|^ takfe.. -\^ uoticebf. '/. , :^|fe^;l;,^ T ■ ''f^. -^