The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1884.

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 2947, 4 March 1884, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1884.

The news from the East has boen so little calculated for some time patit, to flatter the pride or raiae the spirits of any British people, that it is positively refreshing to boar of General Graham's victory over tho Arabs near Tokar. The; engagomenfc does not appear to have been much of a military exploit. The telegrams state that our lossi was 10 tilled and 40 wounded, while the enemy lost fully 1000 men. It. was evidently more a slaughter than a buttle. The probability ia that General Graham advanced very cautiously, covering his troops with his artillery ; while the Arabs, confident m their numbers, and emboldened by their previous successes, rushed to meet him regardless, or, perhaps, ignorant of the superiority of his weapons. In such a case it would be an easy matter for a capable officer, with steady men, so to handln his resources as to inflict tremendous loss on the enemy without suffering any worth speaking of himself. It would be a wholesale execution of rebels, rather than v conflict between two armies. Still, the buttle of Tokar was n victory, m tho sense that the British army got tho best of it, and the Anibs were signally defeated, and taught a very severe lesson. The moral effect of such a victory is of much more importance just now than any quantity of military glory. It was essentially necessary that the Arabs should be mado to understand the difference between British troops and Egyptian troops, and made to feel that there is a power stronger than the Mahdi, stronger than the Khedive, stronger even than the Sultan ; a power capable, when its strength ia really put forth, of controlling tho chaotic elements of an Arab rebellion, and replacing anarchy and despotism by order and good government. A uUßioua instance of the capricious temper of tho electors has just occurred at Sydney, an instance, if wo mistake not, without, precedent m recent times at all events. At the last General Election the returns throughout New South Wales, and especially afc Sydney, were very unfavorable to the Ministry of Sir Henry Parkes, and they accordingly retired. The new Ministry had a large majority, and it looked aB if they bad a long and bright career before them. Within a very few months of their taking offwo, howover, a remarkable chango of feeling occurred both m the Legislature and m tho country. Sir Henry Parkes and the old leaders 6f the party now m opposition, did nothing, as far as we nre iiwiiru, to -tmbnrrasß or weaken the Miniiitry; bnt they became unpopular through cameii over which neither they

nor anybody else had any control. Their financial proposals met with so little support m the House, that, though they successfully resisted a motion of wnnt of confidence, they had to withdraw their budget and suffer a moral dei'eut, Shortly after this, Mr G. R. Reid having accepted the portfolio of Minister of Education, stood for re-election at Eaiit Sydney. Instead of being returned unopposed, as Ministers usually are under such circumstances, he found himself plunged into a contest of altogether exceptional severity. So strong was the feeling against him that on his attempting to address an open air meeting, he was subjected to the insults and violence of a furious mob, and was eventually driven from the platform. The result of the poll wat; that Mr Reid wan defeated by an overwhelming majority, and no other seat bciing open to him, he bus had to resign the position of Minister of Education. Politics m New South Wales are m a very volcanic state just now, and the people are beginning to find out chat they made a great mistake m turning their back on the men who had led them to prosperity and raised their country to the pi-emier position amonj; the Australian colonies. • The Government appear to be m a sorry plight about the Measures to be brought before Parliament next session. They are evidently determined not to bring m anything that is likely to involve any rink of defeat ; but ats the same time they feel that they must have a programme of some sort, and they want to get all the credit they can for active legislation. Their chief trouble at present is to find out which way the wind blows, und to obtain information as to public feeling regarding particular questions. Instead of adopting the bold course of addressing the public m the different contres and announcing a definite line of policy, the Ministers expect the public to take the initiative, and to furnish them with the policy which it is their business to devise. It is positively ludicrous to see how the Government are influenced by every passing breath of public opinion. Some little time ago there was t. good deal of prominence given to their inttmtion to propound a new electoral policy. The single electorates m the larger towns were to be abolished, and each town m future was to return two, throe, or four Members as the case might be, without uuy divisions into separate constituencies. As soon as this became known, an article appeared m a Christchurch paper, criticising the proposal, ancl expressing the opinion that it would be better to give 6hc existing system a longer trial. An article of somewhat similar tenor appeared about the satae time at Auckland. That was quite enough to put tho Government iri a flutter. The inspired purveyors of political intelligence were at once emplo3ed to contradict the report that the Government intended to abolish single electorates, and to give out that no decision had been arrived at by the Cabinet on that question. It was further disclosed, ■without even a decent attempt at disguise, that the Government had been deterred from dealing with the subject by rumors of opposition from Christchurch and Auckland, and it was broadly hinted thac they would be guided very much by expressions of feeling from those places. Mr Dick had a Bill ready .- but whether he vfould bring it m or not, would depend very much upon the degree of encouragement or discouragement he might receive from Auckland and Christchurch. To this suggestion the Press indignantly replied that the Government ought to decide the matter for themselves on its political merits, and ought not to be influenced at all by local or personal considerations. Very much the same reply, we have no doubt, will come from Auckland. In short, there can be but one opinion as to the miserable weakness and timidity of the Government m offering to shape their conduct with respect, to an important measure of public policy, m accordance with the dictates of the newspapers at particular places. But this is not the worst. The Government are bound m all honor to the country and to their party to pass a Bill for enfranchising leaseholders before the next General Election — that ia to say, next session. They have committed themselves to this much needed amendment over and over again. They were severely blamed for not passing the "Bill last session ; but they had then the reasonable excuse that no flection was penditig, and that there iraa nothing to be gained by raising thi3 particular issue at that particular time. They have no such excuse now, however, and it was clearly understood that during this coming session the Leaseholders Qualification Bill would be brought m and passed. Now we are ♦old through the usual channels of Ministerial communication, that this is not the case. " Nor is it yet settled," writes the "Wellington correspondent of the Olago Daily Tiinw on Saturday last, " whether the Leaseholders Qualification Bill will be again introduced. Apparently, if it were again brought m, and on the eve of a general election, which it might so materially affect, Ministers would be bound either to force it through or ' take a beating.' It would, of course, revive the old question as to the plurality of votes, and this is rather dangerous ground. Meanwhile I incline to anticipate the Bill will be introduced, as it is demanded by a large s.nd powerful interest ; but I should not be surprised to find the matter left unreservedly to the House." '' Left unreservedly to the House " ? That means that the Government mean to abdicate their political functions altogether, and, while retaining office, rflfuse to take the responsibility of leading the House on a question to which they have already given great prominence, and on which they admit there is strong public feeling. Either the correspondent of tho Otago Daily Times has grossly misrepresented the views and intentions of the Ministers, or else they have reached a stige of debility and incapacity which renders them totally unfit to be any longer entrusted with the control of the public policy of the country.