The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, JULY 8, 1884.

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 3054, 8 July 1884, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, JULY 8, 1884.

The Premier's speech at Hawera, like Mr Rolleston's at Teinuka, gives us the impression that the Ministry recognise that their fate is sealed, and that whatever they may say or do now will make no difference to the result. He is evidently resolved to play for his own hand and to leave his colleagues to take caire of themselves. Perhaps under the circumstances, that is the wisest course he could pursue. We think, however, that m pursuing it, he might have adopted a more dignified attitude than he did. The tone of his speech is hardly worthy of the Prime Minister on his defence before the country. It consists m the main of a repetition of the threadbare tauut against the Opposition that they were not an united party, and that they gained their recent victory, overwhelming as it was, chiefly by the aid of Members who had withdrawn from the Ministerial side on particular questions. " The largest party m the House," the Premier insists, " were the old Government party." Well, that is perfectly true ; but what does it signify ? It simply signifies that the Government managed so badly that a large proportion of their party went into Opposition. In other words, the Government lost the confidence of their party. The Premier does not deny that ; but still he raves against the Opposition for attacking the Ministry on the Governor's Speech, before they had had time to " develop their policy," This seems to ub to be a most extraordinary argument. The Governor's Speech, surely, is a statement of the policy of the Ministry. It is a challenge to the opponents of the Ministry to come forward and attack them if they dare. No one knows that better than the 'Premier. If he had carried the Address m Reply, he would have been the first to turn round and say to the Opposition, " There, we threw down tbe gauntlet to you and you dared not pick it up. "We gave you an opportunity for a fair trial of strength with us on our general policy ; but you would not accept it. After this, we intend to proceed with the development of oui 1 policy, and if you attack us on measures or details, you will stand convicted of factious obstruction." Yet because the Opposition did pick up the gauntletthathe threw down, because they didaccept the opportunity that be offered tor a fair trial of strength on the general policy of the Ministry, he cries out lustily that the Opposition acted with indecent haste, and behaved very badly altogether. Tbe plain fact of the matter is that, having successfully played one section of the Opposition off against the other, and kept a bare majority on his own side by all sorts of questionable expedients, for years, he is disgusted to find that those tactics have at length failed ; and he is so angry (hat he is ready to lay the blatne on anybody except himself. Nothing could be more wrongheaded or undignified than the Premier's contention that the Ministry, though m a minority, ought to have been allowed to remain m office a.xicl carry on fclie Government. For the sake of his own fielf-respect, not to mention constitutional propriety, he ought to have known better than to advocate so vicious a principle. Let us consider for a moment what the result would have been if the Opposiition had not done what they did, but had held back and allowed the Ministry to " develop their policy." An endless waste of time would have occurred while the Government were scheming to present a programme which would not offer any ground of attack ; and meanwhile the House would have become totally demoralized, and the politics of the country would have been degraded to the lowest level. After all too, the Government would have found it impossible to carry any Measures of importance or to do any business worth speaking of, and eventually the crisis a.nd the dissolution would have came all the same. Wnat conceivable good the Premier supposes would have ensued from the Ministry being left on the Treasury Benches m a minority of twelve or thirteen, to struggle along miserably for a few weeks or months, we are utterly at a loss to understand. Not less inexplicable is it that, after obtaining an appeal to the country, the Premier should still complain of having been defeated. If he possesses the confidence cf the people, the people will reinstate him m office by their votes on the polling day, and will thus undo the wicked work of the Opposition. If he does not possess the confidence of the people, then he will be turned out, and the action of the Opposition will be amply jnatified m the legitimate constitutional manner. The Premier surely does not mean to tell us that he ought to be allowed to remain m office after it has been proved that he possesses the confidence neither of the House nor of the people. That would be too much even for him to attempt to demonstrate. In a word, he has chosen to appeal to Caesar. Let Cwsar judge him.