The Timaru Herald. WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1834.

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 3055, 9 July 1884, Page 2

The Timaru Herald.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1834.

The farther the General Election proceeds, the more completely the action taken by the opponents of the Atkinson Ministry, m hastening a political crisis and an appeal to the country, is justified. If by any means the Ministry had been allowed to remain m office and the Parliament had been allowed to expire by effluxion of time, the General Election would have taken place at a time of year when all classes of the people are busy with their own affairs. There would have been nothing to arouse any special interest m it, but each election would have been governed mainly by local or personal considerations ; it would have been difficult to get good candidates ; and m all probability the new Parliament would have been as weak, impracticable and disorganised as the last one. Instead of that, the striking circumstances under which the dissolution occurred, have excited more genuine political interest than we ever remember seeing displayed m New Zealand before. In all parts of the colony the electors are Becking out the best candidates to be got, and devoting themselves to election matters with determined activity. Plenty of good men are coming forward. Old politioians are returning to politics. Others who ought to have been m politics long ago, but who have hitherto held aloof from them, 'are now preparing to enter political life. The people seem to be thoroughly roused, and the fact of the General Election being held m the middle of the finest winter that we have experienced for fifteen years, enables them to give their time and attention to the consideration of public affairs, without seriously interfering with their ordinary avocations. A wonderfnl change has come over the political attitude of the country ; and the keenest animation has succeeded to the dullest apathy. The results of all this will be very important. There is every prospect, we believe, of a Parliament being returned, containing a large proportion of highly suitable men, eminently worthy of the confidence of the people. At the same time there appears to be an extraordinary degree of ignorance or misconception, not only among the electors, but even among many of the candidates, as to the course that events are likely to take m consequence of the dissolution. It is pretty well understood on all sides that the Atkinson Ministry will be signally defeated m the constituencies. We should say they will not bring back more than a dozen Members outside of their own number, eighteen or twenty m all. They will be compelled to retire from office as soon as the new Parliament meets, if they should not deem discretion the better part of valor and resign as soon as the returns are received on the 22ncl of this month. So far, all is clear. Only those who are either very easily misled or else wilfully blind, can any longer doubt that the days of the Atkinson Ministry are numbered. But what then P An impression seems to prevail m some quarters tbat the fall of the Atkinson Ministry means the accession to power of that party, miscalled the Liberal party, who have been m Opposition ever since 1879, and whose watchwords are the land tax, the bursting up of estates, the nationalization of the land, the denunciation of property, and, m fact, the whole programme of socialistic radicalism. This is the party whom Sir George Grey organized and afterwards led, and whose proper leader he is to this day, though many of them attempted to shake themselves free from his leadership after he ceased to hold office. An impression prevails m some quarters, we say, that it is this party who were victorious last session, and that their turn for coming into power has arrived at last. There could not be a greater mistake. . The present dissolution is the very worst thing that could possibly have happened for the socialistic radical party. Unless we greatly mistake tbe signs of . the times, it will have the effect of literally annihilating that party, or at all events of reducing them to total insignificance. The whole set of the tide of popular feeling just now is dead against the misohievous sham Liberalism which has done tbe colony such infinite injury during the last seven or eight years, and m favor ofja return to rational ideas, to moderate principles, and to practical measures. The result of the elections, we are convinced, will be the return of a powerful majority equally opposed to the muddling cen» trßlism and visionary theorism of the Atkinson party, and to tho destrnotive tendencies of the Grey party. This majority, we are inclined to think, will be strongly united under a recognised and capable leader, and they will replace the Atkinson Ministry with the strongest Ministry ever seen m New Zealand since 1874. . Some of the radical candidates, we observe, are endeavoring to show that their principles and those of tbe coming Moderate party have so much m common that they will have no., difficulty m allying themselves to that party. . But this is 'probably either a delusion on their pnrfc, or else a device to catch votes. There is really nothing m common between the Badical programme and the Moderate programme ; and the lino of demarcation between the two parties will be much sharper than that hitherto existing between the Atkinson party find the Opposition. All the radicalism, avowed or dormant, will ultimately gravitate to one side. „ Sir George Grey fully recognises this, and he

makes no disguise of it. In his recent speech at Auckland he gave a perfectly accurate forecast of the future of parties, and he invited his friends nnd followers to prepare themselves to . remain m a minority and to oppose the party who are so evidently looking to Sir Julius Yogel as their leader. The men who constitute the true strength and substance of the radical party recognise it not less fully. The Working Men's Political Association at ; Christchurch have resolved to support '■ any candidate who will come forward m I their interest against Sir Julius Yogel himself at Christchurch North. This is quite as it should be j and it ought to , go a long way to remove the false im- ■ pression which many people seem to entertain, that the effect of the dissoluwill be to place the Grey or " Liberal " party m power. __ ! i l ; ! i • [ . J ' ' ■ . , ' i • , ' i , i ' i i [ [ ' -1 > . . . ' > . ■ ; , , ! ■ • ' ■ ! ■ ! r L [ r , ' ' i |