The Timaru Herald. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1885.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 3428, 23 September 1885, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1885.

A session of which nobody has nnj particular reason to be proud has mad< an ending which cannot, by tho utmost strctoh of complaisance, bo called dignified. The action of the Golonia Treasurer m regard to the Districl Railways Bill was characteristic, bul it whs anything but creditable. The Legislative) Council added to the Bil a new clause preventing the construe' tion of any more railways under th<

District Railways Act. Considering the expense m which the country is now plunged by the purchase of the existing railways, and the heavy losses m which individual ratepayers and propertyowners have been involved, it would have been highly satisfactory if some such provision had been passed into r law. The Speaker of the Lower r House, however, ruled that the District Railways Bill was a money Bill, and, 1 as such, the Council had no power to amend it. Upon such a ruling, the proper course would have been at once t to send back the measure to the Council, with a message that the insertion of the amendment m question was an infringement of the privileges of tho popular Chamber. Instead of adopting this procedure, Sir Julius Yogel, to the amazement of friends and foes alike, proposed that a Coaimittee should be appointed to consult with a Committee of the Upper House as to whether the amendment was a breach of privilege or not ! Such • a proposal, of course, simply meant . sacrificing the independence of the House, besides being obviously an ■ exhibition of gross disrespect to the Speaker. When Hr Montgomery, a 1 Government supporter, got up and ex- _ pressed his astonishment at such a Q suggestion being made, and pointed out to Sir Juliu9 his plain and selfevident duty m the matter, all that the Colonial Treasurer had to offer m reply . was a pitiful plaint that he was afraid of losing his Bill ! He was prepared to throw to the winds the honor of the House and all that it most jealously guarded, bnt trembled at the bare idea of his pet measure being for a moment placed m jeopardy. The amount of solicitude which the Government have all through y exhibited on account of the district railways, would be amusing m the extreme, if it were not for the humilia- . tion into which it has on more than one occasion sent them sprawling. The manner m which they attempted to • " bounce" the House towards the close of last session over their notorious district railway resolutions, and the way m which they ate the leek and took them back again time after time s when they found the House was not to a be bullied, is now matter of history, ■ although most of us, for the credit of '■ the colony, would prefer to forget it. That they should again get into such a pitiful scrape over the same subject at the close of this session, is only another instance of the Nemesis that follows on those who choose to follow the crooked paths m politics m preference to those that are straight. It is satisfactory to find once more that where Ministers showed themselves i deficient m self-respect, the House proved itself quite capable of taking care of its own dignity without their J assistance. The unworthy suggestion made with, so little shame by the Colonial Treasurer was indignantly brushed aside, and the House at once took up the stand dictated by common regard for its traditions and reputation. As it happened, the craven fears of the Colonial Treasurer were not realised, and he had the satisfaction of knowing that while he was not allowed to carry into effect his contemplated sacrifice of honor, he was yet able to gain that pearl of great price which he was prepared to set even higher than honor or self-respect. Let us hope that the f lesson will not be thrown away, but will prove of some practical advantage j when similar temptations assail m future. » One of the features for which the session just passed will always be noted was the resolute stand made against the profligate expenditure pro- > poaed by the Government. A very prominent part m resisting these proposals was taken by the hon. member for Gladstone, Mr Sutter, who was r particularly energetic m endeavoring to stop the stream of public money which the Goldfields members have always been so dexterous m diverting to their ' constituencies. How keenly his blows told upon the omnivorous representatives m question, is shown by the un- > scrupulous, and we must add, cowardly insinuation made against the hon. J member by Mr Pyko, the Chairman of • the Goldfields Committee. Mr Sutter, as most people know, is himself a hard hitter m debate, and we believe is quite as ready to take blows as lie is to give them — always provided that they are not delivered below the belt. Everyj body, however, will do him, the n justice to admit that, if he uses r strong language he does so from conviction, that he means what he says, and above all that he io not ashamed or afraid to stand by what he says. Mr Pyke, on the contrary had to descend to making unfounded insinuations, obvir oiißly intended to annoy the lion, mem--0 ber for Gladstone, and when challenged to Btand to his guns meanly shuffled out ! of the way. The manly and straightforward way m which Mr Sutter met his antagonist came out m strong conJ trast to the somewhat contemptible procedure of Mr Pyke, whom previously ■< we should not have thought capable of 1 such conduct. i •