The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 1886.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3527, 18 January 1886, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 1886.

A telegram published by our Dunedin morning contemporary, from its Wellington correspondent, throws some additional light on the political situation. The- Premier and Mr Ballance, it is said, feel much soreness that they ■were pcrenaded to retain office after the crushing defeat of the Government on its financial policy last session. They are also unable to make up their minds to go the whole length with Sir Julius Yogel m his tax, borrow and squander policy, and these arc assigned as reasons why they should desire to go to the constituencies at once, without facing the people's representatives m Parliament. Now, -we believe that both the Ministers have scruples on the points named, and we welcome what appear to be the first signs on the part of these gentlemen of a desire to struggle out of the political degradation into which they hare latterly fallen, m common with their colleagues. There is no doubt that the reputations of both, as public men, have suffered enormously, from, their acquiescence m the wild schemes brought forward m the name of the Government, and their total disregard not only of constitutional propriety, but even of ordinary decency, m the way m which last session they showed they would rather suffer humiliation and contempt than give up the sweets of office. We fear it will be a long time ere they are able to wash off the stains and smirches from their tarnished reputations. As it is never too late to mend, however, and there is hope for even the worst offenders, political, we suppose, as well as otherwise, we are glad to note these symptoms of a reviving conscience and a desire to lead a better and a higher life m the future. Still, we fail to see that Ministers have the slightest claim to a dissolution, whether m the hope of whitewashing their political reputations or otherwise. The ground which they urge for claiming the exercise of the prerogative is said to be the fact that no party m the present Honse has a working majority, and that the experience of last session indicates that serious difficulty may be experienced m carrying on the public business ; also that the Government were defeated last session on their financial policy of which protection was I a salient feature, which they contemplate reviving next session. In all this we see not the slightest reason why their preposterous claim should be granted. If they were wedded to their financial policy and believed it was likely to meet with the support of the country, they should have gone to the Governor for a dissolution when that policy si\BtainM > .W fl Hu\u\ i fy i^wlflfß?/ing that defeat with every symptom of abject submissiveness, it is the height of impudence for the Government to come forward now to claim a dissolution m respect to the very policy which they incontinently bolted without a murmur at the first symptom of threatened expulsion from office. The plea as to saving the expense of a session is a little too transparent. It is true that by a scandalous Act, passed at the instance of the present Ministry, it is provided that if there should happen to be two sessions m one year, and even i the. first should only last a few days, members attending both sessions are entitled to the full honorarium for the first, and half the honorarium for the second session. That is a disgraceful enactment which reflects discredit on the Ministry who placed it on the statute book. If they had made the honorarium payable by the year, and not by the session, as they ought to have done, if we are to have an honorarium at all, they would not now be able to bring forward the " saving of expense" as an excuse for proposing to inflict on the country a gross constitutional wrong. Their object is to escape the impeachment which they know is awaiting them at the hands of the people's representatives. " Delays are dangerous," and with a waning popularity, getting lower and lower every day, with the exposure which they know is awaiting them m Parliament, they wisely conclude that the sooner they can get to the constituencies the better. It is the last straw at which they are clutching with the energy of drowning men. Doubtless they are afraid that if they venture to meet Parliament the Opposition may arrange their differences, and we may have a definite issue set before the country. On the other hand, if the country is at once plunged, unprepared, into a general election, we may again have chao3 m the House, and the present Ministry, for whom chaos offers the only chance, may find itself once more the masters of the situation — so far as those who arc driven hither and thither by every wind which blows may be said to be masters of anything. Then we should have to go through the same sickening experiences which have so disgusted the country since the return of Sir Julius Yogel to polities, and where would the " saving of expense "bo then ? No, the device is really too flimsy. All the constitutional authorities are agreed that the power of dissolution is one not lightly to be exercised. Above all, they are especially clear m insisting that it is not to be employed with the object of securing a prolongation of the life of any particular Ministry. Now this is the real, true and only reason which the Government have for asking for a dissolution at all. They swallowed their defeat on their financial policy to lengthen their ministerial life, and now they propose asking for a dissolution on that very same policy for precisely the same reason. We shall be very much surprised if they get it.

Thk Salisbury Government have made a singularly happy choice m selecting Dr Moorhouse, Bishop of Melbourne, to succeed the late Dr Fraser as Bishop of Manchester. Dr Fraser was appointed by Mr Gladstone, aud his successor is

nominated by a Conservative Government, bat there is a -wonderful similarity between the characters of the two men. Both have distinguished themselves by the great catholicity and enlightenment of their views, the persuasiveness and earnestness of their preaching and their scholarly attainments. Above all the most remarkable feature which they have possessed m common has been their power of seizing the democracy of the age and guiding it into the highest levels of religious and intellectual life. Dr Fraser was aptly called " The Working-man's Bishop," and precisely the same term would fit Dr Moorhouse with equal appropriateness. Nowhere else could a man be foxiud so likely to fill the wants of the diocese of Manchester, or so worthy to succeed the gifted and amiable prelate whose loss has lately been sincerely mourned throughout the length and breadth of England. We do not hesitate to say, moreover, that m making such an appointment, Lord Salisbury has materially strengthened the position of the church of which he stands forth as the politicaj champion and defender. Dr Moorhouse's departure will inflict a severe loss on the religious, intellectual and social world of Australasia, and it will be difficult adequately to fill his place m the See of Melbourne.