The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8; 1896.

Timaru Herald, Volume LX, Issue 2263, 8 December 1896, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8; 1896.

The contest for the Timaru seat ought not to be passed over without a few comments on the result and how it was brought about. We were not sanguine that Mr Smith would win the day, but were confident that he would receive a large measure of support. In that an-! ticipation we were not disappointed. He did wonderfully well, considering the great disadvantages under which he laboured. He was quite j unknown in the political arena, had j never sat in any local public body, j and came late into the field. His opponent had sat in successive Parliaments, and though without doubt a most unsuccessful Minister, still he was a Minister, and with some people the fact was allowed to have more weight than properly belonged to it. A good many electors did not record their votes. Their consciences would not allow them to support j Mr Hall-Jones in view of the circumstances attending his acceptance of office and his sudden and astonishing change of front. At the same time those electors refrained from voting for Mr Smith principally on the ground that he was an untried man. In that respect we think they were wrong, if Mr Smith's expressed opinions agreed in the main with their own, and we know of many instances in which that was the case. Lastly, there was the complication caused by the Prohibitionist section of the constituency. We are sure that the vote did not go in a block to Mr Hall-Jones. There was some breaking away ; but , nevertheless after giving the subject careful consideration, we have come to the conclusion that some hundreds of the electors voted for Mr Hall-Jones solely because he ran on the Prohibition ticket, and that they did so very much against their inclinations. They would have supported Mr Smith if Prohibition had not stood in the way, and we are convinced that with the addition of those votes he would have headed the poll. From our standpoint, therefore, that section of the Prohibitionists inflicted a grave wrong on the constituency. Their votes turned the scale in favour of a candidate whom they thoroughly disliked and distrusted. And what have they gained by their action? Literally nothing, for Mr Hall-Jones will not render them efficient aid in the attainment of their object.

Yesterday we gave our own views regarding the political situation as modified by the General Election. To-day we return to the subject for the purpose of giving the opinions of a few of our more prominent contemporaries. None of them bears out the Premier's inflated announcerrient of a majority of 22, or places it at anything approaching that figure. The Evening Post says : — "For, as will be seen from our classification of parties elsewhere, the Government can only in the nevy Parliament reckon upon a majority of six— not countine the AVairau and Waitemata Districts, still at the time of writing undecided — upon any substantive motion. We do not include the Maori members, as the results are not yet known, but it seems likely that of the four two will be found on each side. Now, a working majority of six to a Government the

nuina of which has been so rudely shaken as that of Mr Seddon does not mean long continuance of office, particularly in face of an Opposition of such splendid fighting capacity as will be found in the new Parliament. How different the state of Parties at the last General Election ! Then the Government supporters numbered 52, Independent 3, and the Opposition 19. To-day the numbers are, so far as they can be ascertained at time of writing — Government, 37 ; Independent, 5 ; Opposition, 26." We now know that the Wairau seat was gained by an Independent, and the Waitemata seat by an acknowledged member of the Opposition. The Otago Daily Times has an excellent and judicially written article the conclusion arrived at being that the elections taken altogether have created a by no means bad state of affairs for the Opposition. The following somewhat lengthy extract will be found of interest. Doubtless he [the Premier] will have a majority, but it will not be more than half the alze of that which he oKained three years ago. He, has lost some of his most faithful supporters. He will be called upon , to face an Opposition by no means weak in numbers and exceptionally strong in intellectual power and criticism, Messrs Mitchelson, Duthie, Bell, and T. Mackenzie will be away, but Messrs Kollestdn, Richardson, Scobie Mackenzie, fish, and Thomson will supply the lobs more than twice over. These members, with Captain lluasoll, Sir. Robert Stout, Mr G. Hutchison, and Mr James Allen, will be far more than a match for the not very formidable ability of the Ministerial side. No one can doubt that a great advantage will lie with the Opposition. And, as a practical result of this state of matters, j Mr Seddon'a autocracy will disappear like an evil dream. The country might have effected more, but this at least it has j secured. With .an. opposition of close oiv 30 members, including at least niue accomplished and experienced debaters, — I with the advantage of personal and j political prestige against the *C-o---vernment, and with a spirit of independence in the Ministerial party, which is, almost certain to result from theße conditions,— Mr Seddon will have to be very careful. The subservient majority may be said to have gone from him. He will no longer beable to ignore at once the Opposition and the Independent membeis of his own party. If Messrs Pirani, Smith, Taylor, R Thompson, and Montgomery, with the Maori representatives, should at any time vote with the Opposition— and the hypothesis is by no means out of the question,— the Premier would be face to face with disaster. He will assuredly fall unless he changes -his vays.-' The Clmstchurch Press also lias a very good article under the heading " General results of the Election." Our impression, however, is that, on the whole, the Press states the present position of the Government somewhat too favourably, though it will be seen that a breaking away of supporters is alluded to as something not unlikely to occur in the near future. Allowing when the Native members are returned that the Government have a nominal majority of sixteen, of the9e five at least are very independent members, who may be relied on to give the Government a great deal of trouble. The majority, then, for the purposes of jobs and misdeeds will be reduced to six. When Mr Seddon wants to commit some of those high-handed acts of which he -is fond, euch as seizing sinking funds, evading Disqualification Acts, refusing returns, burking enquiries, and such like, he will find that the Opposition will have a much tighter hold on him than last session. We anticipate also that we shall see some Government supporters breaking away from them before long. For instance, it is difficult to imagine Mr George Fisher being for long a Government follower. No one will be surprised to find that gentleman ere long in violent opposition. Not only is the Opposition numerically stronger,' it is in every way more powerful. It has at its command more debating power, more experience of public life, and more capacity in all respects. Men like Mr Scobie Mackenzie, Mr Rolleston, Mr Fish and Mr G. F. Richardson will prove very formidable foes to the Government. We may give some further extracts when more of our northern exchanges come to hand. Nothing has reached us confirmatory of the report which we mentioned yesterday to the effect that the final returns had shown Mr Larnach to be defeated at Tuapeka. The Otago Daily Titnes is silent on the subject, so that we must assume Mr Larnach to be the sitting member.