The Star. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1868.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 127, 8 October 1868, Page 2

The Star. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1868.

It is very desirable that the people of this province should understand, so far as it is possible to do so, the exact position of the Stafford Ministry. It ia also very desirable that, without prejudice, without excitement, they should endeavour to realise the true state of the colony afc the present moment. A t no period of our history has there been more need for deliberation, more necessity for the formation of a correct

public opinion, more danger of being led away by lack of knowledge or by false interpretation of such knowledge as may be gleaned after careful and laborious scrutiny. It is our earnest desire to place before our readers only reliable facts, to abstain from mere party agitation, and to assist then, as far as we possibly can, in arriving at a prudent, sensible, business-like view of public affairs. This is not a time when the people can afford to indulge in sentiment, or to follow purely chivalrous instincts. Everything must be reviewed in the light of ways and rneaus, and the rule of cutting our coat according to our cloth must be adhered to with stern exactness. We must be strictly just to ourselves, and others, for the simple reason that we cannot, in all sober truth and earnestness, afford even to entertain the idea of generosity. When the session of the General Assembly opened, the Government was understood to be comparatively stroug, and to be bent on a radical change in the Constitution of the colony. No one, so far as wo are aware, knew exactly, or even approximately, what that change was. But there was a very general impression abroad that Mr Stafford and his colleagues intended to do something, which, according to tfeeir own showing, was to secure "justice to the outlying districts." Ministers had been very reticent during the recess, and tLe only clue to their policy was given by Mr Stafford in an address to his constituents in May last, when he said that the table of the House would groan with petitions for local self-government from the outlying districts of the colony. He spoke oi' an income tax, it is true, and expressed a hope that his Ministry would be able to see their way to impose it. But he was afterwards at some pains to let the public understand that he would not seek to introduce a measure which they had promptly declared against. The Assembly met, then, with no very definite ideas of the Ministerial intentions, and the Governor's speech afforded no clue to the Ministerial mind. A pretty compact Opposition soon developed itself under the leadership of Mr Pox, and its first move was to demand a -full statement of the Ministerial policy. After a very long debate, in which Mr Stafford and other Ministers virtually declined to say what the Government policy was, the Opposition was foiled in its attempt to obtain definite information. The financial statement followed, and in this the Ministry made a distinct enunciation to the effect that they were prepared to stand or fall on a proposal involving the dissolution of partnership between .the General and Provincial Governments. The Opposition policy was immediately afterwards declared, and a resolution involving a direct vote of "no confidence " in the Ministry moved. In the course of the debate i which ensued, the Government began to find that their financial scheme was not palatable to a section of their supporters. They offered to modify! it, aud their modifications were rejected by their own. followers. The " no confidence " debate closed abruptly with a majority for the Government. In the meantime, aud while the debates we have briefly sketched above were going on, the colony had drifted into another war with the Natives. Disaster succeeded disaster with a fearful rapidity, and: the Ministry were again assailed by a resolution which amounted to a third vote of " no confidence." The House was virtually asked to say that the Government was not fit to be trusted with the conduct of Native affairs. The debate on this resolution was short, and the division resulted in a tie. The Government received the casting vote of the Speaker. On a second division, they had a majority of one, but only nominally, for an Opposition member appears to have been accidentally absent. When the House met after this division, Mr Stafford said that the Ministry, at the earnest request of their supporters, intended to remain in office. Mr Fox asked whether they would advise a dissolution at the close of the session. Mr Stafford would give no decided answer, and the Opposition seems to have then adopted the very extreme course of " speaking against time" in order to prevent the passing of sup-

plies. This course appears to have alienated a section of the Opposition, aud the Government has had a majority on every division which ha» taken place since. Having given this succinct, and we believe correct outline sketch of the session, we may now inquire in what position the Stafford Ministry is. In tha first place, they hare abandoned every distinct article of their policy. They have said that they will attempt no organic change in the Constitution, thus throwing aside the promises which they had made to the outlying districts. They have also abandoned their fiuancial proposals, on which they declared themselves willing to stand or fall. They now simply ask that a few unimportant bills may pass, and that the Assembly will grant them supplies for nine months. They decline to dissolve the House " while the country is in a state of excitement," and they mean to remain in office as long as they can. Meantime, the colony is engaged in an expensive war, the conduct of which is intrusted to a Ministry which the House of Representatives virtually said was unfit to manage Native affairs. This is the extraordiuary spectacle which the people are asked to contemplate — a Ministry in power and directing a war with the Natives after a vote of the Assembly has left it, at least doubtful, whether they are competent to deal with the question. Yet this is the very question on which, at this moment, the destiny of the colony and the most vital interests of the people hinge.