THE IRON HAND DISCLOSED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 2464, 15 February 1876, Page 3

THE IRON HAND DISCLOSED.

Undor the above heading, the Australasian ot Feb. 5 has tho following •— Tho plan to whioh tho Govornment finds ib nooossary to resort owing to tho unconstitutional and utterly unprecedented oonduot of the Opposition has now boon submitted to Parliament. Tho Promior, after consultation wifch tho supporters of his party, has proposed fchafc fcho Standing Ordors bo so amended as to provide a powor of olosing dobato when it degenerates into moro senseless obstruction. In this view ho moves the Houso to adopt hero for fche present session, a rule that is in foroo in many Legislatures, whioh is known as the " previous quostion," by recourse to whioh disoussion can bo out short, and a voto takon on tho subject under debate. The motion of the Promior provides that — . " Whon any motion has boon moved in tho Houso, or in any Committeo of the wholo House, a resolution may without notioo bo proposed, ' That the motion bo now put ; ' whereupon suoh resolution shall bo pufc forthwith, without amendment or debate, and no motion shall be mado or quostion of ordor raised, until suoh. resolution has been disposed of. If suoh resolution bo resolved iv tho affirmative, the motion and any amendment or question submitted subsequently to tho motion, and not thon disposed of, shall bo pufc in the aooustomed order of prooodonco without further debate or quostion of ordor being raised, until auoh question has boon disposed of."

, Vory little consideration will show thafc tho proposal of tho Premior is a perfeotly modorato, logitimato, aud at tho same timo quito effootivo ono, Wo must all, indeed, share tho regret oxprossed by suoh rospoofcablo and impartial mombors as Mr Sorvioo, Mr Murray Smith, And Mr Wrixon, that suoh a proposal should bo foroed upon us in suoh a way. The roluotanoo fco doparfc from tho prooodents and habits of our forefathers in a direofciou which wears tho aspoot of restricting discussion, is a most natural sonfcimenfc, and ono fchafc deserves all consideration, It is, indeed, mattor for shAmo and humiliAtion thafc in an English Colony it should be found nooossary fco impose a prohibitive rule whioh has never boon ro* sorted fco in (ho mosfc oxoitdd times v in tho Houso of Commons. Bufc if any attempt is mado to develop© this fooling into an Argu* menfc Against fcho proposal, tho onus lies on fchs objootor to suggest somo other mode in whioh tho end sought oan bo aooompliehod. Ex* tromo dangors justify oxtromo measures. Tho danger tho Govornmont has had to confront is not simply an obstruction to any particular measure. It is ono whioh goes to tho very root and base of our representative institutions. Tho quoßtion at issuo is whothor tho groafc prinoiplo of popular govornmont, fcho rulo of fcho majority, is to bo overthrown by a orow of turbulent placo-huntors, and whothor tho majority or tho minority aro to diofcato the polioy of tho country. This issue has boon forood on no with wanton effrontery and criminal violenoe, and tho Govornmont has found itsolf oompolled to moot it. It doos so by providing a means by whioh, whon ordinary considerations of oourtesy, self.rospoot, and loyalty to our constitutional institutions fail in restraining fcho minority within thoir propor limits and powers, tho majority may mako their woighfc irrosistibiy folfc, and insure that tho purposes of Parliamentary govornmont roooivo thoir full offoot.

It is evident that no suoh moasuro as this would bo noodod if our institutions wero AlwAys worked by tho olass of mon for whom fchoy woro oontomplafcod. If mombers brought; a spirit of moderation and praotical wisdom to fcho disohargo of their duties, if they wore oontont fco uso fchoir powors and privileges within tho bounds sot by tho obvious meaning of tho Constitution ; if, in faot, theso powors and priviloges woro hold by gontlomon respecting thomsolvos, oaoh other, And tho systom whioh thoy wero engaged in working, no suoh proposals as theso would ovor bo required. But fchis does not dosoribo our caso At all. Our systom of unrestricted liconso of dobato has broken down from having boon abused by mon who would bring Any suoh systom into contempt, And who cannot find themselves invested with any privilege without desiring to use it to the fullosfc extent. Parliamentary government in tho form in whioh we havo received it fails miserably in the hands of suoh

mon as Messrs Berry, W. C. Smith, Gaunson, and M'Kean, Ifc is to these men, who have made the proposed ohange neoessary, tbat the shamo attaching to it is to bo attributed, and nofc to the mou whe agree fco ifc with great roluotanco, and only under a fooling that the Constitution must bo preserved. Although there is groat matter for regret that this proposal .should have been forced upon us in suoh a way, there is little in the ohange itsolf thafc neod cxoito any alarm in the most conservative breast. The proposal is simply ono to restriot purposoloss talk, and fco provont tho businoss of tho Country from boing hindered by sonsoloss "talk against time." No Ministry or party would ever dare to uso suoh a powor for tbo purpose of stifling free and logitimato disoussion. Any majority that might rosort to so despotic a step would nofc bo a majority long in any English community. But this rulo provides,. whon all gonuino disoussion has ended, a means by which suoh monstrous forms of obstruction as tho Borry stonowall shall bo provented from impeding publio business. The mere knowledge fchafc suoh a power exists will usually be | euflloienfc to soouro its objeot. Faots havo proved that wo oannot absolutely dispense with suoh a safeguard, and it will be woll to havo it in resorvo. Tho adoption of tho Government proposal will mako " stonewalls " utterly impossible for the future, and will savo much waste of timo in a mannor degrading to a deliberative assembly. In all likelihood after tho rule has taken its place amongst the Standing Ordors, and its utility has been proved, it will be gonorally oonourred in as a benofloial one, and ono quite essential to tho working of representative institutions in this Colony.