The Star. SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 1879.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3553, 30 August 1879, Page 2

The Star. SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 1879.

iLEOTOESin Canterbury constituencies annpt justly complain that they have ot been assisted by the Press of this "ity to arrive at a conclusion regarding he true issues to receive adjudication at bia general election. The issues, as hey present themselves to each side, aye been pointed out over and over gain, and they have been discussed with , persistency — if not with honesty and almness — -worthy of the great pcoasion. Jpqn the Opposition side the issues are tated to be— firßt, whether personal aB pposed to responsible Government is to irevail in this ' Colony. If electors can .ccept that as' the only issue; if hey can bring their minds to the conlusion that in New Zealand responsible jovernment is in serious danger, then, ye apprehend, they will find it their luty to vote for Opposition candidates. Phe allegation put forward is that res(onsible Government is in danger ; that 3ir George Geet is an autoorat, and iB eeking to build himself up as a Dictaor upon the ruin of the priniiple upon which the edifice of >ur Constitution is built. This pro>ositisn is so simple that there s no difficulty in understanding it, and vheu understood and accepted the course o be followed is quite clear. A second ssue put forward is that the Governuent of Sir Geobge Gbey have abused ;heir power, and badly administered .he affairs of the Colony. To this BBH6 are directed certain charges which iave been made through the organs of ;he Opposition ■ in the country and by □embers of that party on the floor of Parliament. These charges were disiussed with considerable acumen on both tides months before the last session began, md they are being thrust into the faces >f electors at the present moment. It "lectors can bring themselves to believe jhat the leaders of the Opposition aro iionest in bringing these , charges forward ; in persisting in urging them in ihe face of the answers which have been made, and the facts which have been Sisolosed; and that they have no underlying purpose whatever — then ire say frankly that their obvious duty is to vote : for the candidates : of the Opposition and the immediate- extrusion of the present Ministry from power. Another attempt to establish an issue we have seen raised within the laßt Eew days is, that the dissolution should never have been granted at all. This, however, intelligent electors will at once perceive is not an issue, and cannot, be made an issue at -this election. The responsibility for the dissolution rests with the Governor by whom it was granted, and as in the strict discharge of the duties of his high office the Governor is entirely removed from party, his action cannot, with propriety, be made the subject of an election contest. It is not the conduct of Ministers nor their policy, that is impugned when the exercise of the oonstitutional right to grant a dissolution iB condemned; bat the impartiality and soundness of judgment of his Excellency Sir Hercules Robinson, and clearly that is a matter which cannot be made an issue in an electoral appeal to the country. On the Ministerial side, the suggestion that the issue is one involving the safety of the principle of responsible government, is utterly scouted. The friends and supporters of the Government assert that the Opposition do not themselves for a moment believe that responsible government is in the smallest danger in this Colony. Further, they assert that the charges of maladministration are only put forward by the Opposition as an excuse upon which to drive the Government from power in order that the Liberal policy may be strangled or stamped out. According to the candidates upon the Ministerial side the issues are, first, that the right of sharing in the return of representatives to Parliament to make laws, shall be given to the whole manhood of the Colony ; and that the people shall be allowed to exercise their electoral right with sufficient frequency to enable the voice of publio opinion to be felt upon the great public questions which, in the natural progress of events, are morally certain from time to time to arise. Second, that power having thus been given to the people, that power shall be exercised to secure a land system that will settle thousands upon the lands of the Colony ; to the prevention of the acquirement of large estates; and to the adjustment of the inoidence of taxation so that each will make the sacrifice which taxation involves in proportion to his ability to bear the strain. Electors who recognise these issues as the true issues, and who can bring their minds to believe that these ißsues are fair and calculated to advance tho best interests of the Colony, will, as a matter of course, when they go to the poll record their votes for the Ministerial candidates. We havo thus endeavoured to state clearly and impartially the aspects of the of the struggle upon which the Colony has now entered, and we do not think that even thoße who differ from us regarding the merits of the issues themselves, will venture to oharge us with having stated the position of the case unfairly. For onrselveß, it is scarcely neceßsary to state that we belong to the | Ministerial side, and, we accept the issues put forward by that party as the true issues upon which a verdict should be given by eaoh voter. Certainly it must be admitted that the issues as put forward by the Government side are infinitely larger and greatly more comprehensive in their bearing upon the future of this Colony, than the malpractices — even were they proved— of any Ministry. We hold that the oharges brought against Ministers have hopelessly broken down ; that they have been refuted conclusively; and that the persistency with which they are still nrged only serves to prove that there is an ulterior object behind. But even supposing that they contained some substratum of fact — which they do not — the electors! will do well to' grasp the grand fabrio'of the Government policy as presenting to them a Bomethingdefinite in , regard, to the future.. Wb/en meijr have, large personal interests at stake they cease sometimes to be, very particular as to how . thpae Jnteresfe r JWf - , conserved. Electors should" weigh 'in^thfe balance how candidates professing certain liberal principles " are to be affected by tlie 'adoption of the Government/ -policy ■■ " for- '- members of, Parliament will never vote .against the interests of their class, and with 'a view of assisting them upon this matter

we propose to examine some of l the. public statements made by certain candidates in the paßt. We doubt not that they will be found useful, as throwing Borne degree of light upon their probable action in the future. It is our purpose to begin on Monday with Mr MurbatAtnslet, one; of the candidates for Lyttelton.