TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21,1879.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3597, 21 October 1879, Page 2

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1879.

Stjeely it web not too much to expect that the Do-nothing party now in power would be faithful to the Oonser native predilectioES with which they profess to be embued. At the very least it oonld scarcely have been anticipated tbat the brief period of their enjoyment of power! in the session of 1879 would be chiefly' noticeable for a gross violation of the principles of constitutional government, as they are acknowledged by all authorities and generally understood at the present day. They certainly cannot be accepted as a Liberal party, and upon what ground —after present experiences— they can claim to be Conservative we aro at a loss to understand. If a Conservative party can bo expepted to hold fast to the conservation of ai»y one thing more

than another, we should imagine that one thing should be the faithful adherence to well-known and clearlyestablished constitutional principles. Yet the continuance in office of a Government in defiance of a clearly-indi-cated Opposition majority of Parliament is undoubtedly a violation of the principle of constitutional government. In modern times no English Ministry has been known to continue in office for a day, after it has been demonstrated that it cannot command a majority of votes in the Lower House. After its weakness has been once disclosed, two courses only have been held to be honourably open — resignation or dissolution. In 1874, when Mr Gladstone found that the elections in the country had gone against his Government, he did not wait for the meeting of Parliament but sent in his resignation at once. This principle has been adopted also in all the constitutionally governed Colonieß of the Empire, except — apparently — New Zealand. In 1877, in Victoria, when Sir James M'Ctjlloch found by tho returns that the general election had placed his Government in a minority, ho at once resigned, and Mr Beery came into power before the new Parliament met. In this Colony, Rnd under a so-called Conservative Ministry, the precedent laid down by Mr Gladstone, and indeed the general practise governing the holding of office by a Ministry iB at thiß moment altogether ignored. The Hall administration has already been defeated upon a party vote, and conclusive evidence has been afforded that it cannot upon any trial of strength command a majority of votes; yet it clings — unconstitutionally and indecently — to power. The valuable time of the country is being wasted, and constitutional Government brought into contempt by this shameless Conservative Ministry. For what purpose is it that Government refuses to come to an issue with Parliament ? Why is it that, upon one pretext or another, they have played with Parliament to gain time ? It is very easily understood. They only require three or four votes, and it is hoped that through some dodgery or trickery, some of the members of the Opposition will be seduced from their allegiance to their party and go over to their assistance. They live in the hope that members will be diahen st to their principles and will rat. For this purpose the vacant portfolio has been kept dangling before the eyes of the Opposition, and public works in Auckland and Nelson have been promised with a liberality strangely inconsistent with the utterances of the Treasurer. Having in this exceedingly discreditable effort failed to secure a single recruit, attention has been turned to another dodge. The latest idea propounded is to have a kind of elective Ministry chosen from, both sides of the House, the two leaders to nominate a Minister turn and turn about. This most astonishing Government, iv its Ccnservative/iirorcis apparently prepared to drag every principle of any value through the mire in order to to Becure to itself a chance, of strangling the liberal and progressive policy to which a large majority of the members of Parliament stand committed. Of course, with Mr Whitakeb in the Upper House as Premier, and the two leaders to nominate an equal number of Ministers, the balance of power wonld remain to the parly actually in a minority in the House. This was very shrewd, but it also has failed. A Ministry under a constitutional system of Government, is not a Committee selected from tho best office administrators in Parliament, but an association consisting of the leaders of the party having a majority. The members of a Government are not a kind of Committeo of temporary administrative heads over the permanent heads, but the leaders of a party having a policy distinct from that of their opponents, and a policy which it should be their principal aim and object to see inscribed in the statute books of the land, and carried out in a comprehensive spirit through the medium of the agencies under their hands. But the Hall Government have no policy, except indeed it be to simply block, j crush, or strangle, by any means at their command, the efforts of the Liberals of New Zealand. For this they adhere to office, introducing Bills which they know they are powerless to carry, and for this they seek to still have a potential voice in whatever Government may in tho future be constituted. They are ready to profe63 anything ; accept anything, endure anything, only let them still have a share of power. The position they have now reached is indecent and mischievous — injurious alike to the practice of constitutional Government and the progress of the country. The Opposition have been to blame in weakly allowing time to this Government to enable it to abuse its position as it has done. The first time we had occasion to refer to the Hall Ministry in these columns we characterised it as the " friendless Government ;" but after recent developements we incline to tho opinion that it would certainly be more correct to characterise it as the " shameless Government." Wo trust that no more time will be lost in sweeping it out of the path of progress.