THE ALL-ROUND HITTING OF THE WELLINGTON POST.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5097, 3 September 1884, Page 3

THE ALL-ROUND HITTING OF THE WELLINGTON POST.

WELLINGTON, Sept. 3. The Post of last night says :—" There seems to be a complete political deadlock from one end of the Colony to the other. A feeling of intense disgust with the selfishness, want of patriotism, and personal vanity of leading politicians, is openly expressed, and is hourly intensifying. Each individual or knot of little mdi I viduals is determined to have his or their

own way, and no terms o£ self-sacrifice or compromise will be listened to on any side. Pa.ties have ceased to exist, and factions rule supreme. Nothing more utterly disgraceful has ever been known in the records of any constitutionally-governed State, than the position which now obtains in. New Zealand. With, a Legislature capable of much good, if it would but use its elements rightly, the Colony is being plunged into a position which would be ludicrous if it were not disastrous and disgraceful. Every public interest is being sacrificed to private and personal interests or prejudices. The so-called leaders are not altogether the men to blame. They command no real allegiance. Their followers are not bound to them by any tie 3 of principle or of policy. They seem to be followed by sections, who regard them as convenient tools to be used, for the ad-

vancement of private ends. Major Atkinson is controlled to a considerable extent by THE BELPISn EGOTISM OP MB ROLLESTON, who is apparently determined to be revenged upon the country because it would not accept him at his own price, and by the bigoted self-sufficiency of Mr Trimble, to whom the gratification of personal spleen is a far greater consideration than the good of the Colony. These are the representative joints in the tail which wags Major Atkinson, and i! is to their action, and that of men similarly influenced, that the failure of the advances which were made towards compromises and coalition may on that side of the House really be attributed. Then we come to Sin GEORGE OBEY, whose action throughoutseems to have very much resembled that of his brother knight, Sir Toby }'elch, in seeking to bring about a duel, and to fan the flame of quarrel. His object is apparent. He has from the first sought to show that he is master of the situation. His desire is to render good government impossible, unless under his patronage. If he cannot rule directly, he will indirectly. No Ministry is to be permitted to exist which does not do so on the distinct understanding that it is at his sufferance. A few weak-minded, ignorant member-.? are easily flattered into supporting Sir George Grey's tactics. MB KACANDBEW AND MR MONTGOMERY are actuated by motives somewhat akin , to those of Sir G. Grey. They do not take ' up the same patronising attitude that he does, but they are more anxious for office, j with its direct power and emoluments, i They will not tolerate the idea of any ; Ministry being formed from their side of j the House, unless they are included in it ; | and Mr Stout is too much under the influ- : cnce3 of local feeling and old party associa- j ti»ns to venture on cutting himself apart from them, and boldly striking out a new and independent course. There are various other sections and members of the House willing to support any Ministry which will buy them at their own price, which varies from a seat in the Cabinet to the construction of some local work or other. We come now to the most important factor in the case, SIB JULIUS YOGEL AND THE CANTERBURY MEMBERS. The country generally; we believe, desires to see Sir Julius Yogel in office,, in order that he may get the Colony out of the unhappy groove in which it has so long been running. It wants him to initiate a new policy, and a new system of administration. It would welcome bis reinstatement in office in company with reliable colleagues, but it will not tolerate his association with such men as he recently associated himself with. His Canterbury supporters are playing an utterly selfish game. They seem inclined to use him to serve their own ends, and to be quite willing to throw him over if he will not become their tool. If he is willing to sink THE QUESTION OF PREMIERBHIP, why should they raise it as a difficulty P Their action is utterly unjustifiable in this respect. So is Major Atkinson's pretension to a continued occupancy of that position. Any Ministry of which he was Premier would be justly regarded as a reconstruction of the Continuous Ministry. We do not know that Mr Stout has any "particular claim to the Premiership. It was a great mistake on Sir Julius Vogel'a part ever to concede it to him : but still it is altogether too bad that the gravest interests of the country should be sacrificed on such a point as to whether A B or C should be Premier. Unless mutual concessions are quickly made, and some reasonable compromise arrived at, an appeal to the country will become inevitable. It can only be made on purely personal grounds, and we mistake the public spirit of the country if, on sufh a question being referred to it, a very strong and decided opinion is not expressed by it, which will be very unpalatable to the parties who are responsible for the present state of affairs. The same paper, after quoting the narrative portion of mr reese's letter to his Stanmore constituents, says, "this is perhaps the best account yet given of the whole affair; but we fail to find anything in it to justify the remarkable change of front by the member for Stanmore between the time of his election and the meeting of Parliament. Probably matters might indeed have accommodated themselves better between the various leaders, had Mr Reese abstained from interference. Utterly ignorant of politics,. and occupying no position to give the slightest weight to his virtues or actions, it is very likely that his officious interference and readiness to play the part of a go-between, were productive of harm rather than of good. It would have been better had Mr Reese contented himself with looking on instead of trying to act a part in the farce which was being performed. His constituents certainly have not approved, of his action or his explanation.