The Star. MONDAY, JULY 25, 1887. A TRAITOR TO HIS PARTY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5988, 25 July 1887, Page 2

The Star. MONDAY, JULY 25, 1887. A TRAITOR TO HIS PARTY.

: Mb Garrick's meeting at the Merivald Schoolroom, -was not a great success for the speaker. Though the locality was ■ well chosen, as most of his personal friends and political supporters live in the immediate neighbourhood of the schoolroom, and though they " rolled up " early and occupied the platform and all the front Beats in the room, his vote of confidence was barely carried— a large part of the meeting declining to vote altogether. The support I he received waff certainly not that hearty expression of confidence so dear to the ears ■ of the expectant candidate. j Nor are the reasons for this indifference hard to discover. Electors invaribly like i honeßty in their representatives. When a 1 member is returned pledged to support a particular party, or Government, the constituency like to see that member run straight, and support the party with all his might. • This is exactly what Mr Garrick has ndlfc done during the last On more than one occasion, while pledged and , professing to support the Ministry, he went out of his way to make the most damaging speeches against them. The effect of those speeches is most clearly shown by the action of the Opposition, as described by Mr Garrick himeelf in his ; speech on Friday night. The leaders of the Opposition came to him and proposed ; that he should move a vote of want of confidence in the very Government he had promised and pledged his constituents to support. We will illustrate the case very ; simply. Parliament is the battle field o£ i civil warfare. The opposing parties are ; the contending armies. Mr Garrick occupied 1 the relative position of a Brigadier-General I in the army of the Government. The commanders of the other army approached him without solicitation and offered him the command of their forces i£ , he would lead* them on to battle. ; Would the leaders of ah opposing force dare to approach a high officer in the army of their enemy, if they had not thought he 1 would listen to their proposals P Of course not. They must have had the best reasons i to suppose he wa3 a secret traitor to the cause he had pledged, himself to support. No thoroughly honest politician in the ■ position occupied by Mr Garrick was ever approached with such a proposition as that: described by Mr Garriok of himself, • because no honest man, who was. not j), fool, would ever lead men to suppose by his conduct they could safely make such a proposal. The very fact that forty-seven ■ members of Parliament thought it possible : that Mr Garrick would desert his party and lead the Opposition in an attack on the Government he had promised to" support, ia an overwhelming proof that Mr Garrick 1 had given them sufficient reason to believe that he was ready for the work, la other words, half of the House of Eepresenta- : tives looked on Mr Garrick as a * TRAITOR TO HIS PARTY.