Wanganui Herald. (PUBLISHED DAILY) SATURDAY, MAY 11, 1889. SIR CHARLES DILKE ON POLITICS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 6800, 11 May 1889, Page 2

Wanganui Herald. (PUBLISHED DAILY) SATURDAY, MAY 11, 1889. SIR CHARLES DILKE ON POLITICS.

The author of Great Britain has followed as closely the political movements of the colonies as he has the military movements of the powers of Europe. The man has cyclopedic information, and arrays his facts so ■well that his speech justly cornea under the appellation of " brilliant." Of course the speech strikes people at Home as extremely democratic, but most of the reforms have long been common-place in the colonies. It is generally admitted here thao education should be free, secular and compulsory. But there is a re-action even in New Zealand agains 1 . the system which would destroy it piece-meat. It is strong testimony to it that one of the first of England's statesmen should have held it up as a model. Triennial Parliaments is one of the pillars of our constitutional fabric, and the time ib coming when England too will accept one of the points of the Chartists. Here also there are people who want longer Parliaments to suit patty and personal ends. We have heard members of our House of Representatives, who were afraid to meet their constituents, declare that it was "not a liberal measure " to put men to the expense of going before their constituents so often j but who were quite willing to vote themselves the largest honorarium poßßible. Yet if any serious attempts were made to destroy Triennial Parliaments the cry of treason would soon be raised, and justly. Manhood suffrage is one of our old reforms ; but against even it there is a Tory ' re-ac-tion. England is marching on to it, while in New Zealand there is a section trying to clip its wings by Hare schemes, reduction of members, compelling electors to pay for the privilege of being registered, and so on. It has been said that the Premier would get rid of all voting I by a process of his own — by making ! us a pauper colony, and then declaring that no pauper should have a vote, Sir Oharles Dilke has this to learn about New Zealand, that it is very fickle, has no stability of purpose. It is considered here no disgrace for a politician to carry an important measure, and a few years afterwards to be found one of its bitterest enemies. This is the charge we have frequently driven home against the presentPremier,Sir Harry Atkinson. It is not so in Britain. They have hard work there to carry a reform, but, when they do carry it, the work is never undone. If the march is slow, there is no retracing of steps. So that after all political life is muoh more serious and consistent in the mother country than in the colonies, The earnestness of a few men gives color and form to every measure that becomes law. Every reform Sir Charles has noticed will yet be carried into law in Great Britain, never to be repealed until a greater reform takes its place. The colonies have the honor of taking the lead in some of the greatest reforms, and so hastening the corresponding march of events in the parent land. Tf they had a little more stability with their undoubted "go," the models would be moro perfect.