Wellington Independent SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1871.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3349, 18 November 1871, Page 2

Wellington Independent SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1871.

The session which came to an end upon Thursday last has been one of the most important held in New Zealand. The legislation effected, and the action taken, are pregnant with great consequences to the future of the colony, and must ever render the year 1871 celebrated in our Parliamentary annals. To the Ministry and the party of progress who supported them unequalled difficulties presented themselves, in the face of which we rejoice to think they have succeeded in carrying into effect their policy, and have transformed the theories of last year into practical administrative facts. We propose, so far as the space at our disposal permits, to run over the various political phases ; a brief review, in fact, of the manner and the matter of the more important business transacted. The absence of the Colonial Treasurer necessitated the postponement of the summoning the Houses until an exceptionally late period, and further placed Ministers at a very considerable disadvantage in meeting Parliament, having to do so without very full or accurate information as to the arrangements effected in England with regard to the loans and the mail service. They were consequently, we might ven-

ture to conjecture, not in a position even to affirm the details of their policy, much' less place before members drafts of the measures which might be proved necessary to give it effect. Consequently the newly elected House of P.epresentathes, with nearly 50 per cent of new members, found itself with very little serious work before it ; a point of considerable danger to any Government, for miuds political are instigated to. mischief in the absence of good healthy pabulum. 13 r Watt might have had representative assemblies in view when he wrote the celebrated lines commencing " Satan finds. " The position of tho Ministry was further considerably embarrassed by the election as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Hon Dillon Bell, an active member of the Cabinet, who represented therein the Southern Island, and deservedly enjoyed the confidence of a large section of the representatives from the important provinces of Canterbury and Otago. This, coupled with the absence of Mr Yogel, would appear to have been almost enough to justify the sanguine aspirations of Mr Stafford and his immediate friends that the chapter of accidents would, within a very brief period, place that gentleman at the head of affairs. Mr Fox faced the matter very pluckily, and to the straightforward conduct, then and throughout the session, of himself and his colleagues we attribute in no slight degree the success with which they have steered the ship through difficulties which at first appeared almost insurmountable. From first to last the House was taken thoroughly into the confidence of the Government. They were at once informed of all that was known respecting the negotiations of the Colonial Treasurer, were satisfied that his absence was unavoidable and required for the public good, and were content to await his arrival, fortunately only delayed a very few days after the commencement of the business. At this time, if wo are to believe Mr Stafford, there was no organised Opposition, and it was, indeed, very difficult to arrive at anything like an approximation of the relative position of parties in the House, where there were so many ur.kno\vn elements to deal with. Out of the 78 members no less than 39 did not hold seats in the last Parliament, whilst some 35 were entirely new to political life. As in the absence of party organisation elections are really left very much to haphazard or decided by considerations simply personal, it was impossible to judge in what direction many of these gentlemen would go if afforded a choice between two distinct policies. This choice had never been afforded them, and it is therefore not at at all surprising that the large majority were led to prefer the distinct policy and proposals of the Government to the obscure negations, paradoxical resolutions and empty declamations of their opponents. From the very first Mr Fitzherbert and the members from this province, with two notable exceptions, gave ministers a hearty and loyal support, adding no little strength to the party in course of formation, which has just passed through what we call its first course so triumphantly. And here it may not be out of place to notice with the highest praise the active, untiring energy on behalf of our special interests which has characterised the conduct of our members, the delinquents from Wanganui and the Wairarapa excepted. The Ministerial party, as we have premised, took some time to concentrate ; it was in the nature of things that it should be so. Young politicians, if they have any sense, are anxious not to commit themselves hurriedly ; they like to see aud hear for themselves, and are by no means unimpressed by the manner and matter of the practised debaters and leaders in the House. To our knowledge it was so in this case, and Mr Stafford owes it entirely to himself and the want of judgment and tact displayed, if not personally, at least with his cognisance, that he did not attract a larger number of the new men to his standard. There is no doubt his hopes were founded upon such acquisitions, and he brought the nucleus of the Opposition over from Nelson with firm faith in their practical realisation. How lamentably he has failed is now matter of history, and we will presume to conjecture the reasons why and wherefore. The first mistake, and it was a fatal one, was the alliance with the Otago and Auckland rump. T. B. Gillies is enough to wreck any party, without the assistance of Donald Reid and his clodhopper following. Their presence in the camp at once precluded tbe possibility of Mr Stafford's old political friends working with him, and further engendered a very general distrust as to the direction in which any policy constructed from such incongruous elements might tend. Then, the scheme of attack upon the Government was the acme of bad tactics as well as of bad taste. Putting up the empty-headed Collins and the inane Ingles day after day to ask insolent questions, and to throw dirty insinuations of a personal character at the occupants of the Treasury benches— this was hardly, we consider, statesmanlike. We know it had its effect upon the new members in a direction perfectly opposite to what was intended. Much the same result followed from the attempted exaltation and canonization of Sir David Monro. The House refused to take up a squabble highly interesting no doubt to Nelson, but hardly so to the general public. But the grand coup of all was reserved for the telegraph question. This was to be the trump card, certain to clear the board. So much big talk did half convince some members that there was something in it ; that the Opposition leader would hardly have dared to commit himself to the expressions he did unless he was in possession of some facts to justify his assertions. He got his committee, and soon it began to leak out that the mountain could not even bring forth a mouse — that no charges would or could he proved. The report was not certainly

presented until a few days ago, but the facts it detailed had no slight effect in strengthening the hands of Ministers during the most critical part of the session. To sum up this portion of our subject, the Opposition throughout offered nothing to attract, but by their conduct repelled a following. The Government, upon the contrary, claimed allegiance upon the grounds of a policy clear and unmistakeable, ond proposed to be carried into effect by measures able and intelligently constructed. Those who gave them support knew exactly what they were doing ; there was no fighting in the dark, aud they have reason to congratulate themselves upon the result, which is appreciated as it deserves throughout the colony. We shall resume this subject in our next.