THE OPPOSITION AND ITS " A.B.s"

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1635, 13 August 1887, Page 3

THE OPPOSITION AND ITS " A.B.s"

Those who have been able to peruse the speeches of the leaders of the two parties who are now engaged m political strife, as well as those of some of the leading men among the rank and file of each, cannot have failed to have noticed one peculiarity of -the present struggle. Welfind Ministerialists pretty well agieed upon a definite programme, with the exception of one item — the education vote. It is quite true that on this question there is a difference of opinion, tome regarding it, as Sir John Hall aptly termed it, as a Sacred Ark upon which no profane hands must be laid, while pthers hold to the opinion that it ought not to stand alone, but take its share m the work of retrenchment along with all the other departments. ■ With the exception of this one item, as we have said, the Ministerialist candidates are remarkably well agreed upon a definite programme. With the Oppositionists— both leaders and others while equally at sixes ar.d sevens with regard to education — hold almost equally dissimilar views with regard to nearly every other article of the political creed, which is assumed to represent the Opposition faith. One section holds that if retrenchment were carried out with a vigorous unsparing hand there would be no necessity for extra . taxation, while others, including Major Atkinson, deny the possibility of retrenchment without extra taxation. Some are m favor of a progressive land tax m lieu of the property tax, while others again are adverse to a land tax of any kind, whether progressive or otherwise. Some regard with favor moderately protective import duties, and a certain amount of encouragement to native industries, while others deprecate most strongly the one and the other. We might go on enumerating minor points on which Oppositionists are not ageeed. To our mind the only unanimity which they have displayed is m their aspirations for the ousting of the present Government, Supposing, . however, lor a moment that they are successful, and that the Government party prove to be m a small minority, how would it be possible out of such heterogeneous element to form a stable Government ?

Some of the candidates seem to scorn the idea of the task of governing being confined to the Stout- Vogel party on the one band, and the HallAtkinson party on the other. They say that there is not the slightest need for the. balance of power to oscillate between these limits; that there are other men to whom might be entrusted the destiny of the colony, and who are quite as capable of govrning as those who, for several years, have alternatively held the reins of power. This may be, but we think few persons would concur m the wisdom of disratjng all the officers of a ship, and $iipplyjng their places from among the A.Bs.' m the crew, just at the time when she is m imminent peril, and if yrs "are to belive all that is said our own good ship of State is, if not m the breakers, too close to a lee shore to be pleasant.