THE PREMIERSHIP AND AGENTGENERALSHIP.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1769, 17 February 1888, Page 2

THE PREMIERSHIP AND AGENTGENERALSHIP.

(Wellington "Poit") It wou'dsaeai that Young NewZ»aUnd is v-ry likely soon to get a change Thi next session of Parliament will be held nnde*- very peculiar circumstances. Sir Kob«r t N» ou will h lye no Heat m it . Bir Julia* Yogel will be absenc ia -Englaad. Sir G^or^o Grey's health is so preoarioaa ihat it is very doubtful whether he will be able to take an active p»rt m the busine s, or even attend the session ;' ani Sir Harry Atkinson will m all probability be preparing to go to England to assume the duties of Agent-General. Of all our political knights, Sir John Hall will alon* remain as a possible leader, and no doubt astro g effort will bo made to install him m the Premiership when Sir Harry Atkinson vacate 3 the office This will be Yooog New Zealand's opportunity, and if due advantage is taken of it, Sir John Hail should be very quickly made to realise the fact that the colony hw had quite enough of his guidance. If the Young N^w Z slanders are equal t6 the occaHio , and, when the Hour arrives, ein brin« forward the Man, a new era m the political history of the colon y should b* inaugurated and a new dispensation should replace the old. Any a tempt to provide for Sir Joho Hall's succession to the Premierfchip will require to be steadfastly resisted, and a careful watch must be instituted to defeat any in'rigues having euoh an end m view Apart from Bir John H .11, there will be no exPremier available m the Lower House, and tha only experienced office-holders likely to command any following ara Mr Urmond on the Conservative side, and Mr Ballaoce on tha L bsjral «ide. For reasons which have been pointed oat on many oooiaiom, Mr Ormond is not likely to o nsolidttd ■ strong following from the eida of the Hoqsh with which he usually acs. If Mr Bryce were la Parliament, and his health permitted it he would be a much m >reacceptcb c tender, but hai he h« do seat hi is out of the running Mr B »llano.j shaped remarkably »cil ia oppoemon i>»Bt » bbi »n, and created a deoidedly favorable impression as to h<i OApaoitiea for leadership, but he «ri]i have to modify a. good m*uy of hit vi«>W(f f and got rid of a good m»ny theories, whioh the irreverent term fads, before he cm expect to find himself at the head of • m&jorl.y m Parli»mant Leaders will ha>e to be b< nwht, *n »H likelihood, amongst the newt* m»n, or those wh© have not hither o aspired to leadership. Avion at the moat prooabl- and promising o' these we snould ba inclined to place Ca^tuin Ruuell, aud to predict for him an early accession t« th j teaderihip of a •tr,mg m j .tl»j In »he House There ars few iuju m it who are personally more p-po «r, and h^ ia not an extremist. We eh ulj regard Captsin Rn^ael as an extrim ly *a c mnu to hold the Prpipiersbip, and he would lead the Hov e most oreditfib'v. lodead, ap^rt from him, it is d fficalt tci see who there is equal to the responsibilities of tha position, and to waom is powers coala anfely be entrusted. Captain Russell is at present m England, bat will, it Is to be hip d, retarn m time for the session. If he does so, and is willing to take offioa m the exceedingly probable event of Sir Harry Atkinson nu ceedtng Sir Dillon Ball as AgentG neral, he would we are confident, command tie support of a very etroog party culled frnn all sides of the present Bouse. In any ca«e members will have to be on the alerr. next saasion and demand early at d defiuue iuformatlon regarding the Agent-Generalship. It will not do to let the prorogation take Dlao9 without absolute knowledgu of whether SJr* Barry Aikineon Intends to take the office or not. No donbt he would like to get the session over, then realgfi and recommend the Governor to send for Sir John Hall to reconstitute the Cabinet, on the understanding that its first act would be to appoint him Agent-General. The House however, is not likely to allow of a nioa little family arrangement of this kind being oarried out. We do not think there will be much obj.-otfon to his being made Agont-Genaral, although he pttasaases many disqualifications as well an* ma ay hieh qaal fioationa for this Important office On the whole, however; It might bd difficult to fiad a batter man fo* the potHon, and there are a g|;eat many would be glad to see h m dutr of poTiM^ai power m the colony on almost any terms. Possibly his politloal fonu would be riven more ready to expedite his attainment to the Agent-GUndrftl than his friend*, but if he gets it, the Bouae will claim the right to determine for itseff who khall aao eed to tha Premiership. Tlnd present uoaapaut of the position will not ba parwt'.ted to nominate hU successor of to n\\ the office to any one he likes. An Intrlgas to secure the rovarainn to Sir John Hal| will most certainly foil,