The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 20.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 296, 20 May 1879, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 20.

■ ■■■■,■; •*r — To judge by the tone of the _?ress in general, we are afraid that it is anticipated that next session will be a / frui-less' v and unprofitable one. After all it takes a Tong time to change national as well as individijal habits, and one of our tm> fortunate habits has been to relegate all questions of policy to a second 'rate f position, and to expend all our energies in maintaining that Mr A. is a less objectionable man to hold the reins than Mr X. We must confess to a feeling of disappointment if it turns out that our contemporaries aire right, and if it proves to be the case that the coming session is to be spent in mere personal wrangles, ihe sole possible result ".being that the present Ministry retain their seats or lose them without any definite principlejjbeing affirmed, or any distinct issue being placed, before the constituent cies in. the event of an election followitfg.l) But aidisSblut'ion without ade?firiite r iisu£' being raised, a'general electiori to deciide' simply whether a certain set of rrieri should retain the sweets of office, or should yield them to their rivals would' be a great public calamity. ; The Wellington Post has the. following remarks on the situation :— " There is neither a Gov.rnmen." party nor an Opposition party; a Government policy nor an Opposition policy.- This is a most deplorable political condition for for the Colony, to be in, with a general election looming in the immediate distance. .... Next session, and probably at the polling booths after it, the only distinction we can Hope to see set up will be that between the Greyites and anti-Greyite_. Sir George Grey, if he has not a political following, properly so called, certainly has, both in the House and in the country, a strong personal following. Those who refuse to be therein included are as sheep without a shepherd. They have no one to guide them, and no point to rally oh.' There is neither an Opposition leader, nor an Opposition policy, nor an Opposition 4 party ; and such a political condition is an unhealthy one, rendering it impossible; reasonably to expect wholesome legislation Or prudent administration. Next' session will probably be a wildly disorderly one. It will not be a political campaign, but a guerilla contest. There will be neither organization nor discipline, but a great deal of personal conflict. The Government will find of course a certaiu amount of strength in this state of affairs. It will be able to defeat its opponents Binglyand in detail, and will probably take very good care not to offer any ground on which the enemy might combine and organize. That the Government will go out next session no one can possibly believe ; that they will find themselves worried and bullied on all sides is pretty certain, as it also is that they will be unable to carry any important measures. They need not, we think, however, fear any. united action sufficiently'powerful' to dov# them from office, because there is no one in the House willing or capable of. organize ing a party to sustain an attack, or reap • the fruits of a victory. Even, if there. were, however, the Government is certainly entitled, if it choose, to appeal from the present House of Representatives to the" country ; and no doubt some proposal-or other on which such an appeal, could be;; : made will be thrown down on the floor of the House next session, and after being squabbled over for a month or two, will be f.araded as a kind of political banner to cad the people to the ballot-boxes. It is : not likely that the next session will be either an edifying or a useful one."-' '■■'■ -'■■ The future reputation of members of both sides of the House depends greatly on their action during the next session. Especially is this true of the members of the Government. They have the opportunity of bringing forward measurecomprehending a wide and consistent policy, and then upon their opponents will be forced the alternative of either suffering these measures to become law, or accepting the responsibility of defeating them. If they adopt this course, utterly regardless of present victory or defeat, ignoring entirely the retention or loss of office, they will emerge from the contest with the reputation of statesmen, as distinguished from mere politicians, and we feel sure that a great National party is gradually organizing, which will be both able and willing to recognize such services. " Return with it or upon it," was the advice" of .he Spartan mother to her son, when handing him his shield, and rather than preserve official existence by an unworthy truckling to the enemy, let the Government fall nobly with their faces to the foe, and their colors wrapt around them.