The Dominion. MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1909. "ON HIS OWN TERMS."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 527, 7 June 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1909. "ON HIS OWN TERMS."

The public generally is well enough iiwaro by now that there is no necessary connection, and that no connection should be assorted, between tho. two questions which the Government and its frionds have been desperately endeavouring to present as one. and indissoluble, namely (1),, whether our representative at tho Dcfenco Conference)'should bo Sin Joseph Ward, and (2) whether the Parliamentary session proper should bo postponed. It often happens, when tho defenders of an untenable position become desperate, that they wreck their own case. This has. happened'in the present instance. In Dunedin last week tho Hon. J. R. Sinclair, whose action- in respect to the gag clause of tho Second Ballot Bill places his fidolifcy to tho Govtrunient

beyond all doubt, delivered himself of tho following view: Tho Prime Minister has stated that ho cannot, go until Parliament adjourns. It is not treating tho question as being above P a "y if a condition, which it is known boforehand tho Prime Minister cannot comply with, bo insisted on by tho Opposition. The Ministerialist organ in Dunedin was so deeply impressed by Mb. Sinclair's statement that it felt emboldened to praise certain ; newspapers for saying, not only that tho Prime Minister ought 77 S ° v London « but that he ought to be allowed to go on his own terms." That is the point-and wo aro grateful to Mr, Sinclair and his newspaper supporter for enabling it to be made so clear. It

is a powt which the public can easily grasp and which it will have no difficulty whatever in deciding. Should' Sin Joseph Ward bo allowed to go on his own ff rnw ?. Nob °dy in his sonses would deny that if that question were put to the country as a whole, tho answer would be a practically unanimous "No." But the question is not to bo put to the country. It is to be put to Parliament. Will Parliament, then, by agreeing to accept tho' f rime Minister's conditions, be so bold as to make its answer "Yes" ? Mr. Sinclair's'statement is well worth analysis. If the "condition" with which ]t were known beforehand the Prime Minister could not comply we're an unworthy and dishonourable condition, opposed to the Empire's interests, insistence on that condition would be something worse than party strategy. It would be dishonest and unpatriotic. But what is this condition? Simply, that the important affairs of the country shall be considered by Parliament in the usual way. Is'that an unworthy or 'dishonourable condition 1 Or, let us put tho case conversely. If the condition on which Sir Joseph Ward will consent to go Home were a worthy and honourable condition, and necessary in the Empire's interests, then insistence by him on that condition would bo proper. But what is that condition V Simply, that'the important work before Parliament shall be postponed to a date which will guarantee the ill-performance of it. Is that a worthy or honourable condition necessary to the interests of the Empire ? Is it not, on the Contrary, quito unworthy and improper? By the help of Mr. Sinclair and the misguided advocate of the theory that the Prime Minister, should be "allowed to go on his own terms," we are able to put tho position in a way which defies misunderstanding or misrepresentation. • '

If party motives arc to bo attributed, we are boilnd to' take care that they are attributed to the proper quarter. If, as he alleges, it iB necessary that he himself should be Now Zealand's reprcscntativo at the Conference, then the Prime Minister should attach no conditions to the propor representation of New Zealand. If the Government has been' actuated at every point by purely Imperial motives, we shall be obliged if somebody will tell us what Imperial motive lies behind the quite improper condition that the Prime Minister has laid down. What Imperial obd is to bo served by the suspension of the business of the New Zealand Parliament? Obviously, none.. What kind of end; then, is to be served? That is for Sir Joseph Ward to say; He has not attempted to explain exactly how the intorests of tho Erapiro' are to be served by the postponement of consideration of the country's pressing , affairs! He has not oven attempted to explain how the interests of New Zealand are to be served by, being neglected. And, since the interests of neither the Empire nor the' Dominion require an adjournment of the session, what interests do require it? Obviously, tho Government's own party interests. The Prime Minister-would resent the suggestion that he is capablo of an unpatriotic action, but the public's belief in tho. splendid height of his Imperialism will bo severely strained by the fact that he is quite ready,.' and even determined, to subordinate the needs.of the' Empire to the needs of his .party. As a correspondent pointed out in our columns the other day, tho gravely improper condition which he has attached to the representation of Now. Zealand by him amounts-to a statement that although tho needs of the Empire require his presence at Home,,he will disregard the needs of the Empire if Parliament decides to do its duty. It is hoped by the Government that the Opposition will not be able to escape from the false position in which the Prime Minister has attempted to piece them. It is hoped that nobody will oppose the adjournment of the session out .of fear of being called an anti-Im-perialist. But it is an insult to the. public intelligence to suggest that it cannot disentangle the two issues which certain people have been trying to confuse. Tho plain.issue is, Shall the Prime Minister Do "allowed to go on his own terms" ? which necessitate a sacrifice of the domestic interests of the country; or shall be bo allowed to go only on the condition that the business of the country is pro;eeded with as usual ? We have no doubt \ that if the matter were submitted to a referendum of the people of New-Zealand ; ihe Prime Minister would he forced to i ibandon the most improper condition ' vith which he has sought to tie the hands ! )f Parliament. ]1