THE PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTURE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 533, 19 June 1909, Page 4

THE PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTURE.

There are few people who will not reprobato tho outburst: of hostile feeling that marred the. PhiMe Minister's departure for London yesterday. In the past few days wo have expressed the indignation which-tho majority of the people feel at the Prime Minibtbe'b arrogant subordination of; the publio interest to his privato convenience, or, what is tho same thing, his party convenience. We still hold the strongest views on that point, but wo hold also— and the majority of those present on the wharf, nine out of every ten'of whom think as wo do on this matter, showed by thoir decorous behaviour that they share this view—that tho major, tlje dominant circumstance yesterday . afternoon was that the representative of New Zealand was leaving to attend a Conference concerning the objects of which there' is only one opinion in the Empire. It was a minority only, that'abused tho occasion by hooting. The vast majority, of the crowd were merely sightseers. That vast majority, however, did not cheer; they' kept silence. They had too; correct an understanding •of the position to spoi,l tho .occasion; bur, the' behaviour of ■' 'the. Prime Minister himself hadmade' it impossible for them .to; exhibit the- enthusiasm which in otheif ■■ circumstances they; would have considered the occasion warranted! The Prime Minister did a great deal more than injure the' country's , interests when he dragooned- the' House into subservience t6 his personal will. That was almost a small ■ offenco compared with the violonco which he dicl to the Imperialist affections of , the na-': tion. , He/actually bfought about this painful result) that the best Imperialists of this country were robbed of all pleasure in the dispatch of their delegate to a Conference summoned for oho of tho very highest of Imperial purposes.; There is ono aspect of the affair -/.which cannot have' boon missed by .anybody, high or low, thoughtful; or frivolous. Nobody, whoever he may be, , can have failed to make a 1 mental comparison between the actual farewell and the farewell that wbiild have been witnessed ' had the: Prime Minister allowed the session to go on. Had he not insisted on his party: convenience against ; the , manifest. inter l csta.of the nation—had he not affronted tho dignity of Parliament:and -tho country—he would havo received a farewell ' which':would have: been a fragrant ■ memory for him to the end of his days.

That wo may riot bo misunderstood, wo must repeat that wo condemn qualification the incontinence of those who ,were unable to control their just resentment of'the vPrime-Minister's action;.in insisting on ,the shelving of'the oountjjtJv thisV with tli'ft'siloncc ot- the of the assemblage. To most l ot- the onlookers it must have been ' a painful shock when they . saw that the Prime Minister 'had deemed it 1 necessary ;: to surround himself with, a: bodyguard of police. There is no need for more .than the more statement of the fact that 'that bodyguard was entirely; unnecessary,: Nor do wo caro to talk of the gross' insult in iho' supposition that it. was; eitbef necessary or a wise precaution. Violence against any' Minister, '.BUch violence .as would require police protection, •; is utterly inconceivable. suppose for a moment what is really not supposablo at.all—let us supposo that there.had boen even a small display of violence. The sharpest objectors to the Prime Minister as a domestic politician would have bean' the first to; crush anj' disorder, What-' over their political views,.'they could not sympathise ' with;-physical violence as a moans of' expressing- their *; resentment. , Nothing that has 'yet occurred has so emphatically 'demonstrated, the ■ Prime Minister's misunderstanding of .public' fooling l than his tolora.tion v of a police escort. Again and again, smco he took the reins of office, Sir Joseph Ward has displayed what; considering the length ofjhis political' career," is i. a thoroughly amazing' want of, understanding; of the popular raind. Never before, However, lias i ho: phowri that his incomprehension goes so far as such a want■ of: faith in the.'people..-, Ho /is even more, hopelessly out of touch with, public sentiment than wo had imagined, or, .indeed than ,wo ever imagined possible! in any politician.