The Dominion. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1909. THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 621, 25 September 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1909. THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

; 'If: we ipay jtidgo-from tto tono" of- tho I official Ministerial jjfess, and ; of, tho newspapers, which' seek to maintain a ■precarious balance! bbtween hatred of the Opposition's landypolicy and disgust at tho GovGrnmont's gonoral 'policy, there are momentous political'y developments, awaiting us-in/thenear future. For some: time no specially acute", car-was required to detect the note, of alarm and -forcbod--ing in:the comments of the press upon' the' new political situation that, began, to. develop when Sin,Joseph,-Ward -Prime,.-Minister.7 : -The, Rangitikci election has.served''a- good purpose,.in.,assisting the, public not <ohly to understand. ' the condition- of. .''tiboralism 1 ': but -to per;eeiyo .the.drift 6f.;curr.ont politics. And what, is that drift?, ■ .Unmistakably,:-'a .drift;towards reform/'" Wo. may set .aside asv.tho: merely conventional' practico',;th'e :; assurances.. of V.the Ministerialist •„.' press that there is' a [triumph '.for; ,the. Gpycrument;cyen. in.the rbduction.'of its.major-

ity" in Rangitikci fi'omiovei'-IVOO 'to"-.un : dor'4oo.- : .l£ the;majority"had boeii fdiir instead of about ; 4oo wo should still hayo: liad thoso.. assurances. -For, signiiicancc we must look t.oysuch statements as ; that of the Govornmont organ in Chriskhurch that"; tho .Government's -land policy: must bp preserved .-"ovpri. at ,tho '< cost of .a vory radical .change" in thc:constitution of the', political parties of' tho' ; countryiV'. orthat of the Government brgan.in'Dun'edirl'that Mr. -TyMackenzie's declaralibn:.uppß land tphurp-.is a: blazihg indiscretion.'.aiybad a" ,tliat,.which, post Mr... Hoqg, liis .port-; fplio.:'When,their'.'pwii most faithful;suppbrtcrs tako. up this attitude in. dealing withj the -only defihito policy";with which 'Ministers ;are,''assoeiated,-; the' the Goyerrim.cnt l cantiot 'be' very.'-far -distant;

Iv'Beems that.'thereis after'all alimit.to tho porfidy- and "opportunism;;that' ythe -Ministoriayst. prc3S; can ■ cpndbne':and de : fencll -.-. Tho; great; error; of. ;tKp Govern-, mflut has boon '. its -assumption- that there has not. been; any. such. limit; at ; all;' ■"; ..So long; as thp- Gbvcrhment; stood' for a definite.political;dbctriho; it could.confidonlly-, rely v . upon ■'. being ■ i^ciiscd : by, its ■ admirers whoh it.'.was guilty of. -minor heresies. 'But there ; is nopprson or newspaper'. which, is any ..longer,- able to' perteivo that the ;;atands; for anything but its in office. At any ra'te'-np person of .newspaper' has .oier atated'.what'idea ia embodied by; the Ward Administration.'. The Gbvdrnment ; organ in Christchurch complained, in Noyombor last, that the-Govcrnment had nc.policy, and-nothing, has.been/said or. dbno by Ministers- since then. to.indicate that .there has 1 been any hew, development in the Government's, mindyexcepting: a' .p; reparation for .tho ab'aridbnmen t bf - the: ust'remaining'.fragnient. of- policy ah"'.its' possession; 'lh.the circurasUrices,;'as' we havo-'saidj/it*isynot surprising ■that.'.Un-" cosiness"'-and doubt are inorq-iconspicuciia' in; the attitude;of the less servile..GoVcrn-

. u'iflht,noivspap,ers, than anything .'else...Our' oyoning "-wo '.'mtist compliment,-upon,a rather belated return to candour—has.undbubtodly reflected the' opinion of tho' only'reliable; legion: at, the Government's" commahd.whori it says'that"' .the Government's behaviour, on .the question, of; landytenurb; has .made "Air ,:is saved honour" tKo,. correct .phrase in.which toyaum up tho victdry in lla'ngi-;' '.titpi... Although the deciding .factoryiri the .Government's. appeal -:for 1 popular support has for many .years been the sirs-! ceptibility of 'aylarge section of ..the' publii'; to the charm ■of material bribes, the blid body, of its power, has .been the still larger section.that has been kept loyal by the Government's enforcement, of' RadiJ pa' theories;.'.-'Alie'hdto"- this: section 0 f jpublio bpihion,- and -,'there; is' nothing leftj for the Government to rely upon but the people, who care for nothing but •■ .what' .they-can get, for'their votes.-' The : process :of alienatioh, r is.; not yet';completer-", 'there; arevsome sound Radicals i'still unwilling to believe that tho Government is aa wholly opportunist, as it'appoars';'to. ; .bo —but completion, is only a matter 'of .time, and .'.ofya, short, tim'o.atthat.. ".In; iany caso, as'thpE.angitikei election shows ua, the movement towards reform-gathers strength' 'eH'e'r'jr. ; day. ■ ..Even':a .desperate; ."forward";-.policy,.BUc]i;as will■ h'pld/'the -creaking .party.-together, will be useless against; tho;inprcasing determination ,of the publip.'-to ':throw,;,tho" Government out. of.office; - ■■ ■■':;':..: .. . ■''.-"

; The outlook for tho yGovernmcht is as bleak as it is.'.bright'for the' phblie. Gan Ministers be bliricl .to the. lesson .of Itangi:tikei I— to'.the fact;that.in one.of'. the most-secure of : tho Ministerialist strongholda^.tho. Ministor'inliat : majority- fell fiom :1700-to 400 despite .the most vigorous

effortsover exerted by, the Government at 'any oloetion, • despite, the personal .'.exertions 'of the.;four.,chief members of the .Ministry,','despite the' naked bribes df;forodyto tho district,-;and- despite., tho Government's.'surrender of its last, attachment to principle?. For.'the coming session there''are as'many measures promised as' usual;-' but nobody can read the summary,of ..tliPso which we. gave last Thursday without realising tho absence of anything that ia likoly to inspire tho hjioxet lkdlciU mjjoQiitf to tupjort tho

Government. They have nothing any longer to weigh. with them against the urgency of administrative reform. There n the proposed scheme' of national annuities, to be sure, but .that is a measure which raises only financial issues. As for the proposed scheme to ' increase the death duties, the public as a,whole is indisposed to trust the Government with the wasting, in maladministration, of any further proportion, of tho private wealth circulating in the community. Reforms of a kind, that will end the era of squander must'eomo bofbre the Government asks for further taxation; and .thoso' reforms, will render -further taxation' un'necessary...-' Barren' of ideas, wholly disand a confessed traitor to'its' last principle,. the Government' cannot but feel that' its. days are numbered.