"THE DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 696, 22 December 1909, Page 6

"THE DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT."

we printed our report,'on Mont day\Vof : . the success of '.Mr. Fleld ,in carrying, a motion/ that '.'amounted' to a vote: of censure upoii; the Ministry. ,ih respect of a" course of. action that it has hitherto seemed; to fiercely defend, we described tho. event as a' defeat for the; 'Government.; 'The Government,.however, so, it now appoai's, cannot be defeated. Apparently, 'unlike •': all other , ■'Govern* ments . known • to it has nothing tp: defend, no convictions to assert; no pride in its beliefs, ho fervour, in :its proposals, no. rigid -attachment to any policy—it has no feeling, indeed,'except an objection to abandoning the comforts of office., It is. willing to; sacrifice its viowe.if thoy.aro'unpalatable-Ito,its individual .supporters. .So, at least, \ we arc given to understand by Mr.Laukenson. the chief Government.Whip, whoso authority in such matters nobody would .care to challenge.' In' the Houso yesterday—acting, presumably,' 'under •instructions—he strongly objected to our inter-; protation of the rebuff to the Government in .the matter of iits denial of fair play to tho. Farmers' Co-opqrativo \ Distributing Company. ■ The bulk of his statement' consisted ■ of somc : very, pretty abuso-jwhethor ; it", was tho.'official abuse entrusted to himi ; or. his ownlittlo effort, we, of , ; cannot say—but. ho. certainly did "advance; a most reason .why' we. should feel • humiliated over our interpretation of tho incident. At a decent caucus, ! so ho announced,; the Prime ' Minister : had !; told the _'■' party "that if any of' them disagreed'. with any item on the ■ and wanted to move a reduction 1 of £l : he, would leave them free to do as they liked."- If this is correct, then, indeed, tho Goyernment is succumbing to -the new : spirit in - tho party. Such.a Government could in nocircumetancesover be said to bedefoate'd. "He that down need fear no fall, He that is low no pride." We suspect that there was a good deal said .at'.that famous caucus, which, however desirable it might have .been from the point of view of party strategy, \ did not display any great regard for political principles. If they wish to know what the condition roachod really is,; the mombers of tho caucus ought to read Lord- MbnLEY's essay _ on "Compromise." Of "tho political spirit' , thatcoracß from the loss of intellectual responsibility when compromise is courted, Lone Morley says: Thoy [men a£feot«t by tllis political spirit] droad nothing so muoh. as making up their minds. .. . Life, tliey reflect, is ■ short) missionaries do not pass for a very ngrocablc class, nor martyrs fora y«ry sensible class; one can only do a trifling .'amount'of good in tho world at best; it-is-'inpralland ; of : couri« political, wo may note] suicido to throw awny any chance of achieving even that trifle, and therefore it is best, not only, not to express, but not to take tho trouble 'to-'.acquire right views,-' '.'.■'.. . One can hardly over-rate th« ill consequences of this peculiar kind of. management, this unspoken bargaining with , tho little circle of Mβ, fellows 'which'.; constitutes ■ the w'orl(i of "a man, ' If ho may'.'retain 'his place

among them os preacher or teacher, ■ho is willing to forego his birthright of freo explanation; he consents to be blind to the duty, which attaches to every intelligent man of having some clears ideas, even though only provisional ones, upon the greatest subjects of human interest, and of deliberately preferring these, whatever they may : be, to their opposiles. . ■ .. . ;'. .'.■.•■■ ■ v

The Prime Minister's followers arc still far from giving their minds the healthful exercise of independent thought on all subjects. ' Yet it is gratifying to know that recent rebuffs have persuaded Sm Joseph Ward to offer his henchmen a certain amount of liberty of action. It must- not be thought -.that;' ho offered them that freedom, because* hd wished to do so, but rather because he realised that he could not refuse it. But after all the position taken- up' by Ministers in order to enable them to claim they are not defeated when a vote is carried against them, is, of small raomeni .What is of much greater interest and importance:.to the public is the disclosure ■■ that the Prime Minister is' coming ' ,to ■ recognise ,that there is the beginning of a wholesome spirit of independence amongst' his followers. Mr.' Laurenson's little outburst, is as pleasant and,, instructive an, event, as has ■ occurred this session. '.• -',■■ . :■■■'';■.'- : ■ .■■ ;,.■' ■ ,"' : );