The Dominion. FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1912. THE EXIT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1395, 22 March 1912, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1912. THE EXIT.

The Prime Minister announced his exit from Ministerial life yesterday afternoon, and it is with genuine regret that we have to chronicle that he did so with an exceedingly ill grace. It is the lot of Governments in all countries to outlive their popularity, and of Prime Ministers to abandon their offices; and almost invariably they do so, in democratic countries, with submission to the democratic will, with the dignity of gentlemen, and with the grace of sportsmen. Sir Joseph Ward chose yesterday another way. He announced his exit in a flood of Billingsgate. He devoted his speech almost entirely to a bitter railing against Fortune and a violent outcry against the critical forces which have broken his power and which will in a little time utterly destroy, with the assistance of the awakened nation, the shambling legions whom he has guided into nun. "Extraordinary contemptible meanness," "everything mean and contemptible," "a disgrace to journalism," "hirelings," "abuse, slander, misrepresentation and lying," "malicious lies and venomous statements," "misrepresentation and slander," "scandals and lies," "a contemptible low-down (South American system,' , "dirty and contemptible," "toads and curs' , — these aro a few of the sweet and dignified phrases with which the Prime Minister of New Zealand announced

the end of his term of power. We do nut care to criticise so gross ;i rupture as this of Hie traditions, of Prime Ministerial office. We should ask him, since his epithets and his anger were directed chiefly against The Dominion, to give even one specific example either of falsity or violence in all our comments, were it not that we recognise, as the country will recognise, that his whole speech was merely the foam of a beaten and disappointed politician who has not tin , strength to accept defeat with dignity. And we should be sorry for New Zealand, fearing the significance of such behaviour on tho part of its Pr.uiE Minister, did not feel that the painful exhibition was not symptomatic of the country's political condition, but symptomatic only of the political character of Sin Joseph Ward.

There 'is little in his speech save abuse of his critics, and nothing at all in tho way of a real defence of "Liberal" policy or of any light for the guidance of the Party that he has had to leave under the compulsion of circumstance. He did suggest that he might some day return to the leadership of the Party: so at least we construe the statement (following immediately upon a reference to "his own pride, dignity and honour" !) that "if, later on, the people of the country showed that they did not believe the scandals or put their trust in lies of the kind to which he had referred, then he was prepared to do all he could to help the country on." Of course he spoke here only with his lips, not with his heart or mind. It was also a hollow boast of the lips only that "in twelve months, at the very outside, public opinion in this country would be directed very strongly towards the Liberal party." We know, of course, that the Prime Minister believes that the 'financial muddle he has made will prove baffling to the Beform party; and he hopes that tho country will call back the party that is responsible for the muddle. We take leave to suggest that in twelve months the Liberal party as it exists at present will bo a ghost far past evocation even if anyone were to wish to. call upon it once more. In the mcantimn "the. country is watching' with grim amusement but with a deadly intention the caucus of despair. Some of the "Liberal" newspapers are anxiously counselling the party reprieved by Mr. Payne's and Mr. Robertson's, broken pledges to reconstruct its.Executive on n basis of progress, humanity, self-denial and principles. It would bo crood counsel enough if the Spoils Party stood for anything , besides'the sharing of spoils and the continuance of missOTcrnment. Wo may lcnve events (o convince our misiruidecl "Liberal" friends thnt what they are twine , to fiffht is, not.Mn. Massey and his colleagues, but a hard and relentless determination on the nation's part to extinguish unclean rovemment altogether—to wipe out its last vestiges.