The Dominion. THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1912. A PITIABLE SPECTACLE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1483, 4 July 1912, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1912. A PITIABLE SPECTACLE.

The latest step of the Mackenzie Ministry plumbs, we trust, the lowest depths of degradation ever to be reached by a; political party in ISfew Zealand. For weeks past the members of the Ministry havo been expressing' their readiness to face Parliament and on occasions somewhat boastfully proclaiming their indifference to the result Even so late as Tuesday evening last one of their number, the HoK. G. W. Russell, declared that if the Government were voted out, it would "go out with dignity," and this has been tho outward pretence of the Ministry throughout its brief and unedifying existence. And ondop; of all these valiant professions; in face of all its vaunted courage; at the firing Of the very first snot in the campaign in Parliament the Government in effect throws down 'its arms and makes a pitiful plea to be saved from the ignominy of defeat at any cost. The name of Liberalism has been dragged in the mud a good deal of late, but never has it been so badly besmirched; never have the politics of the country been so degraded by the pusillanimity of the occupants of tho. Treasury benches, as at the present time. What the followers of tho Mackenzie Government think of tho situation in which their leaders have placed them wo do not pretend to know, nor arc we much concerned about it. When they permitted such a Ministry as that which now holds office to masquerade as representative of "Liberalism" in Mew Zealand they must have known what they were risking, and now that the Ministry has disclosed itself in its true colours those who still cling to it must suffer the consequences. The conduct of, tho Mackenzie Ministry, while it must bring both ridicule and contempt on the Government and the party behind it, hns a serious side which concerns the country as well. It must not be forgotten that after (he elections in i December the Ward Government, despite the fact that it was in a minority, clung to office until the middle of February. It then, with the aid of certain Labour votes, escaped defeat on the casting vote of Mr. Speaker. It would have been beaten but for the fact that Sin Joseph Waho promised, if '-ho vpt<i .went in his tavour, to l'clinci.uish

office. In duo course he resigned, and at a meeting of the party at which certain labour members were also present, Mr. T. Mackenzie was chosen as the new leader. At .this meeting there were only 33 members in attendance, and it was plain to everyone that Mr. Mackenzie had crept into office on a minority vote. This was quite had enough, but the position was made much worse by his Excelloncy the Governor being induced to prorogue Parliament until the latest possible moment, namely, somo three months subsequent to the date the Mackenzie Ministry assumed office. Tho effect of this was to give the Ministry three months' assured tenure in spite of tho fact that it had never submitted itself to Parliament or to the people. We protested strongly at the time, and since, and the reply of Ministers has_ been, as stated above, that they did have a majority ochind them. Now, when Parliament has met and the Government's right to occupy the Treasury benches is challenged, Ministers openly confess their inability to command a majority of their followers and plead for support on the ground that after the vote is taken they will, if desired by the party, follow the example of Sir Joseph Ward and relinquish office. In other words thi Mackenzie Ministry, which improperly crept into office under the pretext that it was supported by a majority of members, which for over three months has enjoyed the emoluments of Ministers of the Crown and administered the affairs of the country, including tho raising of a_ four and a half million loan—this Ministry now admits that its only hope of escaping defeat on its first appearance in Parliament is to place its resignation in tho hands of the party. If ever a country was shamelessly duped by' a set of jxiliticial mountebanks, New Zealand is that country to-day. And now that the day of reckoning has arrived, how does the Mackenzie Government propose to make its exit? One of its members stated that it would "go out with dignity." Apparently the Mackenzie Government's idea of dignity is to do anything but die fighting for its priiiciples. We should imagine that the Ministry's conception of dignity, as disclosed by its pitiful appeal to "the party and its allies, is to go grovelling to its followers holding out tho bribe to them that if they will only voto to save the faces of this gallant band which has placed office beforo all else, they can scramble for tho portfolios and perhaps the lucky ten may in turn enjoy a brief spell of the sweets. of office. For that is what the Government's appeal really amounts to. Save us from defeat, it \ says, in effect, and ten of , y.ou can _ take up the port- | folios we will hand over. It is difficult to find words to fittingly do* scribe the baseness of such an appeal. The next stage of "Liberalism'' as conceived by the Mackenzie Ministry might well be the passing round of portfolios in rotation amongst the members of the party, so that all may be induced to cling together by tho expectation of a full and equal share of the "Spoils." It opens up a delightful prospect. The March Ministry can make the most of its opportunities until June, and the July Ministry can then take • charge until September, and so on. The interests of the country, the traditions of the party, tho self-respect of members count for nothing. If Parliament and the country are not thoroughly enlightened by this latest evidenco of tho shameless depths of political depravity to which _ the leaders of up-to-date "Liberalism" in ' New Zealand aro prepared to descend nothing will ever open their eyes. We do not believe that any self-respecting supporter of the Government in or out of Parliament, can fail to condemn utterly the conduct of Ministers. Instead of binding their already disappointed and disillusioned supporters more tightly to them we should imagine that the weak- and unworthy appeal of the Mackenzie Government will with many of them prove the last straw. Even those of the party who might see in the bribe held out to them some hope of personal advancement, cannot fail to recognise that a party situated as tho Ministerial party is to-day and held together by such ties cannot possibly have any chance oi commanding a majority even if it escaped defeat on the want-of-confidence motion now before tho House. As a matter of fact the Ministry cannot escape .defeat, and its end will be as ignominious and as littlo regretted- as the end of any Government that New Zealand has ever kDown.