SPEECH BY MR. BRYCE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1504, 29 July 1912, Page 2

SPEECH BY MR. BRYCE.

PARLIAMENTS AND CONSTITU. i /: ■ -tions. 'STATE AJfD -PEDEJUL?FUNCTIONS. ! Tlje Premier (3tr. Watt) presided at a. luncheon given on .Tuly 1G by the Statp Government at Parliament House, Melbourne, inhonour of Mr. James Bryeo, British/ Ambassador at 'Washington. The Governor (Sir John Puller)-was present, was.a large gathering uf State , ana oDiuia's. --• - - Mr. Bryee, .'on..rising..." -to' .reply t0,..th0 toiisi of his health, was received with loud' and continued cheering, Ho heartily thankedrepresentatives 'of Victoria. nnd;;its people for .their very, kindly welcome. when coming'hero as a qiiiet un : obti#si,v.e.,vMtoE.lie.kad.not .expected such, high- honours. He wiished to say first that? the' Speaker, ' with: ' tho aid of his .Celtic imagination, had attributed to him a glory that lie hail not obtained, that of rowfngritt the University contest, although lie had. rowcd'_ at Oxford and taken part in rittiefpasfiniesT-.lt was a pleasure to Jiieefj men with long-Parliamentary exiperience. such as his 'hearers 4 possessed. 'Parliamentary "life wag very interesting, 'It was with • the greatest regret that anyone'.bade farewell even when ho thought ,'thntj duty • called him 1 to- do so. . There was <sotnethhli» entrancing-; in Parliamentary .life.:. There were kindly friendships 'andsSthe various' private considerations ■and "plaiinings-.which those outside called intrigue?,' but which members called' ■negotiations. (Loud laughter.) Unrivalled 'opportunities wore presented in Parliament for .the, stndy of human nature and the Svayvono character acted upon another. He; did not think Jt was tho best ;T)lac& fo'r" the- study of abstract' truth. i(Laughten) In. some respects those who i.took'i part, in Parliamentary life ..did not get ill the.'credit they deserved, arid were, ■witlr the difficulties they had to . meet, unappreciated. Parliament was ' one of the hardest places in the world for :a nian 'to Ttnoir what he should do. .He % ...the; Bar at.. ; 0110 v time. People thought there , Vev£ difficulties in the. way of - a man 1 arguing for a client no- matter whether he ; or not:' Yet it was easy for a : barrister; "if .fallowed ■ tlio rules of his .'•profession,' to represent his client to the best'of , his' belief end '"ability, and there v.-as-'iio difficulty-in being-an hottest lawyer.'i But : in' Parliament it was awfully J difficult' to know tho right course to pur-j-Mie.* A, man was sometimes summoned Jjy ' his party, to support a particular decision, ! w hen; ii'(he-'followed-.his own view, he • 'would go into ttie opposite lobby. GovernJ ment could not be carried cqi without f party. He had not been' able' -to discover any Jway in 1 which government "Could be I carried <m without. considerable party co-' : hesi<}n. ' There wete times wfLen'.. one. /thought that public interest was above i party. To 'decide 'bettfeen the two was an exceedingly- difficult question. JThoso ! who'had lived longest in Parliament or : had'sat in Cabinets jyould' say that, tak- ,■ ing human .naturo rts ; it was, members of i. Parliament camS-dift ot' tKe. ordeal 1 pretty i well: - In of Britain ,and tho Dominions' was shown a liigh ideal of I coiufyct and a strenuous desire to do tho , right thing by tho nation by following' the parti' -wherever possible, and' deporting . i'rom- it where it was thought public in- , teres't„deiriande<2 : ,snch-actio!n. -His impres- ! fcion of the standard, of honour., attained. ■ iii-th'iTJfoißa..;ol--..&nini<His,-'and' the .way- ;. dlity; ;ipis,that ifr..Yvas' : a high one/'flntl'.y .liad.no-douM-the'same ;, thing Parliaments ' of the .Iforaittions-.' Iu a : reference to ' eonstitu- ■ tion, Mr.-Bryce .had to f face air extraordinarily difficult position. j The. line; hiiit to Jji^ 4 'drawn;,between'. Ithe. 1 Commonwealth- and - State'' filiations;. Sand:: ho wsS'glad -to learn'that"the difficulties ; that had arisen were comparatively, few, ■ and that tho creation of a'new'--'Parlia-ment, had in no way lowered .the level of the State Legislatures and the ;desire of : public men to enter State Parliaments. It ;■ would- bo "a great mistakp.if .the creation of the Federal Legislature diminished the in.respect for tho .State Houses. : These; ttings giiveKrcatsatisfaction,to men--1 iu England.' He hoped to tell his friends .that .not only was there a universal sense ; of attachment to Britain and of loyalty to ; the Crown, but that there.was a desire to i maintain" the Empire as a united power. . .There!"remained'-the- good' result of 'federation that the loeal political life in tho. i States went on, supported by the confi- ; dunce" ;interest of the..people, and- ,- working"as'it did before for the good of. ; the State as a whole. - ' Thiit maae peoi pie . believe "that, the'creation of the Commonwealth had' riot' thb'se'rtstilts that some : leared -in ■ depressing tho importance and vitality'of .the State Parliaments. Prom i ,the experience of tho United States ho did not think Australia would find much diflicnlty'M' adfttsHilg"the 'relations of tho' I State;'and"-,£ommoriwealth '.Governments. k' There must,- of course, be a certain amount ? of debatable "ground: "All constitutions spoke in- general terms, and cases must [. arise where it was'doubtful .whether qies- '. the States oiftlie federal, f power. Such cases arose ,and were dealt, i- . witli by the Court's in America, and itwa's ? found to.,fix. limits, that had been j>. acquiesced in by and. the.State. [. Legisratiires." It was seldom now that ques- ; tions;ilroie'that gave trouble.' Of course, Bomemust arise'in-tho constant change of f liumaii affairs, but they" had not.affccted ithe general strength : pt .utility 'of. the I 'American federation;'and he'did not see j: any reason 'ta-do'ubt'thht AiistrallcinStato' '( Parliaments would bo able to "continue |- their-'usefulnoss and discharge thoir fnnci tions. In,i)ast years-lio hndmet Viotorian representatives who adorned their Parliaf; ments, and he hoped they would contkiutf to find a theatre in which to display the' 'powers .with which Providence had enI . jlowe.d;Jhe.British,,race .upon . wipe .'lines | in the public interest.- -There iwas an ;. jmmeiise, amount still.. to do in develdp- . Ing Anstralia. The population .in the : niralTdistrict was not as-dense as it might be.'-" JVtitbi' sceined'to bo the most • important element to Australia. Parts had been rendered more prosperous by artesian wells. In Victoria- there were large- tracts capable of development by ir- : ligation, and there was nothing that could add niore to the area of land that could ! be cultivated.than the storage of winter ; Tiiins.'. Irrigation was a subject that would most repay the thought given to it. lie' ' was glad to know-'that Victoria -was interested.'irt..tho .systems .of. dry .farming that had been applied in .Vortli America, where" the people had shown great energy I, In regard, to,.irrigation and thy farming, , nnd had'reclainifd great aw.'is nnd largely increased prodiictiori. Ho would bo,pleased at. any time to supply any information in his power- as to what was l.eing cione in Canada and the. United Stales, jt ' would give great pleasure if Victoria continued to send a representative to the '• ennual congress ; held in America on dry farming ai'd irrigation. In conclusion, Mr.- Hryco said hp was really-pleased to say how cordial-was the . feoling existing in America towards Aust tralians. There wns a growing feeling that all .people, of tho British stuck ought, as far as possible, stand together, because better, able to understand one Another,, and, apart , from political.alliances, there ought to exist n unity of feeling and sentiment that should keep them together as follow ghardians of the institutions and traditions received from-their ancestors many years ago in England. He thought ho would be justified in telliag . the people of Hie United States that Au.-i- ---. tralians entertained a .liko feeling for them! (Cheers.) There was only ono spirit. | in England regarding Australia, and that was ,a "feeling of . pride for what. Australians had accomplished, and of hope for what they, would do in tile future. (Cheers.) ' . 1