THE COLONIAL AND THE HOME GOVERNMENT.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume I, Issue 24, 30 September 1843, Page 2

THE COLONIAL AND THE HOME GOVERNMENT.

The Government of this Colony has obtained an enviable notoriety in more respects than one ; — but that it should have the honor of claiming a distinction which no other colony has been before its day entitled to, was more than its greatest admirers could have expected. The members of this government stand alone, in one respect at least, we mean the treatment and estimate of their talents and ability by their Master, the Colonial Minister. It is not on record that all the acts passed in any other British Colony have been rejected at. home. This is, however, almost the case as regards New Zealand. — Could there be any greater insult conveyed to the Colonial Secretary," Mr. Shortland, arid to the Learned the Attorney General, Mr. Swainson, than thus to throw back their acts upon their own hands as useless, worthless paper ? We cannot imagine any thing more annoying to men of spirit than such treatment as this. To tell them at once that their services were na longer of use to the Government, would be mild and considerate compared' to such an insult as this. All the Bills 'that have been, so carefully framed in the Colony, togetlidr with, those which wore with still greater care prepared during the passage from England, have been positively rejected. — Lord Stanley must be mad not to estimate such unwearied pains and labour. What could he have meant ? No doubt he wanted these gentleman to resign, as they will of course immediately do ; but he might certainly not have so grossly insulted them at the same time. But he is a hasty, intemperate man; and he was no' doubt determined to annoy them as much as possible; — And he must have succeeded to his heart's content. — We imagine that both, the Colonial Secretary and the Attorney General, will immediately on the arrival' of Capt. Fitzroy tender their resignations, which they would doubtless have done sooner, but for the unfortunate accident of Mr. Shortland, being at present under the necessity of continuing to attempt to administer the Government until the new Governor ' arrives, perhaps it would not bo right under these circumstances that he should resign; but as far as Mr. Swainson is concerned there is no impediment of this kind; and we are surprised that he should have so long suppressed his indignation by not throwing up his place. — He has certainly more patience than -we could command under similar circumstances, but some men bear insults better than others. This is perhaps fortunate, and a good recommendation as far as public men are concerned. , We trust that Mr. Swainson and Mr. Shortland are not waiting to revenge themselves on Lord Stanley by embarrassing the new Governor by throwing up their places immediately upon and not until his arrival. We do not approve of a spirit of revenge in any man, and we would therefore as a friend ad- 1 vise both these Gentlemen not to indulge in it. Such a feeling.is unbecoming the high stations which they have filled in this Colony, and our serious and well considered advice j to them is to resign their situations at once. This will be the means of preventing their enemies from making any insinuations prejudicial to their character and proper be-, haviour as official men. ' ' But, seriously speaking, can, Messrs. j Swainson and Shortland wait to be dismissed after such notice as that which has ■ been given by Lord Stanley ? We aro much mistaken in one of the men at least if any thing short of the very plain command to quit could induce him to give up the emoluments of office. He will cling to his place despite all this insult, he will not resign until he is actually deprived of his place. Lord Stanley does not know the men. The general vie. will not suit in this case.

As far as the Colonial Secretary is concerned, we are persuaded thatfew will regret his'being deprived of office, he has not contrived to give much satisfaction to the public either as Colonial Secretary or Acting Governor. Of Mr. Swainson we must however speak very differently, with the exception of the Land Claims Bill, his object has been in a great measure to please the people, and we must say that we think he would also wish to advance the interests of the Colony. In this respect he has incomparably the advantage over his colleague, Mr. Shortland, of | whom it can not be asserted by any person that one single act of his political life has been for the benefit of New Zealand. He may. have intended to do good, but he certainly took very extraordinary means in carrying out his intentions, — they have all failed in any good result. But despite the opinion of Lord Stanley to the contrary, ,we must say that we approve of many of the principles on which some of the Acts passed by the late Council were framed. The Conveyancing Act, for instance, is a decided improvement upon the old system. We hear some lawyers complain of defects in the details of that Act, but that the principle is good, there can be but one opinion ; and we should regret much that the colony should be again, by its disallowance, thrown back upon the old plan. The Registration Act has many more defects than the Conveyancing Act, but even it cannot be wholly condemned. It is in itself a good, and a most important measure, and with a little revision, might be rendered very beneficial in its operations. But the masterpiece of all Mr. Swainson's measures, was the Corporation Act. This Act, although disallowed at home, is more creditable to Mr. Swainson than all the other Acts put together, inasmuch as it manifests a more enlightened and liberal spirit than any of the rest, carrying out, as it did, to the fullest extent, the principle that the people are entitled, and fit to govern themselves. The only fault in this Bill, and that no doubt, for which it has been disallowed, was the over-extension of this principle. It wanted all, and every qualification ; even residence in the place, was not required to entitle a person to vote at municipal elections ; this was a mistake, or oversight, to say the least of it. It was going even further than the universal suffrage itself ; and could not fail to be obnoxious to a Tory Government. ■ Wo wish much that Mr. Swainson had qualified this part of the Bill, seeing that the principle was a good one, though we question much if it would not have been under any circumstances re jected by the present Government, whici appears so jealous on this point. / This attempt, however, at giving the peope a voice in the management of their orn affairs, although it may have failed foi a time, will eventually tend to good, aud nay be the means of opening the eyes of,the Home Government to the necessity of ginng the people of this colony the benefit of a representative Government sooner than night have been the case otherwise. We slould not at all be surprised if the new Gowrnor may not be empowered to do something of this kind. If the mixed and emaicipist population of New South Wales hafe been deemed competent to legislate for theriselves, we can see no reason why the people of this colony, who have never been in Tondage, should be denied the same privilege: In fact, we see no justice, prudence, or pr<priety in denying this right to the inhabitant of any British colony. The Home Government has no legal right to disfranchise Britisi subjects merely because they reside in /a British colony. There can surely be to crime in leaving England ; if there be, way does the Home Government offer bounties and free passages to British subjects, as an inducement to leave the Mother Country ? and if there be no crime in coming' to a colony, why should those who do so, be worse treated than their fellow-subjects at Home ? are we less wise, less intelligent, and /ess competent tto manage our own affairs thatt those whom we have left behind us ? Let even our oppressors answer the question,' and it must be in our favour. In our next, we shall treai of the effects of the disallowance of the land Claims Bill as regards the colony generally, and the claimants in particular. 0 ■ ■ ■■