IN THE GALLERY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4086, 26 August 1884, Page 4

IN THE GALLERY.

Tho moving of the Address in Reply is always one of the great events of the year, and this year more than usually interesting because it Avas knoAvn that there Avas to be a trialofstrengthbetAvecntheinsandoutscon.sequent on the notice which Mr Thomson had given that he would move an amendment, which Avas tantamount to a vote of want of confidence. Mr McKcnzio, a new member, was tho gentleman selected for the delicate task of moving the Address in Reply. And here permit mo to diverge a little. It 1 had consulted my own interests I should not have forwarded a letter from the Gallery this week, because I have so fully acquainted my readers with my views that I am liable to repeat myself and thus become to a certain extent a bore. There is also a disadvantage in being the "special" of an evening paper over a morning paper, that you must keep on telegraphing away information as it is vouchsafed to you, and therefore some of your later Avires may contradict your earlier ones, while the man representing a morning journal need send nothing tilt the last moment, and thus contradictions can be easily avoided. I have given this short explanation as a sort of justification of myself in case at any time, cither in the past or in the future, my messages may not seem to be in thorough accord. To return to Mr McKcnzic. He neither hicks confidence nor a good presence, but still ho was for from satisfying me, though it is but justice to the gentleman to say he has, o-cncrally speaking, pleased the critics My objection to him is he partakes too much of the young men's debating class. Noav and again he indulged iv definitions and quotations which wore not necessary, though they may have exhibited his learning, but were not necessary to his speech, nor did they fit in Avell. Definitions at all times seem to bo part of a dictionary, and are not relished, Avhile quotations, unless they arc very good and appropriate, only cause members to curl their lips in scorn and snicker. Now this may please one if ho is humorous or has a comic vein, but if the quotation be serious such a reception is apt to disconcert the speaker. Happily, however, Mr McKcnzio does not lack assurance, and therefore pursued the even tenor of his A\*ay. Ho has a slight Scotch accent, which may bo acceptable m Otago, but rather grates on the car in Weflington. Now and again ho aspired to hei'dits which wore ridiculous; for instance, when lie said that to call the Ministry a South one "Avas unworthy of the a"-c in which avc live, and the race to Avhich wo have tho pride and honor to belong." I am afraid that can only bo termed highfaluting. It may be pleasant to think that a time will come Avhen a man will say "he is a citizen of New Zealand," but that day has not yet come, and I fancy it will be a long time before avc have ciris llomanus xc»°o, and for that avo may blame provincialism, Avhich to my mind is one of tho •n-eatcst curses avo ever had, because it has °iven us all our narrow vicAVs, but as 1 know on that point the Daily Telegraph and I must differ I will not go further in that direction. Of course the speaker Avas warmly cheered on rising, and loudly applauded when he sat down, and none the less cordial Avere both from the fact that he boldly declared himself an advocate of the property-tax as against a landtax which he found in the Speech. Mr Walker I liked better. His elocution and "•cstures had not been acquired in the same school as the mover, but there was a "ciiuino manly ring in all he said Avhich satisfied mo that, though figures of speech might be lacking in polish and finish, still there avixs a backbone there Avhich Avould not be easily moved, and that Avhat he considered the right ho Avould mainfcain_ in spite of numbers, courting not nor fearing men nor influence. He made a capital allusion to the proposed railway board. The dissatisfaction felt Avith raihvay_matters Avas not so much with the tariff as with the departmental Avork, which Avas just a bungle from first to last. He also urged that an opportunity should be given to°the board to come and go, that thoy should not. bo tied to hard and fast rules, but that there should bo a maximum tariff. I think that if he had used the word minimum instead of maximum his point would have been ever so much stronger. He concluded by asking the House to give the new team a fair trial and justice, Avhile at the same time the House took care that they deserved that at its hands. I confess I have no great caring to listen to one who knows he is fighting a Avinuiug battle. That Avas Mr Thomson's position Avheii he rose amid the cheers of the House. Noses had been scanned, and it Avas known that he held the fate of the Stout-Vogel combination in his hands. Had he needed confidence the reception he met Avith on rising should have given him courage. He began well, and spoke avoll all through. Usually ho is a slow, measured speaker, with the draAvling tones common to the natives of certain parts of Scotland, Avho aro also saddled with harsh voices. On this occasion he Avas heard at his best. He began Avith a feeling allusion to those on the Treasury benches, with many of Avhoin he had been previously associated, and then, in a voice of bitter denunciation, ho described them as very ill-assorted and as extremes meeting. He easily picked the double—the chief men in the team Avere Stout and Vogel, and then he contrasted their views, and showed how thoroughly those views disagreed. Once only Avas there a laugh at this stage, and that was when he described Sir Julius as the Conservative candidate for Falmouth, the first syllabic of Avhich he mouthed so much that for a minute or two one Avas puzzled to knoAv what he meant, aud the House roared at tho pronunciation. But the hit of the speech came later on Avhen ho described Stout as one Avho had done his utmost to propagate correct views from George's point of vieAV on land nationalisation, and in tho same sentence made a quotation from Sir Julius' speech whore he said such was unmitigated humbug, and then wound up, joining the tAvo with a quotation from tho speecl° probably such may be considered an abstract question. This Avas a neat effort, and evoked ringing cheers. Aud then he o-ave it as his opinion that the land question was far from being an abstract one ; it Avas a most important subject. The same treatment was dealt out to the tAvo leaders on the question of taxation. He made a hit also when he said the Speech Avas an attempt to promise everything to all men. But AV'hy pursue tho subject further 'i Tho speech was a splendid indictment, not against a Ministry, because avo had only the Speech by which to judge them, but its personnel. It Avas sharp, incisive, and as bitter as a gcod-natui-d man could make it. He Avas folloAved by Mr Hatch, who it is easy to soo wilt be a gontlonian who will give much employment to Hansard reporters, but will be let alone by other pressmen. Ho is a combination of Fish and Green, with the faults of both interspersed. He began by saying that a new member should have some diffidence in seconding such amotion, but he gave us no sio-n of being troubled Avith that complaint, probably from tho fact Avhich lie told us at the start Avas one of his reasons for speaking, that it would enable his district to see his reasons for voting as ho intended. Then avc had a disquisition on morals, which caused much profanity to wearied listeners. Mr Hatch Avillhavono love from many, but will contrive to mako himself disagreeable to all and sundry. An adjournment was then made for supper, after which interval the Premier rose and made what has been termed a magnificent effort. It failed to please me, and perhaps it is only justice to him lliat I should say I have a deep distrust of linn, which may have prejudiced me against him. To my mind it Avas the oration of an advocate pleading for the life of a murderer who the previous ovening had confessed the crime to his counsel, but Avhich had not deterred that counsel from asserting tho innocence of the accused. Time after time he broke a lance figuratively speaking in Atkinson's face, but though that gentleman hoav and again interrupted it was evident he did not intend to reply. Mr Stout bitterly said there must be something to conceal in the finances when they woro afraid to alloAV another team to overhaul them. He asserted that tho next million loan had been nearly all pledged, and I doubt not this portion is true. "With the boldness of a lion he challenged an instant division, but to a cool-headed scribe that was only fireworks. He knew while ho

was speaking ho was doomed, and that to my mind Avas not worthy of the speaker's reputation. He Avas followed by Mr Grigg, avlio spoke well; one of the Buckland brothers, Avho, lacking rehearsal, Avas spoiled by nervousness, and then the old man eloquent and Wi Pero rose together amid loud cries of "Divide " and " Question." The Maori caught tho eye, and then we Avere amused. "We missed tho free translations of James Carroll, and Avhat Avas said Avas only childish, though spoken at a rate that no shorthander living could have tackled, accompanied Avith many gestures and much knocking on the table. The Native Minister was described as a "person named John, who was not baptised with water in proper form.'' The House laughed at this, but I Avas iv the dark and did not knoAV the joke. Samuel and Gillies succeeded, and the last Avill be a Avelcome addition to tho House, and then the division took place to the surprise of everyone at midnight, and at 12.30 I left the Gallery.