The Evening Star SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1672.

Evening Star, Issue 3047, 23 November 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1672.

The secret is at hist out. Mr Travel, hi his zeal for the interests of Messrs Buouden, lias given to the country a most convincing reason why Mr Stafford should not be again entrusted to conduct the affairs of the country. Wc have no doubt that many person;, arc | inclined to attribute the expression of such an opinion to what is termed “ party spirit,” and will bo ready to ; condemn it accordingly. They will fortify themselves in that opinion by mcalling the number of instances in which tli£ ft veilin'/ Star charged Mr Stafford with acting in the spirit attri bated to Walpole, of to secure support by extraordinary concessions to certain sections of the House of Representatives, or oven to particular ,m,e;nbers. Some, in the excess of their charity, have gone so far as not only to qlose their eyes to facts, and their ■Judgments to correct inferences, but to show their condemnation of a journal sufficiently outspoken to point to the truth, they have thrown their influence into I he opposite scale. This is a weakness for which it is difficult to find excuse. The facts are the same, no matter how expressed ; aruk if they arc fairly stated, none but the imbecile, the interested, or party bigots, can fail to perceive the demoralizing tendency of such transactions. Wc need not recall the many instances in which this crooked policy on the part of Mr Stafford, and by implication his Executive colleagues, has been exhibited during hi. political career : it is sufficient for us that Mr Travers has shewn that to have retained him in office would have been equivalent to putting sixty thousand pounds in Mr Buooden’s pocket. One great danger of the Brogden contracts was the vast amount of influence so large a contractor would be likely to exeit over the Government of the country. This has been the case in every country, in proportion to the magnitude of the Avork, compared Avitli the population and Avealth of the country. It was one cause of the litwy cost of railways in Victoria ; it lias not been without its influence in India; and in the United (States, notoiiously the railway companies command the Congress. When Mr Harrison charged Mr Brogden ’s agent with endeavoring to buy his interest and that of others in support of Mr Stafford, wc were disposed to I

think the matter exaggerated. We did not at that time see sufficient motive for such a step ; for we could hardly imagine there was so much at stake between fcKe retention of JVIr STAFFORD in power and Mr Vogel’s being reinstated. But no one will longer doubt that the game was one worth playing, assuming Mr Travers to have been correctly reported ; nor will any one doubt that such a promise as Mr Travers attributes to Mr Stafford, was at once a proof of utter incompetence for office, and of preferring rather to enjoy its honors than to secure the interest of the country. There are other very grave considerations that arise out of this transaction. We should not he inclined to lay too much stress upon Mr Stafford’s alleged promise were it unconfirmed by other circumstances. Some may be inclined to couple the light hold which the Colony has upon his services as evinced by his expressed determination to settle his affairs and leave it, with some probable advantage to be derived from retention of office for Mr Brogdeu’s sake. We do not believe anything of the sort, although we are not so hard of conviction with regard to many of those who may have been induced to give him their support in the House of Representatives. It is time the constituencies a roust'd themselves to the conviction that while the leadens of partv may in themselves be beyond suspicion, some of their followers may be subjected to outside influences that compel their chiefs to a course of action they would otherwise scorn to adopt. A careful scrutiny of the supporters of the two sections of the House of Representatives will be sufficient to convince that, amongst Mr Stafford's majority were many whose whole public career has shown they were less desirous of legislating for the advantage of the Colony than of securing individual profit to themselvey There will be such men in all Parliaments, men who can he bought and sold just as horses are transferred, the highest bidder being the purchaser. And as some ten or a dozen in a borough, when open voting was the fashion in England, waited the last hour of polling, in full conviction that their names would place a candidate at the head of the poll, so haply two or three in a Legislative Assembly contrive to leave themselves open to support one Ministry or another, on due consideration being given for their ycnality.