Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 3818, 20 May 1875, Page 2

It is plain that the new Executive, whoever they may be, will hare their work cut out if are to construct a programme that shall give feven moderate satisfaction to the members of the late Opposition - to say nothing of the supporters of the late Government. It is worthy of notice that a successful attempt to oust a Ministry on merely personal grounds, and when no large question of policy has been involved, tends to bring about its own Nenuaia Where there is at least one very important principle involved in such an attempt, it is always posBible to get a large number of members of a legislative body to sink their own private grievances and interests—for a time, at all events -in order that this principle may triumph ; but when the reasons for such an attempt are entirely of the nature of personal and local grievances—real or imaginary it is of course plain that unless these grievances can be redressed, all those membera who fail to get such redress are sure sooner or later—generally sooner—to feel anxious to turn out the Ministry whom they have been mainly instrumental in putting in. If one political doctor fails to give them satisfaction, another will be tried ; if he too fails to do their complaint any good, there is no earthly reason why they should not choose another • perchance, too, thnir experience of the new doctor may have convi ced them that he is a quack and an imposter, who has gained their confidence rather through loud-mouthed depreciation of his predecessor, and vast but illusory promises, which he has been quite unable to k; ep ; in such a case it may even occur to tami that they could not do better than revert to their old doctor, who though he mr.y rot have been able to effect a perfect cure, his yet been able to palliate the worst symptoms of their disease, n the present instance it seems to us that this kind of difficulty is not unlikely to stand out very distinctly By their own showing, the attitude of ihose members that have >'oted against the Government has been mainly owing to a vague sort of feeling that the business of the Province might possibly be more satisfactorily carried on if certain of the members of the Government were removed from the benches, others being substituted for them Added to this, there was a feeling on the part of not a few of the members that justice had scarcely been done to the districts represented by them. In a few cases, too, there may have been just a slight spice of personal antagonism towards some of the members of the Government. Now, it seems to us that discontented sort of feelings of this description must always exist with regard to every Government The new Executive will certainly not be more favorably situated in these respects than the old one was ; while they will have, if they are to retain office even for a short period, to deal with urgent demands which it will task their powers to the utmost to meet. To take only one section of the House—the Southland members. To satisfy these member* is, of course, out of the question; but merely to stay their stomachs for season, to use a somewhat homely phrase, will be no easy matter. Besides, even if this could ho accomplished^

it could only be be done at the expense of other parts of the Province. These other parts would in such a case soon find means °f Iftt-og it be seen that they had a decide I objection to playing the part of Peter in the game f “rob Peter to pay Paul." We fail to see, then, how the ne'.v Executive would gain even a temporary strength by assigning to Southland a larger portion f the Provincial expenditure than fairly belongs to it. if they should try this means < f strengthening their position. It is manifest that the existence of the new Executive mu-<t de pend on the support of the .South and members; it is quite certain, too, that this su port will be withdrawn if the demands of these members cannot be complied with, and it is equal!. certain that they cannot. It does not require, therefore, much political foresight to see ihat on this rock alone, to sav nothing of the others, the new Executive, if formed solely of the members of the late Opposition, mutt split. Another Coa'iti;>n Ministry would, probably, have a bett r chance oi weathering the political at rms. But, here again another difficulty ;—We understood Mr P.kid to mean, in his speech in the late debate, that the m> mbers of his Ministry were determined to stand or fal together. Where then, are the materials for a Coalition Ministry to be obtained ? That things will come n ght in some way or another is, of course, certain, but it is difficult at present to see how. Of all the crises that have occurred in this Province, the present one is, in many respects, the most peculiar; in fact it sets all calculations ‘at defiance.