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Evening Star, Issue 3821, 24 May 1875, Page 2

These are clearly the days of dogmatism. Political dogmatism, civic dogmatism, >ven religious dogmatism, each and all are running riot amongst us as a community. In nothing is this more glaring than in the civic dispute po/)' excellence at present so sadly exercising the ratepayers. There has not been a single expression as yet written or spoken in which a possibility of latent error has even been so much as hinted at. The opponents of all expoundents ot what should have been done are infallibly wrong the expoundents themselves are infal“Wy right- Mr Beeves, Mr Cargill-how Mr K. GILLIES, has an arrow of consistency to fly—and even Mr J. G. S. Grant, all have and hftve had the only true mode of dealing with Princes street south. Mr Reeves, loudest of all, declares he accepts the decision of the Council, though opposed to it, and endeavors to excite Ins constituents to repudiate what he says he accepts in loyalty to his confreres. We hardly remember ever to have seen such an open-mouthed forsaking of decent independence of thought and character to the suppositious opinions held by the public, as has_ been exhibited by the discussion of the Princes street widening. Moving a step forward from the City Council to the Proviu cial Council, matters are not much better • personal dogmatism there reigns supreme—indeed has come to such a pitch that unless the personal dogmatists are at the head or the he!m of government, everything done must be utterly false and wrong. While not at all inclined to change our expressed opinion that the new Government cannot stand through the session, we by no means believe that they could not satisfactorily conduct the business of the country. The Provincial Council is probably no worse, or no better, as a whole, than it has ever oeen. Certainly there have been worse Executives formed than, the present one promises to be, and as certainly they have got through their work with fair credit. For all that, it is not to be supposed that the personal dogmatists and their friends will believe it to be so. To them it will no doubt appeal’ necessary to sacrifice themselves once again for the good of the Province.