The Evening Star THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3830, 3 June 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1875.

Tt is perhaps to be regretted that it has been again found impossible by the Council to allow a Coalition Government to be formed. If P> 0 . vincial Councils have one redeeming feature about them, it is that they are a sort of training school in which young politicians can be prepared to serve the country efficiently in the larger arena of the Assembly, It can hardly be denied that the holding of a responsible office for a certain length of time has a most beneficial effect on a member who has the requisite ability for performing the duties attached to such an office. To take as an example onej of our best known politicians Held—it is certain that he is of far more service to the country now, wlie ther as a member of an Executive or as one of the Opposition, than he ever was before he held office. Always an able debater and a telling speaker, there was yet about him a certain impracticability which rendered him almost as formidable to his own party as to those whose views he opposed. Now that he has had a long spell of office, this defect has in a great measure disappeared ; and though hj e holds as pronounced opinions as ever he did, he-is yi t able to see that there may possibly be two sides to a question, ami that those who bold the views which he does not, are nos necessarily hopelessly in the wrong, ’ il, is now able to see, too, that the Taieri Plain is not the whole of the Province, and that ther; are persons besides farmers whose wants a id wishes should be attended to. In fact, office has made him what he certainly was not, before he experienced its “toning down” effects one of the most useful members of the Council, But what has produced such good effects in one case might produce equally good effects in another. We are per. suaded that there are other members of the Council who are made of the right sort of stuff, and only require the proper training to become quite as efficient members as Mr Reid is. Now, although the unwillingness of the members who formed the majority in the division which took place yesterday morning to go in for the formation of a Coalition Government, is under the circa instances perfectly natural, it does eeem a pity that some of the ablest men on the. other side should be deprived of tire chance of having an innings, and showine their mettle, especially when it is considered that at present there are not enough men of conspicuous talent on cither side of the House separately to form a really strong Government. It is quite certain that a Government which has been chosen from the majority alone must contain men who though they are, and may be, useful members of theCouucil, will never adorn the Government Benches, though their abilitv to sit upon them may, perhaps, hardly be disputed. We must confess that we should have been glad if Mr Fish could have had a ehance of showing what he is capable of No one who heard him speak the other evening could doubt that he has many of the qualifications which are essential to the character of an able politician. That he has at pi esent many defects is equally certain. It raav be, it probably is, true, that he is impetuous to a fault, and that while he is ever ready to make an onslaught on the opinions or the motives of others, he appears to be singularly sensitive with regard to any attack that may be made on himself, and is altogether too prone to regard those who differ from him as personal enemies. Then too, he has not a few crotchets '•■■ bib '■ v 1 ‘ nden ■ - .q----i! '-city wit - be L!--.- ,a tJmv the ■ • vaLi sln.u. i oe tb < ducation of the voting, earn :t mi to :: certain point, tb n hand it ‘ vor to pi iv do enterprise, then, when a certain oth r point has been reached, take it ~p again is truly mar .- 'l ns. Still, Mr Kwh is a very able me’, ,al if he could only be subjected for a while o_the sedative effects of office, he would < •ri.ainly be a most useful member of the Council. There are other members of the minority whose services to the country can ill be spared at the present time, but, an it is, the exigencies of par y government wi.l not allow us to reap the benefits to be derived from an able adminiatration of all the departments of the public service.