The Evening Star SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1875

Evening Star, Issue 3910, 4 September 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1875

Surely the country must be wearied by the tactics of the leading members of the Opposition. It is waute of time, waste of money, waste of energy. Who could have imagined that Sir Georoe Grey, whose aristocratic bearing as Governor of New Zealand placed him in opposition to the Home authorities, denuded of his liigh authority would prove the veriest democrat? That might be excused had he shown that he understood the subjects on which he speaks so glibly . But Sir George is a living prool' that it is possible to enjoy every opp lortunity of acquiring correct informatu m without its being availed of. He is as raw at his work as Mr Stout, and with him appears very likely to be regarded y the House as a bore. li r et tiiey are different men, with only cme feature in common. Sir George Grey is imaginative on every subject on which he touches. He puL imagii jury interpretations on Jaw noints, t, dks about rights and privil Ipges connected with Provincialism 9 predicts

Imaginary evils from Abolition, pictures imaginary good from retaining Provincialism, and cannot be driven from his hallucinations. Mr Stout prides himself on his knowledge <-f principles; and we readily accord liiui what he claims in that respect. Oto of the drawbacks to his usefulness is taat he applies them so rigidly to one set form of institutions that he caunol see they can be made to regulate others with equal effect. He thus blinds himself to much that is valuable in different modes of using them, and unless a reform ia proposed by himself and his friends he can see no good in it. He treats every opponent as an embodiment of folly and evil, and his logical faculty is so largely developed that, as if by instinct, a syllogism is formed in his mmd, which carries with it a conclusion that no reasoning can shake. “No evil tree can bring forth good fruit ” is Mr Stout’s major premise. His minor is “ My opponents are evil trees," and he concludesandholds last tohis conclusion— therefore they cannot bring forth good fruit. One of the fruits of their imaginings is the A-bolition Bill: it must therefore be evil and I will oppose it. Thus the man who cannot reason at all and the man who can reason logically arrive at similar conclusions. Neither can see that it is quite possible they may have jumped at theories that candid investigation would have induced them to reject. Sir George Grey’s influence declines daily. His tactics appear to be of the wearying order. Not all the criticism that his speeches have been subjected to have led him to abandon the creations of his distempered imagination. He appears bent on repeating again and again the nonsense he has already uttered.

Undo his web of sophistry—in Tain ! 'the creature’s at his dirty work a^ain. We should be sorry to see Mr Stout follow in a downward course; yet he is taking pains to weaken his influence by a series of petty annoyances, which, because they are so easily repelled, strengthen, instead of weakening the Ministry subjected to them. He seems to imagine that many of the doings of the Executive have been based upon ignorance or unwarrantable assumption of power, and he has therefore allowed himself to be put forward by his own party, or has put himself forward, to unravel the fancied abuses of which they have been guilty. Judging, also, by some of the questions he has asked, he has permitted himself to become the mouthpiece of interested parties discontented with arrangements made by the agent of the Government; unfortunately he has thus become a lever for log-rolling. This is to be regretted. We do not like to see splendid talents brought into contempt. It ’.s a trap that inexperienced members are apt to fall into, but which he should have had tact enough to avoid. Had there been anything in what he set lumself to correct, is it to be supposed that old politicians like his Honor Mr Macandrew, Mr Reid, Mr Fitzhrrbert, and numbers of men who have for years been familiar with parliamentary usages, would have neglected to drag the misdemeanor to light 1 ? They know better when and how to strike, and say among themselves or to themselves, ‘‘Our young friend desires to distinguish himself—let him go to the front. If he gains no honor, at any rate he will receive the knocks. By chance he may find a weak place j at any rate we do not commit oursellves. He may learn to take care of hioa self in time.”