THE TIMARU HERALD AND THE HONORARIUM.

Evening Star, Issue 4241, 29 September 1876, Page 2

THE TIMARU HERALD AND THE HONORARIUM.

The following is the material part of the article referred to in our today's special Parliamentary telegrams:— When the present session of Parliament opened we congratulated the Colony on the high character of the new House, as exemplified by the ability and independence of members. At the same time we deprecated too great confidence in the permanence of that satisfactory state of things; pointing out that every evil influence would be brought to bear in order to render the House, if not corrupt, at least corruptible. The results have justified our caution only too completely; for we find that, after a sitting of three months, a large proportion of the members are not to be relied on to act with rectitude in any matter involving their personal interests. We fear that we should not be over-stating the fact were we to state that at this moment a majority of the House might be easily purchased. The paltry conduct of members in voting themselves free passes on the railways, and compelling the Government to increase the honorarium, cannot but have Bhaken the public confidence in their integrity and seriously damaged the reputation of the Legislature. Men who could not agree on any one of the large political questions which arenowconvulsingtheColony;whoneveronce made a real attempt, by mutual concessions, to further the public business; yet banded themselves together with the greatest cordiality in order to satisfy their selfish greed. Neither loyalty to the Ministry, nor the admonitions of recognised leaders, sufficed to restrain them. All those party differences whioh had separated sections of the House for months, or even years, were forgotten in an instant, so soon as the invitation was made to form a "grab-all party." The very Government whips turned round against their chiefs and whipped in favor of their own poekets ; while numbers of those who had never voted or spoken except in support of the Ministry were ready to turn them out of office if they refused to give them more money. It appears, indeed, inexplicable at first sight that so many of the better class of members could have lent their aid fa. this iniquitous raid upon

theTtaasum . It ia to bo answered by one word—log-rolling. The Opposition leaders saw a way to embarrass the Government by buying the lower sort of their supporters from them; and they therefore consented to give this disreputable movement an air of respectability. We blame the Government to some extent for not a firmer stand, but yet, when we consider what their position was, it is not easy to see how they could have offered successful resistance. It appears that long before even a rumor got abroad of any intention to demand an increase of the honorarium, a ring had been formed among the meanest and most concontemptible members, who, working steadily and secretlyin all directions, making all sorts of promises, and offering all sorts of threats, contrived before the " plant" was '•blown on," as professional thieves would say, to secure the support of a very formidable section of the House. They then appealed to some of the leaders, and gave it out that they had a majority, which, of course, made the matter a party question; and finally they got a wealthy and independent member, who could not be suspected of any personal interest in the matter, to bring down a resolution to the House containing their unworthy proposal. The Ministry were, no'doubt, strongly antaonistic to it, and probably intended at first to resist it strenuously. They found, however, that their whips had betrayed them ; that their most subservient followers were now dead against them; and that, although a few of the more generous among the Opposition had come to their assistance, they would be in a minority if they went to a division. * * * The most dangerous feature of the compromise is that it encourages an unscrupulous ring to carry on similar enterprises in the future ; for they will doubtless recognise that by demanding more than they expected to get they have at all events got more than was their due. It is indeed to be regretted that the first session of the new Parliament should have been disgraced by this scandalous affair; and we trust that those members who have a respect not only for themselves but also for the institutions of the country will never themselves to resist, by every means in their power, a repetition of such practices. We publish elsewhere a list of the members who pledged themselves to support the increase to L3OO, and our readers will prob bly agree with us that politics bring them into strange company. The ' Herald,' in itsyocal columns, under the heading " The Honorarium Swindle," has the following:—"The following are the names of the lefty patriots who banded themselves together to get the honorarium of members of the Assembly raised to L3OO. The actual terms of Mr Larnach's resolution seemed to contemplate an addition of L3OO to the L 157 10s previously received j but we do not think„that was the intention of the mover. [Here follow the names.] It will be seen that the Canterbury members behaved well, as usual, only two out of the fifteen being found among the 'grab-alls.' These are Mr Moorhouse, who ought to have known better, and who, residing in Wellington, is not really entitled to honorarium at all, and Mr John Evans Brown, to whom of course the dirty work was thoroughly congenial. We hope the constituents of these high-minded politicians will remember their action when they meet them again on the hustings."