The Globe. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1875.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 357, 4 August 1875, Page 2

The Globe. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1875.

Sib Geoege Gbey's speech as to the formation of an Opposition is a trulyremarkable one. Sir George, in one portion of his address, made some severe remarks upon the present Governor of New Zealand, and was in consequence called to order by the Speaker, who informed the ex-Governor that praise or blame must not be cast on to her Majesty's representative in the course of any remarks made in the Assembly, and that if he wished to impute blame to anyone, it must be to the Ministers who had virtually the responsibility of the Bill which has excite'd Sir George bo much. Sir George Grey, however, appeared to be determined that i his thoughts on the subject of the duties and responsibilities of the Governor should be known, and thus, though we do not find that the Speaker called the hon member to order again, we read the remainder of the speech with wonder that such an event did not happen. Sir George Grey has been Governor of New Zealand himself, and therefore should be supposed to know, as well or better than any other man in New Zealand, what the duties of the Governorship are. But Sir George would, we fancy, never contend that the Governor's speech at the opening of Parliament was an expression of the actual personal views and opinions of the representative of her Majesty for the time being. It is hardly possible that he can contend that, because certain Ministerial measures are put forward with a greater degree of prominence than others, as an indication that the Ministry of the day intend to stand or fall by them, the Governor has anything whatever to do with the principles enunciated in these measures. How under these circumstances Sir George should think it right or proper that he should impute blame to the present Governor for the acts of Sir Julius Yogel's Ministry is inconceivable. The position Sir George has taken up in the case is untenable for an instant. It almost appears as if the Superintendent of Auckland had let his feelings on the subject of the abolition of the Provinces entirely distort his usual judgment and acumen. His views appear to have been expressed with so much force, that we do not wonder at Sir George having entreated in the earlier portion of his address that he claimed the indulgence of the House, for a most liberal interpretation of the freedom of discussion. This liberal interpretation was certainly required during some parts of the speech. After Sir George Grey's strictures on the conduct of the Governor, he went on to attack the Ministry in no measured terms, and his accusation took the form of an expression of opinion that the measure brought down appealed to the lowest motives that could actuate human nature. He reiterated the idea that the principle of the Bill was bribery, and wound up by declaring that he and those who acted with him were prepared to give the people of the country the control of much greater sums of money than those offered by the Bill. Now it would appear that if the Ministerial measure is a bribe, then that Sir George Grey and those who think with him are prepared to bribe higher, and if this is so, what particular superiority in the way of virtue over the occupants of the Ministerial benches, can the leader of the Opposition boast of.