THE HISTORY OF THE LATE DIVISIONS.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1028, 11 October 1877, Page 3

THE HISTORY OF THE LATE DIVISIONS.

It was the dictum of a lover of good stories, on hearing a racy tale, that it was a matter of indifference “ whether it was true or no—it was a capital story.” Only on these grounds there may be excuse for quoting what pretends to be some of the inner history of the “Waka Maori” and no-confidence divisions in the House of Representatives. Regarding the first, the correspondent of the Auckland “ Herald ” says; — How it all happened is too good a story to lose, and it is set up in explanation of the untoward result of the calculation of votes by the Opposition. It arose in this wise. Opposition members estimated that Government would have the precarious majority of three, but it turned out to be three times three, as the tellers told. It appears that Mr Baigent, Mr Manders, and Mr Rowe were deemed certain votes to the Opposition. Mr Baigent I have known for well nigh fifteen years, and lung before he was in the House, and you never would be sure of him in Council. He is one of the unlettered, decent, dogged sort of farmers. Mr Rowe ! Well, William has been i r atic in his politics and otherwise, and I do think, for what he terms a “lark,” he was, as he said, “ Stringing the beggars on.” lie even signed a pair for Mr Larnach’s motion, and Mr Brown (J. C.) had it in his pocket. This was in view of William’s going to Auckland, as he intended, but delayed at the last moment, or lost the steamer. I can’t tell which. It is fair to Mr Rowe to say that he signed for, but there w r as no other name opposite, so that in reality the pair was not a complete document, and the keeping of it blank on the other side was, as lie said, open to suspicion. Mr Travers gave a pair also for the Government and against Air Larnach’s motion. That, it is said, was completed, but he made a speech directly against his pair, and declared that he was not bound by it then, as circumstances were different. The Handers story is the good one. With wonderful ’cutenees the member for Wakatipu (that’s Manders) had coquetted with both parties, and been, so to say, manipulated, arranged with, engineered —what you will, or whatever is the proper and most expressive phrase — by both. Each thought they had him, and the Opposition was the last to see him early in the day of the division. I am not sure whether he had at any time paired against Government or not. Manders disappeared. He was sought for right and left by the Government whips. It was found he had gone homo and gone to bed—sick it was eaid. Captain Morris, in a cab, called, and

by some soldierly blandishments and clever management, contrived to secure the application of other influence than his own, and succeeded in bringingoff the voter triumphant. Had these three gone to the other side, there would have been a majority of only three, and after such a division as that another onslaught would probably have been fatal to Ministers. deferring to the same division the “ Otago Daily Tunes” writes: —If what we hear from Wellington be true, we certainly have some High - minded honorable legislators, whose word is quite as good as their bond. One Northern member who attended the meetings of the Middle party, which resulted in Mr Larnach’s “Waka Maori” resolution being tabled, was particularly vehement in denouncing what he termed the “ howdacious” conduct of the Government in having continued the publication of that offensive paper in defiance of the House. He vigorously opposed a proposal to raise a larger issue, and asserted that this was subject amply sufficient. While the debate was proceeding, he made up his mind to visit his constituents, and accordingly left his written “ pair” for Mr Larnach’s motion in the whip’s hands. He did not go, however, and on the morning of the division it was noticed that an eminent honorable bank director had a confidential interview with him. It is, of course, impossible to say what took place, but when the division came the member walked into the lobby with the Go vernment. Next day he wrote to the Middle Party whips, saying he still desired to act with them ; that nobody had influenced his vote, but that his conscience would not allow him, on the “ Waka Maori” case, to vote against a Ministry whose expl (nations were so perfectly satisfactory. Another member, this time we are sorry to say a Southern one, faithfully promised both parties early in the debate, an I contracted a considerable number of loans from £lO downwards from members on each side. An eloquent little note, asking for an advance of £5, addressed to a member of the Ministry, who has had some experience in the matter of overdrafts, but is not supposed to be given to moneylending out of pure philanthropy, chanced to be picked tip. The Minister denies the soft impeachment of having lent the money, but the other party praises his generosily, and a Sunday picnic is said to have been carried out on the strength of the loan. One of the brace of members in question was “nobbled” by the Ministerial whips on Monday night, smuggled at an early hour into the “sweating room,” kept well supplied with whiskey hot till the division boll rung, then marched carefully into the House by the Ministerial door, and carefully conducted past the proper teller. It is thus we are governed.