The Globe. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1878.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1212, 22 January 1878, Page 2

The Globe. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1878.

In the eyes of the Li/ttcllon Times, Mr. Montgomery's one great merit, in connection with the colonialisation of the Land Fund, was his effort to obtain from Sir G. Grey the best terms ho could for the victims. " Unable," we are told, "to

" obtain his wishes as to the disposition " of the Land Fund, lie tried for the " next best thing. He helped to get " from the Government the whole of the " money which might accrue before the " new year, and the commencement of a " system of uniformity, inaugurated by a " rise in the price of the North Island " lands to 20s per acre. At the same " time he kept aloof from the Government "of spoliation. Mr. Montgomery's posi- " tion was difficult, and ho has come out "of it with good sense and honour. Ho " could not support Major Atkinson, ho " could not join in spoliation. Knowing " that whichever party was in power " spoliation was sure, he obtained the " best terms he could for the victims." From the above remarks, as well as from those of Mr. Montgomery himself, we gather that the retention of the Land Fund, even for half a year, was a most meritorious deed, and justified any amount of tactics. If such be so, would the saving of it for another half-year not have been equally worthy of praise ? Yet had Major Atkinson remained in power, the whole of our land fund, except a small moiety, would have been secured to us at any rate up to June 30th, and it would have depended on the verdict of the constituencies whether or not it was to go, after that date. We must conclude that, in Mr. Montgomery's eyes, ho was making a choice of the least of two evils, when he preferred to sacrifice our land fund, rather than allow Major Atkinson to remain in power. That is an intelligible position to take. But it is sheer humbug to claim credit, for having on the one hand, by his vote helped to keep the " highway robbers " in power, and on the other tried to save as much of the plunder for their victims as he could, when he and those wdio acted with him might have kept the robbers off the Treasury benches altogether.

The Timaru Herald has of late been a warm and zealous supporter of Sir G. Grey, but bis conduct in connection with the Land Bill, and his explanation, to the electors at the Thames, of the course he took, have been too much, even for our contemporary. Commenting upon that part of the speech in which he said that he felt he was responsible to his constituents and did not reply to the lavish abuse (referred to in another part of the speech), for it did not hurt him in any way, and he could afford to keep his peace till he faced those who had a right to demand of him an explanation, the Herald says:— Does Sir George Grey mean to say that those members of the House who put him him into olKce and kept him therf, at great personal sacrifice, on the distinct understanding that the Land Bill would become law, have no right to demand an explanation of his treachery iu trying to prevent itf becoming law as soon as their backs were turned ? Does he suppose that the Liigisla ture, as a whole, will not demand an explanation of his having endeavoured t> burke a Bill which he had just invited then, to pass? * & * * * Does he not recognise that the whole of. Jfcw £ualMwl W »torcstt4 l]i

the eood faith and sense of honor of their public men, and that, when they see the chief of these doing what they cannot but deem dishonorable and in the worst possible faith, they one and all have a right to ask him what he means by it ? We deny altogether that the Thames electors had any more right than any other electors to demand an explanation of Sir George Grey's conduct in this matter * * We are convinced that nothing which Sir George's bitterest enemies have ever advanced against him, has gone a fiftieth part as far to shake the public confidence in him as his own account of this L.ind Bill transaction, ftot one of the expedients resorted to by his political opponents in Parliament, to damage his credit and draw support from him—and they were unscrupulous and in genious enough—was half so eflicaoious in that direction as this act and profession of his own. He is the first Minister in New Zealand who has openly avowed as a broad principle of government the system of obtaining by foul means what he finds impossible or inexpedient to obtain by fa ; r meaus ; or who has maintained the propriety of political questions being secretly decided by the Executive, instead of publicly by the Legislature.