The Globe. MONDAY, MARCH 18, 1878.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1257, 18 March 1878, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, MARCH 18, 1878.

With the results of the meeting held in the Oddfellows’Hall on Saturday eveniag the friends and supporters of Sir G. Grey are apparently thoroughly satisfied. The Premier met with a warm reception, and was cheered to his heart’s content. His opponents were almost refused a hearing by a number’ of the enlightened champions of the “ rights of man,” whose one determination apparently was that Sir George alone should bo listened to. Fortunately only a small portion of the audience laid itself open to the charge of “ rowdyism,” but those few free and enlightened electors made up for want of numbers by the persistency of their bellowing. As regards the speech itself, wo shall take another opportunity of discussing the various questions raised. Not that they were supported with convincing logic or telling facts. The speech was characterised by all the worst faults of Sir G. Grey’s utterances. The arguments he used and the references to history which he made frad hut little to do with the question at issue.. Appeal after appeal was made in vain to the sympathy of his audience. The great body of the people present listened with chilling indifference to points which had brought down the house elsewhere. Sir G. Grey’s claqueurs either failed to appreciate them o? were unable to get up any enthusiasm whatever. From time to time of courts applause rose from the body of the ‘hall, but it was given without any reference to the natpre of jthe speaker’s remarks. The pauses in the speech were often filled up, not with the expected cheese, but with derisive laughter. Towards the close, of £Ojur§e, the Premier’s impassioned appeal to the patriotism of the people met with a hearty response, but the cheers which greeted him were a tribute to the great eloquence of the speaker, and apparently had but little reference the ' particular measures the Premier was advocating, But the fuuuiest thing about the meeting/, as the Press puts it this morning, “was the resolution agreed to at“the close of it. Mr. Stevens having moved a vote e g£ thanks to Sir G. Grey for his address, Mr. Montgomery, dissatisfied with the brevity of the mot-ion, rose, as he said, to add something to it. What &6 wished to add was an expression of ,confidence,. But he was careful to explain that ho meant nothing more than confidence in .Sir ,G. Grey’s good intentions. He refused to to any agreement with the premier’s proposals, $0 the im*

mont until the Government Bills were published. But meanwhile he asked the meeting to declare its conviction that, in bringing these matters forward, Sir G. Grey was actuated by a desire to promote what lie believed to be the good of the country. This was the extremely limited amount of faith which, as one of the Grey party, Mr. Montgomery was willing to repose in his chief. And this was the resolution that was carried. It must be clearly understood that the word ‘ confidence ’ in that resolution was defined by the mover to signify not confidence in the political sense of the term —not belief in Sir G. Grey’s policy —but simply a belief that, whatever might be thought of his measures, he himself was sincere in his advocacy of them. In short, the meeting was asked to resolve, and did resolve, nothing more than that Sir G. Grey is not an impostor. Sir George must bo flattered to find what sort of place ho holds in the estimation of his Canterbury friends. They shrink from identifying themselves with him. They decline to say or do anything that may put a difficulty hereafter in the way of breaking off from him. And even the claims of party fidelity can draw them into no stronger profession than an avowal that, in their judgment, ho is not a rogue and a humbug. He must bo thankful for exceedingly small mercies if he feels any gratitude for such support as theirs.”