The Globe. SATURDAY, JULY 13, 1878.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1376, 13 July 1878, Page 2

The Globe. SATURDAY, JULY 13, 1878.

Some of the Ministerial journals seem to bo under the impression that because the policy of the Government will turn out to be not nearly so radical as the colony was led to expect, the Opposition should cease to attack the Government —that they ought not only to be thankful that the feeling of the Cabinet "is more rational than the policy which was declared to be the policy of himself and his colleagues by the Premier," but that they should give Ministers credit for the abandonment of Sir G. Grey's principles. The charge is, as a contemporary puts it, " that office has been gained by party trick and false pretences, and that the common law of constitutional Government has been transgressed." The present Government came into power, and have up to the present time received the support of a certain portion of the electors, because they were the professed exponents of a certain policy. At great expense totho colony and inconvenience to himself, the Premier preached the now political faith throughout tlio length and breadth of

New Zealand. He received votes of confidence, and made fresh converts in the belief that his statements were trne, and that the policy proclaimed by him was that of his Government. If we were to believe the assertions made at the time by the Ministerial journals, " Greyism " was accepted as a political creed by the vast majority of the people of the colony. This being so, why are iho Premier's promises to be broken? " Freedom of Franchise, Equality of Representation, Fairness of Taxation, and Justly Liberal Land Laws," were the great points of that policy, which we wore assured would be placed boforo Parliament. Why are they nearly all to be abandoned now P What about a change in the incidenco of taxation, which was to give the poor man a free breakfast table, by abolishing the tax on tea and sugar and other necessaries? Ministers still talk of the imposition of a tax on land, but we hear little or nothing about the corresponding reductions in the customs' duties. It is pretty well known that if any alteration is proposed in the customs' duties at all it will be of snch a slight nature as to pro-, duco no appreciable effect as far as the consumer is concerned. Indeed it is more than probable that some excuse or another will be found for evading the question altogether for the present. But not only will the supporters of Sir G. Grey have been deceived on the question of taxation, thoy have been utterly misled as regards reform of the Franchise. If there was one point on which the Premier was moro emphatic than another, it was on the vast importance of manhood suffrage with one vote, and one vote only, to each individual. Not only is no attempt to be made to redeem the promise of their chief, the Grey Government are positively going to introduce a Bill containing all the qualifications so eloquently denounced by the Premier. Any member who wishes to oppose Sir G. Grey's Franchise Bill can do so in the most emphatic manner by quoting his own language, used time after time, during the recess. It is generally understood, also, that Ministers intend to evade the questions of the redistribution of seats, and a reform of our land laws. If such turns out to be the case, what have we left of the Grey policy, and what ground have they for saying that thoy have the country at their back? The Premier certainly cannot point to the votes of confidence he received in his famous stumping tour, because thoy were given on the faith of the sincerity of his utterances. The policy which those meetings then endorsed is not the policy of the Grey Government.

Of course the Opposition may be gratified to learn that the present Government of New Zealand have no intention of following up the wild and delusive theories of their chief, and that their so-called " reforms" are to be of the most harmless character. But the people of the colony are interested in the honor and integrity of her public men. Unless Sir G. Grey was earnest in his aims, it was nothing short of obtaining support on false pretences to permit votes of confidence in him to be carried, without informing the public that his Government had no intention whatever of endeavouring even to get those views embodied in legislation. Our charge against the Premier is that he has won the support of the people on false representations. Had he told his hearers when stumping the country the actual truth, what would have happened P Had he informed them that he intended to give property all the privileges it at present enjoys, that he had no intention of altering the system by which a man might have as many votes as there are electoral districts in the colony; that although he intended to impose a tax on property, he had no intention whatever of relieving the working man of any of his burdens—that in fact they would if anything be increased, because a land tax would diminish the wage power of the capitalist; that he was afraid to tackle the redistribution of seats and a reform of the land laws, what would have happoned? Would " Greyism" have become the popular faith that it has ? Moreover, had he told his Canterbury audiences that his Government were trying to break faith with the local bodies, that it was their intention, if they could possibly manage it, to retain in their own hands some £260,000 belonging to the local bodies, would he haro received even the limited support which be got here ? Our charge against the Government is, not so much that they are proposing undesirable measures, as that their head has broken his solemn pledges made to the people of the colony.