The Globe. FRIDAY JULY 26, 1878.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1387, 26 July 1878, Page 2

The Globe. FRIDAY JULY 26, 1878.

A clergyman, the Rov. A. J. Campbell, of Goelong, lias rocontly been uttering soino wholosomo truths regarding the state of politics in Victoria. At a meeting of a Political Reform Association in that town he spoke at some length on the importance of such institutions. Ho pointed out that in that colony every man was endowed with the franchiso, but that no pains woro takon to make men feel the valuo of that ondowmont, the honor it conferred, and the responsibility it entailed. He said that no attempt was mado to indroctrinate the peoplo with the true principles of political economy, and the consequence was that there had sprung up amongst them soino surprising theories of Government. " One of these theories," he said, "is that while moral character, honesty, sobriety, purity, are indispensiblo in the servants of your household, in the clerks of your offices, in the teachers of your schools, they are of no account whatever in members of Parliament or Ministers of State." To all appearance the clay may not be far distant when Mr. Campbell's words will apply to New Zealand also. Wo have already had one or two fair samples of what Ministers are capable of. Their conduct in connection with the Canterbury surplus land fund, and the successful stuffing of the Bay of Islands electoral roll,indicato pretty plainly the nature of their inclinations. But to return to Mr. Campbell's speech. Talking of the action of the Yictoriaa Government ho said "Another theory is that among the instruments which the Government may call to its aid, it is entitled to appeal to the malevolent passions, and to regulate its own actions by the principle of revenge. But the most surprising theory which has arisen, and which has been put into practice, is that it is the duty of those men who have been clothed with authority in order to keep the peace of the country —it is their duty to go about the country sowing the seeds of sedition and rebellion. (Applause.) I need not quote the words which they have been speaking in the ears of men. The most pronounced was Mr. Lalor's speech at Egerton, in which he traced the course which is to be pursued with the Upper House Reform Bill. The Council must accept the Bill—that is the first step. If they won't, the Imperial Government must be appealed to to force them to accept it. That is the second step. If the Home Government won't do that, then comes the final step —revolution." We fancy a somewhat similar charge, but in a different connection, might bo brought against a leading politician in this colony, for something very nearly approaching to sedition has been talked to public audiences in New. Zealand. Mysterious references havo been made on one or two recent occasions to the desire of a growing party in England to tax the colonies. We believe that if such a party exists, it has so little influence that it could not command one voto in tho British House of Commons. In fact it practically does not exist at all. But it suited the speaker to represent it as a rapidly growing party, and that there was some danger of its opinions gaining an ascendancy in the Imperial Parliament. Hence the deduction was draWn that it would be the duty of the colonists to watch carefully the acts of those in authority, and, if necessary, rosist their attempts on our liberties by force of arms. Few who heard the words uttered to which we refer were, we should imagine, at all influenced by them, for want of loyalty is not a characteristic of British colonists now-a-days. The remarkable fact in connection with this subject is that the treason we refer to was talked both here and in Victoria not by a few demagogues, " men who were thirsty for political power and had no prospect of attaining it except by the overthrow of the Commonwealth," but by members of the Government. "It is the men," said Mr- Campbell, " who have been entrusted with the welfare of this community. It is the men who have been placed beside the throne to give advice to our gracious Sovereign—the men who havo sworn to defend the interests and the honour of the British Crown. It is these men who are announcing their intention, if they can't carry their will otherwise, to carry it by violence of the sword and the sweeping torrent of a revolution. It seems to me, sir, that these men have been guilty of treason against the majesty of tho Queen, and I wonder exceedingly that they have not beon called to account by tho Queen's Representative in Victoria." Referring to tho great shock to constitutional Government in Victoria received during tho last year, the speaker said he had been told that the rent in the body politic would heal itself without any trouble. But his opinion was that when things wont wrong, it needed patient labor to put them right again. He therefore urged the formation of Political Reform Associations to work in that direction "by inculcating the maxim which so charmed oven a heathen monarch that he inscribed it upon the walls of Rome, ' Do to others as you would have others do to to you,' by kindly conference, and seeking to draw men to their fellow men in mutual respect and brother-like kindness." Mr. Campbell's advice might well be acted on in New Zealand. Let not the supporters of true political progress allow tho colony to believe, without an effort, that the political quacks, who have been so busy of late, are the only friends of the people.