The Globe. THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1879.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1539, 23 January 1879, Page 2

The Globe. THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1879.

The banquet at Akaroa given by the residents to thoso instrumental in forwarding the interests of their railway, afforded the Hon. John Hall an opportunity of speaking in defence of the Legislative Council. That body had been attacked by the Attorney-General in his speech at Dunedin, and denounced as having stood botweon the people and their right of universal suffrage. Unable to account in any other way for the utter break down of all their fine promises, the Government endeavoured to shift on to the shoulders of the Legislative Council the blame which in reality should have been attached to themselves. Mr. Hall in a few trenchant remarks pointed this out. He showed plainly that what the Council had done was simply to step in and prevent the enormous increase, on no fair basis whatsoever, of the Maori vote. The Government proposal meant simply, as the members of the Legislative Council were fully aware, that the Government of the day should have, through the means of pakeha Maorios, &c, a strong vote which they could command when they pleased. In other words, that several seats for northern constituencies should bo placed at their disposal. The Legislative Council vetoed this proposal, and hence the declaration by Government supporters that the Council must be swept away. We will not ;now discuss the possibility of an improvement being made in the constitution of the Upper Houseperhaps in the direction of assimilating it somewhat to the Legislative Council of "Victoria—but one thing is certain, namely, that the colony owes a debt of gratitude to the members of the Council for having stepped in and prevented a sham extension of political privileges being given to the people, while the real effect would havo been to have placed throe or four pocket constituencies at the disposal of the Government. There was another point well worthy of notice that Mr. Hall alluded to in the course of his speech. The Hon. AttorneyGeneral in his speech to the electors of Dunedin, said that the Ministry were opposed, and that he himself was opposed, to the system of nominated Legislative Councillors. The usual clap trap was talked about the people having no voice in the election of those who thwarted and interfered with the plans of a liberal Ministry to give tho people political freedom. Such assertion aro always safe, boGuuofl the groat mass of tho electors forget the muny services rendered by tho Council in standing between thorn and hasty and ill-considored legislation, and aro ready enough to cheor for thoso who propose to sweep away the present system. But when wo come to look a little closer into the statement of Mr Stout as to tho foelings of tho Government on this question, what do wo find ? Why, that as pointed out by Mr Hall, the Grey Government havo during tho brief time they have held office, made more appointments to tho Legislative Council than their prodocossors during a period of fivo or six yoars. This is tho Ministry, be it remembered, who are so strongly opposed to nominated councillors. Wo say nothing as to the stamp of men whom tha Government have doliglitod to honor. Tho nominated uaez can vote, and that is the end and aim which tho so-called liberal Government seeks to accomplish. Mr. Hall might indeed havo gouo still further than he did, and pointed out what was stated in tho press of tho colony with regard to the latest appointment made by tho Government to the Legislative Council. Wo should have expected, judging from tho decided tone of the Attorney-General as to the feelings of the Government, that, oven supposing they had given and done violenco +0 thoir own feelings in the way of nominating a Legislative Councillor, any op- j position in high quarters would havo been \velcomo. But it is not so. Wo find tho Governor remonstrating will) Ministers for the appointment of Mr Dignan. Holding the strong opinions they do as to tho iniquity of nominee

councils, wo should have thought that they would at once have given way to the Governor and been glad of a tangible excuse for presorving their boasted prineiplos. But and the olectors of Dunedin who swallowed the special pleading of Mr. Stout so greedily should mark this the Government peristed and urged the Governor to rnako the appointment. Ho of courso, acting on the advico of his responsible advisors, did so, and Mr. Dignan added yet another to the roll of votes for the Ministry. Wo havo emphasised the words " porsistod " and " urged," because it seems to us such peculiar conduct on the part of the Government who have so strongly protested their utter detestation of the nominee system. Probably some member of the Government who has not yet spoken—the Hon. J. T. Fisher for instance—will kindly explain away this apparent anomaly. It is strange when the Attornoy-General was denouncing the Legislative Council, that we hoard nothing of the croation of the Hons. John Martin and P. Dignan. It is satisfactory to find that not only was an opportunity afforded of defending tho Legislative Council and dilating upon the inconsistency of the Government, but that it should have fallen to tho lot of the Hon. John Hall to perform the task. Vorsed in the politics of the country, thoroughly independent and honest in his political career, no man was bettor fitted than ho to strip from tho Ministry their thin veil of self glorification. Ho showed plainly that the emphatic statements of the Government as to their opposition to nominee Councils were flatly contradicted by their actions; that, so far from tho Council having interfered with the liberty of the people, its action had really conserved it. Wo are anxious to see how long the farce which commenced with tho Premier's stump tour, is likely to last. The Government have been weighed in the balance of the session, and found wanting—miserably wanting—in everything which constitutes good government. And yet there are people ready yet again to be dazzled by the delusive promises and the glittering insubstantialities which clover orators like the Premier and the AttorneyGeneral hold forth to them. However this may be, it is certain that, so far as tho Legislative Council is concerned, the defence of the Hon. John Hall was as complete as it was emphatic and truthful. It should open the eyes of the people of tho colony to the utter untrustworthiness of the present Government.