THE GLOBE. MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1879.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1762, 13 October 1879, Page 2

THE GLOBE. MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1879.

The late Ministry ara, at present, in anything but a pleasant predicament. The enemy are in possession of the camp and are rummaging among the documents loft behind in confusion in a manner that must cause the ousted party no little anxiety. Wo all remember how after the fall of the French Empire, when the Republican party came into power, a genocal turning out of pigeon holes took place, and the Imperial party did not express any lively satisfaction over the results of the operation. Curious and rare revelations were made; singular facts turned up as to the quality of the boots supplied to Bourbaki’s army, as to the hay and general stores found for the troops, as to, in short, the whole conduct of the commisariat department during the war. Then, looking further back, the Imperial regime was credited with many transactions which did not strengthen its cause in the country at large. “ There is nothing new under the sun,” as the

“ Lyttelton Times ” sagely remarks this morning, and, just as the Republicans during the crisis we have alluded to, made somewhat of a parade of the shortcomings of the Government which had just been superseded, so now, to compare small things with groat, is Mr. Hall’s Government calling attention to certain facts which are turning up most inopportunity for the late Cabinet. “The trick is venerable and time-honored,” as our contemporary remarks, but then it must always be remembered that there must be facts to go on. No Government can be expected to bo perfect, but when a Ministry has acted in a straightforward manner up to its convictions, when its acts tally with its professions, then it cannot feel nervous because its opponents have possession of the keys of office. There is always among Englishmen a fooling in favor of fair play: they are, at all events, anxious to see that the “ ins ” do not make too much capital by the fact that they are able to hunt among the documents of the “ outs.” It is perfectly true that “ political chiefs come to office without, in most cases, special aptitude for office workthat they occupy but a temporary position, and that “ their time is engaged with a thousand details vexatious and distracting.” Every new Government, as our contemporary says, “is apt to find something it does not understand in the departments and something which is not exactly as it ought to be.” A new Government should certainly make the most ample allowances. It should judge as it hopes to be judged. But there is a limit to forbearance. There is a point at which the duty a new Government owes to the country should override all other considerations. Take the case which is revealed by a despatch from Sir Georgo Grey published in another column. There will be found therein instructions issued during a time that this colony was almost prostrated by its second bad harvest, by which the Agent - General is directed to place his services at the disposal of the Imperial Government, should it desire to forward unemployed and their families to the colony. And yet, in face of the knowledge that this despatch had been forwarded, Sir George Grey had absolutely the assumption to cry out against the “ landocracy ” as a class who were endeavouring to force immigration on the country from purely selfish and class motives. No wonder that an endeavour was made to burke the despatch. It is almost inconceivable that a gentleman should have the assurance to use the arguments which the late Premier has so often used, when he knew that in the pigeon-holes of his office there existed a copy of this despatch. He must either have trusted to a lengthened term of office, in order that the transaction might become in time a thing of the past, or ho must have credited his opponents with a singular want of penetration to venture on a step which was sure to recoil on himself with telling force. “I have always myself laid the egg out of which the cockatrice has crept,” said a distinguished writer in a moment of repentance over some false move. -Sir George had laid this political egg, and it was in course of incubation while he was promulgating airy falsehoods through the length and breadth of the laud.

And there is even yet something further behind. What class of immigrant is suggested hy the despatch as being ready to be received with open arms hy the Now Zealand community ? The homo country is to be relieved of its surplus population. A certain supervision over the immigrants, we presume is inferred, but still the ground on which tho application is made is that the Home Government has on stock a number of people which it cannot feed, and which we shall he happy to receive. It is not an application for the marrow and sinew of tho agricultural districts.

We may say, without fear of contradiction, that the whole affair is completely discreditable to the author of the despatch, Yiewed in conjunction with the representations he made in Christchurch and elsewhere, it is difficult to speak of it in temperate language. The “Lyttelton Times,” in one of this mornings leaders, has endeavoured, no doubt, to make the most of a bad case. The unearthing of scandals is an “ old trickno Government can “be expected to he perfect;” “ if the indictments framed by the various Oppositions are to he believed the history of responsible Government is a confused mass of blunders, corruption, and negligencies,” and so on ad libitum. But the late Government will find that it will have to deal with hard facts and documents laid on the table of the House, and that vague excuses such as those put forward by our contemporary are not at all to the peint.