THE GLOBE. WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 1880.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1945, 19 May 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 1880.

Sir George Grey’s address to his friends in Christchurch at the O Idfellows’ Hall last evening was, as might be expected, all that could bo desired as far as diction and grace of manner was concerned. Those who, although holding different opinions, went there as to an intellectually gladiatorial entertainment, were not disappointed. Age has not impaired ' the speaker’s vigour or dimmed the polish of his periods. But these same gentlemen were little likely to be converted by the closeness of his reasoning or the soundness of his views. Sir George led off with an allusion to the peculiar position in which he was placed by the fact that at the last election he had been elected for Christchurch and ousted by the action of the House on .the report of a Select Committee. He chose to represent that the matter was p entirely party one, and treated as if (juibblo the distinction raised between the ..present case and the fact that in England the representative elected for more than one constituency is able to choose that one which pleases him best. But, a valid distinction is not a quibble, nor was Mr. Allright’s decision given on party motives. Far from it. Mr. Allwright, although elected on the “ Grey platform” carefully weighed the sot of circumstances placed before him, and came to the mature conclusion that the balance of fact should tell against Sir George Grey. The manner in which elections might be “ worked ” by the party in power if some prominent individual were allowed to stand for constituency after constituency was not alluded tq night. .’.-.'•And then Sir George makes a strong point of Mr. John Hall addressing his constituents at Leoston. Ho hints ho has

no right to do any such thing. That for tho Premier to enunciate his views in an ohscuro village is an unheard of proceeding. Em. what would Sir George propose ? Mr. Hall is about to address his constituents, and his views will be forwarded by telegraph and by the press over the length and breadth of the land. Is not that enough? Does Sir George hold that Mr. Hall should speak in Christchurch? Why, the latter gentleman belongs no more to Christchurch than he does to Wellington, Auckland, or Dunedin. Unless he holds that it is the absolute duty of a Premier to do the stumping business, it is absolutely impossible to understand what Sir George does mean. Mr. Hall’s constituents have a right to hear what ho has to say for himself, and custom has sanctioned that such an utterance by a man in power is not confined to his constituency alone, but is looked upon as a speech meant for the country at large. There is no special virtue in utterances delivered before a large audience. Sir George’s views are none the sounder because they are delivered in a hall packed with an appreciative audience. Wo do not hold those that look upon the title of “ stump orator ” as a term of reproach. Every man has a right, if he can find time to do so, to rove the country and inculcate what ho may consider to be the true bearing of political questions. There is only one requisite wanted for such a mode of proselytism, and lhat is, a powerful manner of expressing one’s thoughts, and that art the late Premier possesses in perfection. But, if Sir George Grey thinks he is not turning class against class by advocating the theory that all of his own party aro immaculate and that his political opponents are actuated by base motives of greed or a lust for power, wo are afraid that his views will not gain universal acceptance. Turning to the speaker’s expressed opinion on the question of an elective Governor, the looseness of his reasoning is very prominent. He entirely burkes the fact that it is above everything desirable that that high official should be a gentleman lifted above party feeling. He instances Mr. Weld as showing that we have amongst us the stuff out of which good Governors are made. But Mr. Weld has not been made Governor of New Zealand, and in all probabilty never will for the very reason above alluded to. Because, forsooth, all might endeavour to become Governor were the office made elective, the bonds between the colony and the mother country would be strengthened! Because the Queen might write a letter to the happy individual, and perchance ask him to dinner if he went to England, the ties that unite New Zealand to the old country would be infinitely tightened ! A musty document and a good dinner would outweigh the incalculable advantage of possessing a Governor lifted well out of party feeling! And then if the Governor were elected his salary might be cut down, and apparently honorariums at large might be docked. Sir George certainly did not go deeply into the plan. It was , perhaps lucky that he contented himself with putting the idea into his constituents’ heads and letting them think it out, for, on the spur of the moment, it would seem as if any groat reduction in the cost of our legislature would toll very considerably against the party which specially affects Sir George Grey. On tho question of taxation and finance the speaker last night was a little hazy, but he takes special credit to himself for the fact that he saved a considerable sum by not arming our coasts as a preparation for possible war. He says he foresaw that there would be no war on account of the family connections between England and Russia, and the position taken up by several crowned heads. Therefore he determined to spend money on making great harbors, and not in defending the present ones. Then, after all, the light banter indulged in by Colonel Whitmore, when he informed the inhabitants of the various sea ports that a bombardment was a most enjoyable transaction was but mere banter, and no more. He could afford to deal in a spirit of pleasantry with the subject, because his chief foresaw the whole affair, and was well aware that the advance of tho English fleet towards Constantinople, the various war preparations, and tho introduction of Indian troops into tho Mediterranean, was a mere farce, and that the marriage of the Duke of Edinborough was the fact that outweighed all others. A large number of people will have to apologise to the gallant Colonel for having quite misunderstood the spirit in which his remarks were made.

But when Sir George proceeds to make the statement that the present Government intend to relieve the burdens which press on all classes alike by doing away with education for the next four or five years, the affair becomes somewhat serious. Arkwright, Watt, Stephenson, Herschell are brought in with a view of showing that tho Government have the rooted intention that no Arkwrights, Wattses, Stephensons, or Herschells shall arise in New Zealand for an unlimited period. What may he meant by all this it is impossible to conceive. The system at present in vogue establishes free education for all, and its avowed aim is to make provision, so that any youth, even from the poorest parents, may, by a graduated system of education, and by means of scholarships, attain the highest university honors. “ But,” says Sir George, “ large tracts of land—valuable land, the heritage of the people—have been taken from time to time to endow universities and schools for higher education in various parts of tho colony.” And lucky it is that they have. What chance otherwise would tho son of a poor man have to rise to the highest honors of the land. Those noble institutions, by means of these endowments, exist in a stable condition, and irrespective of party contest, and partly of financial difficulties. They exist for the benefit of the poor as well as the rich, and no man, wo say boldly, is the poor man’s friend who cries down institutions by which the poor man more than any other, may well profit. But space fails to review the other matters adverted to by Sir George Grey. We trust to return to tho subject on a future occasion. Although mauy cannot agree with the views enunciated by the veteran statesman, it is certain that ho is very welcome in Christchurch. If only as an elocutionist his advent should he hailed with pleasure.