THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1880.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2001, 23 July 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1880.

The new campaign in the Victorian Parliament has commenced, and the excitement, in which the Victorians during the last few months have been living, will be kept at white heat. To-day the debate on the vote of want of confidence will commence, and the rival schemes of reform will be again before the public. Not that Mr. Berry’s scheme is now at all what it was before the electorates wore appealed to. Mr. Berry, having previously shifted his ground half-a-dozen times, had at that time pinned his faith to a plan by which, if the Legislative Council refused to pass any Bill involving the expenditure of money, the Assembly should ha\o the power to authorise the expenditure at its own good pleasure ; the plan further proposing that in eases where other differences occurred between the two Houses, if a Bill passed the Assembly in two successive sessions, and was rejected by the Council, and then, after a dissolution, was again passed by the Assembly, the Governor in Council might submit the measure to a plebiscite of the whole body of electors. Now, however, Mr. Berry has practically narrowed down the issue to a change in the constitution of the Council and in the length of their tenure of office, although ho apparently still holds to the proposal that tho Assembly shall bo absolute with regard

to money bills. Mr. Service, on the other hand, besides the other constituent parts of his scheme, advocates the right of the Council to eliminate from the Appropriation Bill any item to which it may object, and to require the Assembly to send it up in a separate Bill. Mr. Berry has dropped the plebiscite altogether, and appears in a totally now character. He has evidently been startled at the manner in which his ultra-Radical measures were received by the country, and has probably gained wisdom by the study of the criticisms of the English press on his mission and on his scheme.

Tho whole political situation in Victoria is somewhat singular at tho present time. Tho solution of tho Reform Question is tho one topic of general conversation, and ostensibly is tho leading question of day. But, in point of fact, tho educational question overrides it. Sir John O’Shanassy is at tho present moment the King, or rather Ministry Maker. Tho Roman Catholic votes turned tho scale in favor of Mr. Sorvico in tho last election but one, and now, as tho present Premier did not answer tho Roman Catholic expectations, their vote has in its turn inclined tho balance back to Mr. Berry’s party. It is evident that such a state of affairs is not favorable to an impartial and judicial consideration of tho reform question. Sir John O’Shanassy may pride himself on tho power ho has acquired by tbo peculiar position of his country, but his patriotism cannot bo very strong when bo is content to sacrifice the interests of Victoria to a side issue. “Man’s necessities aro the devil’s opportunities,” and, without wishing to compare Sir John to his Satanic Majesty, it must bo conceded that ho has seized on the necessities of the situation to forward the plans of his religious confreres in a manner that cannot commend itself to an ordinary critic. Thoro is no doubt but that Victoria is at present passing through a grave crids, and it should consequently be the part of every man who holds his country dear to him to use his best endeavors to solve the problem at issue. To support one ministry and then another, just as it suits, regardless of the cost at which it may bo done, and solely from interested motives, should not be tho part of any rightminded man. It is politico-religions logrolling on a large scale, and is neither honest or patriotic.