THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, JULY 26, 1881. PROVIDENCE AND THE OPPOSITION.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2282, 26 July 1881, Page 2

THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, JULY 26, 1881. PROVIDENCE AND THE OPPOSITION.

Oue contemporary the “Lyttelton Times”

has, we see, been informed from a most veracious source that a certain Ministerialist has given it as his solemn opinion that the late bad weather was a special interposition of Providence on behalf of the Government, it being evident that Providence was anxious to prevent the arrival of Messrs Driver, Finn and Pyko before the division on the Want of Confidence motion took place. As papers do not usually pay agents to retail the small facetiae of ordinary members, it must ha presumed that the special correspondent of our contemporary received the opinion in perfect good faith, and thought it of such importance as to merit transmission, for the benefit of the Canterbury public. And he has evidently impressed the importance of the subject on his employers, for otherwise the “ Lyttelton Times ” would hardly have allowed the matter to have appeared in its issue of yesterday. And no doubt, if there is anything in it, the Opposition may well feel itself somewhat aggreived at the aggressive position lately taken up in a quarter where they had no reason to expect any special feeling. That the elements from the North Cape to the South Cape should have been let lose to prevent Messrs Driver, Pyke and Finn from recording their votes, would certainly constitute a cause of complaint, which Messrs Ormond, Grey and Co. might feel inclined to accentuate by remonstrance or otherwise. When the hopes of an Opposition run high, and there is a vote of Want of Confidence on the tapis, besides a crazy scheme or two in the background to fall back on at the worst, it does seem somewhat hard that means should be taken to defeat the welllaid plan by agencies that have lain dormant for such purposes since the days of the Iraelites. Moreover, they would

have a special greivance in being, by very force of association, mixed up with persons with whom wellregulated minds could hardly wish to be associated, even in imagination. Supernatural forces were of yore brought to bear for the special destruction of some most undesirable individuals. For instance, Ivorah, Dathan and Abiram were swallowed up by the earth, the tyrannical Pharaoh was overwhelmed by the waters of the Rod Sea, and the Opposition might well object to being placed in the same category with the idolatrous nations for whoso destruction the sun delayed its going down. What, Sir George Grey might well ask, has he—he a man so devoted to the cause of humanity at large —done that ho should be mixed up with such very shady company, or that he should have to fight against forces which oven his one stock stump speech would have no chance ? Of course there may bo bloated Ministerialists who look upon the profoundly astute but, to their minds, wicked schemes of Sir George Grey as quite worthy of the special anger of Providence. The especially bloated Ministerialist mentioned by the special correspondent of our contemporary is possibly a mere sample of this class. But all well regulated minds will shrink from the extreme views hold by those “ revivalists,” if wo may so term them. The ordinary love of fair play always credited to Englishmen would prefer to sec the present battle fought out in the usual way. Even Mr. Hall himself would probably object to elemental disturbances being set on foot for his special benefit. As he is ordinarily considered a moderately humane man, his objection might indeed partially rest on the dangers to bo run by sailors and others on our coasts by such special manifestation ; but, quite apart from this consideration, the love of fair play alluded to above would weigh most heavily in the scale.

But if the Opposition commenced by

having a grievance against Providence, the matter appears to bo now reversed, and Providence may well have cause of complaint against the Opposition. The bad weather is over before the division has come about. The matter lies

in a nutshell. The Opposition havo either brought in a false bill altogether; or havo delayed the crisis to such an extent as to exhaust the supply of wind and rain at present available; or havo credited Providence with an ignorance as to tho exact date on which the division would in reality take place. Either of theso

three hypotheses places the Opposition in a decided dilemma. Tho matter was a very delicate ono to start with, and tho Opposition should have boon quite sure of its facts before it started the theory over which it has como to grief. We can sympathise with the Opposition, hut we can hardly absolve it of rashness. It would possibly bo bettor for all parties if tho Oppposition were to confine their attention to mundane affairs, without endeavouring to get up a special grievance of such an outre character. We can hardly think that Sir George Grey is adapted, either by character or education, to bo a special favourite of the Higher Powers, hut, on the other hand, we are very far from classing him —as his own party appear to do—among the Canaanites and Egyptians, against whom the powers of nature were lot loose in days gone by.