PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2317, 7 September 1881, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

It may be possible for those who only hear of what is now going on here to write about it with temperance and calmness, but to be on the spot and see all its consequences is a far greater trial of patienoo. Nearly two whole weeks have been entirely lost by both Housei of the Legislature. More than 100 representatives, and for the most part business men, have had to hang about tho lobbies, longing to get a chance to finish their work and to return to their business and their homos. The most important measures that have engaged the Government for the last year will have to be abandoned for want of time to pass them ; whilst tho cumbrous and expensive machinery of the Colonial Parliament is being prosti tuted to the delivery and the publication of the oft-repeated drivel of such spirits as Seddon, Reeves, Speight, and Grey. I said in my last account of our proceedings here that Sir George Grey would bo sure to seize uponlsomo pretext for changinghis mind about supporting the Redistribution of Seats Bill, and going against all bis former professions now that he saw a ohanoe to ally tho Nelson members on his side, and to defeat the Government on any question, though it should be on one of his own Bills. In making that statement, I overrated his pretension to consistency, and thought that even he and his most subservient followers would want some kind ot excuse for inconsistencies, for which, however, they do not appear to ueo their need of any. It seems to be nothing to thorn that they should vote for a Bill when they thought it certain to bo carried, and vote and talk against it when they see a chance of delaying it, or that they should oppose it on the ground of conditions contained in it, which they had themselves first introduced to the House. But such appears to be the case. The measure before the country, as far as its principles are concerned, is identically the same as that [ proposed by Bit George himself in 1879. That Bill laid down the principle that there should be single electorates, and that the country should have twenty-five per cent, more representation than the towns.

_ I said some months ago that the Representation Rill was a measure that might wreck any Government, and that is known to bo the reason why Sir George dared not, after bringing the Bill in, attempt to carry it. To a man who was worthy of the position of a leader of the Opposition, and who sincerely desired to get fair and equal representation for the people of New Zealand, a fine opportunity was offered to join with his opponents in getting as perfect a measure as possible in a direction he professed to think so essential to the happiness of the human race, but which he was unable to carry himself, or had not the courage to try. But he has lost another chance to have proved his sincerity if he had any, and has preferred to join with those who hoped to keep up unequal representation for at least another three years. His speeches to the galleries during the past week have been unusually effective, on one occasion calling forth cheers, in spite of all order. But to the better informed House be has sunk so low that he has on several occasions been counted out; and he perhaps never stood up in the House with so little influence as he stood with this day in his oration to empty benches and galleries against tho third reading of a Bill to give equal representation to the people of New Zealand. The scenes in the House this week have been something entirely new. It was not often a contest between intellect and intellect, but a severe trial ot the old Waterloo pluck of who could “ pound longest.” On Thursday and Friday mornings, as the daylight peeped into the House, it was like a scene of desolation. About twenty-five members were there, but they were not visible. They were stretched on the benches looking altogether more like corpses than men. The Clerk and Chairman sat nodding, whilst the corpulent body and the venerable head of Mr Shephard was standing up giving forth a mumble that satisfied the demands of the Standing Orders for addressing the House. On Thursday evening, at 2.20, a sharp earthquake caused some diversion in the monotony of the proceedings. Mr Reeves was in charge of the “ stonewalling,” and was going through some thick utterances, with a sheet of foolscap paper or a Bill in his hand, and one of his long legs elegantly resting on the seat before him, when he suddenly became animated, and rushed first to the most dangerous place in tho House, just under the high plate glass, which has more than once come down with a force that would have pierced through even his skull, and then took himself to a sheltering corner. The members who"were lying directly under the glass, more or less awake, went, with more presence of mind and deliberation, to the iron pillars of the house, whilst Mr Seymour kept his seat in the chair without moving a muscle. Mr Reeves, who seems not to have known what took place, was afterwards foolish enough to accuse the chairman of leaving tho chair during the earthquake. “ No,” said the stolid Seymour, “I was not foolish enough to go rushing away from my post in search of a safe corner.”

At 7.30 yesterday evening the dreary stonewalling was changed for a very lively scene. Mr Seymour had evidently got a lesson from the more vigorous Speaker, and informed the stonewallers that their obstructive designs hod been borne with long enough, and that for the future he would exercise his own judgment as to allowing motions to report progress, &c. The announcement was hailed with great acclamation from the long tried majority, and was soon put to the test by tho minority in the person of the demure-looking Gisborne, who had been well chosen for the purpose, as he defied the Chairman with the usual unmistakeable distinctness and in the usual temperate language, and the very meekest of manners. But notwithstanding their wisdom in choosing their nominal champion tho game went off disastrously for the stonewallers and triumphantly for the credit of New Zealand and its Parliament. As soon as the Speaker madehia appearance and took up his long vacated chair, it was evident that he meant to restore business to the House or perishin the attempt. Messrs Sheehan, Reeves, Seddon, and the other spirits who defy all ordinary attempts to put them down, were collected together in one seat straight before him, and one of them rose at once, but was put down with a stem bit of thunder that made the Speaker hoarse, and evidently awed oven that bench full of sedition and audacity that was expected to defy him. That being done the rest was easy, and the usual order restored. Every speaker was kept most rigidly to the point. Sir George Grey was shut up in two minutes, and one of the Ministers, Mr Johnston, was peremptorily ordered to sit down. There was no respect of persons, and tho effect of the one firm hand at the helm was something wonderful. When Mr Gisborne was brought up for sentence he came in with inward triumph, but with tho most demure of bis demure looks, and sat down like a chief mourner at a funeral. The sentence was delivered in a way to make Mr Gisborne and his party feel themselves less of heroes than they expected, and the manner in which the Speaker referred to the introduction of practices which New Zealand had hitherto been so proudly exempt from, was calculated to touch Mr Gisborne in one of his soft places. When again left to tho Chairman of Committees the stonewalling proceeded, though with muoh more difficulty than it had done before. Tho well chosen and able commander of the little force, Major Pitt, had evidently given up the fight as hopeless, and left matters to the headstrong Seddon, who greatly gloried in his promotion, and with the help of Mr Sheehan, kept up the obstruction through the night and until 5 on Saturday morning, when Mr Sheehan succumbed, and conld hardly be shaken up to the innumerable divisions brought on by Seddon. He eventually left the House for three hours, during which the schedules went through, and tho unaltered Bill came out of its fiery ordeal in committee ready for its third reading. Soon after eight o’clock this morning Sir George Grey came back to the House and led on the obstruction, but the galleries were empty, and a quorum could not bo kept for him in the House, which, added to the rigid determination of the Speaker to keep him to the point, out a speech very short, which he had promised to bo a very long one. In following him this morning, Mr Sheehan succeeded in his great object of raising a laugh by comparing himself to a new Scripture character. He has often spoken of himself as “ the voice of one crying in the wilderness,” and little as there is of the selfdenying prophet about him, even that claim passed better than the one he made this morning to be a 11 Joseph forsaken by his brethren.’’ Speight’s speech this afternoon was as near an imitation as ho could make of Grey’s class declamations without any of Grey’s winning manner or pleasing language. It was evidently intended for some Auckland hustings. The rest of the speeches were very tame, and all were delivered to less than twenty members, most of whom were asleep.