THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1309, 9 October 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1872.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1572.

The Stafford Ministry have resigned, and MrVogelha3 once more been sent for. Baulked in their desire to obtain the Governor's consent to a dissolution, Mr Stafford and his friends have wisely, though not very gracefully, adopted the simplest alternative of resigning their seats in the Cabinet. After enduringtor enjoying office for a period of unparalleled and provoking brevity, it was, perhaps, a hard trial to their ambitious instincts to be compelled to close the door against thomsclvcs and retire again to the cold shade of Opposition. It would, no doubt, have been more satisfactory to have realised something like ! the revenge of Samson when he accomI plished his own destruction simultaneously with that of the unfriendly Philistines. The Philistiues in this inI stance, however, wero not disposed to permit the execution of any such coup de tluatve. The Opposition were prepared to demand the dismissal of Ministers if they would not walk out willingly, and there was reason to suppose that their increasing numerical strength would have enabled them to enforce that demand. In deference to this impending second assanlt,therewaswisdominMrStaffordand his colleagues terminating their own brief period of political sway, and retiring from office without what would have been an unseemly strugglo for its retention. Of the probabilites of Mr Vogel's now bucceeding them with a Ministry sufficiently strong to endure to the end of the session, people at this distance from the scene of action cannot very correctly judge. Should the current rumors be confirmed, however, the chances are that a third expulsion will not occur, and that a dissolution will be avoided. The confident Btstement is that the supporters of Mr Yogel have been increasing in numbers within the past few days, and that it only requires a fairly judicious choice of colleagues by him to secure a good working majority. The Hon. Mr Fox, it has alredy been stated, will not again seek office, and his omission from the Cabinet will, nu doubt, secure the support of MrShephard and others, as his presence there was previously the cause of their opposition. The belief is that his successor in the Premiership will be the Hon. Mr Waterhouse, but, with the exception of him and Mr M'Lean, mention has not been made of others with any assurance as to their acceptance of office. Whoever may be the men, there ia at present no indication of coalition being resorted to, and such a result would only be excusable on the plea of promoting the work ot the country by abating the present party strife. It certainly need not arise from the alsance of competent men in the ranks of the party now preparing for their " second innings," His Excellency the Governor, as will be seen from our telegrams, hinted to Mr Stafford that it might not be impossible to form a new administration on a basis sufficiently wide to command the confidence of the House and of the country. The expression, it must be confessed, is rather an oracular one, but it is most capable of being read as pointing to the propriety of a coalition, and .we shall venture to take it for granted that that is his Excellency's meaning. His Excellency is infinitely more definite and distinct in the other reasons annexed to his refusal to grant a dissolution, and they are reasons which, we think, are likely to recommend themselves to the sense of the c< untry. As wo said in the ahprt reference made to the matter yesterday, both parties are virtually agreed upon points of policy, and the question between them requiring to be settled may be as readily nnd quite as satisfactorily settled by thje House as it would be on an appeal to the

constituencies. As the Governor tersely put it, " tho country regards the differences between its leading public men rather as personal than political, and on matters of detail rather than of principle, ' and, in thus putting it, it will be admitted that he describes the situation as truly as he does it tersely. If a general elect' on were to take pace to-morrow, it would probably alter but very slightly the composition of the House, and, with the majority of the constituencies, the matter of debate would bo less the political principles of the candidate than the direction of his polemical crted or his personal friendshipa. The public would simply be travelling in a circle, making no absolute advance, as the House of Representatives has only done during the greater part of the present session.