The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 565, 3 April 1858, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

Saturday, April 3,

At the risk of drawing down upon ourselves the ire of the Wellington l Spectator,' we must say a Few words of comment upon the proceedings which have followed "the opening of the Council in that province, without reprinting that paper's version of the story; as an excuse, (and it will be a valid one to our readers) we allege that the address of his Honor, and the reports of the principal.debates, from which correct information may be derived are too long to find a place in our columns. We have before narrated the outline of events, which must be esteemed a very important chapter in the history of one of our Provincial Governments, and form an interesting subject of study in the struggle between an elected Superintendent and a popular Council imbued respectively with the extreme views of two parties who stand in most defined hostility to one another.

The Reform party had talked of a necessary retrenchment, and having a majority in the Council they proceed without delay to what lies in their power in that direction. One of their number takes the Speakership without salary, and another the Chairmanship of Committees at a reduced figure. The Clerkship is accepted by a leader of the party who has no seat; also with a reduction of salary. His Honor on the other hand seems determined to go through the forms laid down for connecting a Superintendent and Council, as if nothing was wrong. He opens the Council with an address wonderfulty full of matter. He narrates with copious details the public works which have been done, commenced, omitted and destroyed during the past year, counts up the funds which can be collected for the service of the year te come, and explains at length j the manner in which he would propose to spend them; then touches upon loans, labour, posts, immigration, waste lands, ! and numerous matters in which the pro- | vince of Wellington is interested, and ! winds up witli almost the only allusion |in the speech to the differences of parties. The Executive had tendered their resig- | nations in consecmence of three of their number having lost their seats in the Council, which resignations would be accepted when the Council had declared their policy so as to enable him to select his advisers in a constitutional manner from the majority shown after discussion. This would seeni like giving way to the opposition, but it is probable that his

Honor is simply falling- back to a more retired position before the battle. Before the Council separated the first day, the Reformers entered upon the work they had set themselves, by asking- for committees of enquiry into the working- of different Government departments, almost all being enumerated; also into the system of immigration, the administration of justice (with a view to dispense with paid magistrates,) and the occupation of waste lands; on the latter topic a distinct resolution was submitted by Mr. Wakefield, recommending sales of laud on deferred payments. Another resolves that all paid officers of the Government shall be precluded from. holding seats in the Council, except the members of the Executive. Another asks the members for Ahuriri to recommend a place of self-government for that district, which should receive the attention of the Council. The consideration of His Honor's address is put off for a few days. In the meantime, amid a good deal of chaffering, the Reformers, unable to extract a full explanation from the temporary Executive of how why and when they resigned office, address his Honor directly and make the enquiry froni him. The reply is in effect a repetition of the statement in the address, and adds that the old Executive was responsible for the speech. All this forms a ground of attack by the Reformers, who consider that if the Executive retire during- the recess they must recommend his Honor to consult certain other advisers who should be sent for without delay. ; This, however, is mere preliminary skirmishing'; the pitched battle in the Council occurs upon the reply to his Honor's address. Mr. Fox moved a form of reply which is short and simply complimentary. Mr. Wakefield moved an amended reply which is respectful but j rather long; it reproves his Honor for i delay in calling the Council, for spending money not appropriated, and for acting in an unconstitutional manner in changing his advisers; the Council is said also to be 'impressed with the urgent necessity of instituting a searching inquiry' into the past conduct of the Government and the present position of the affairs of tbe province which have been affected thereby. The two speeches occupied the Council from ?to 12 p.m., but they have not yet come down to us. The next day the debate was resumed, and was supported by all the forces of each side of the house. One only has gained the honors of type in the single journal of the following1 date which has reached us : it is that of Mr. Fox in reply. This is a master-piece of ' argumentum ad homi- | nem ;' each paragraph has reference to an individual speaker on the opposite side; almost every phrase ' pitches into' an antagonist. The speech reads well, the hits are heavily put in, and polished withal, and must have told upon each individual attacked. But it is nothing more; there is no reasoning offered by the adoption of which an undecided man would be led to support the Featherston policy; there is nothing of the statesman perceptible throughout. Perhaps this was inevitable, inasmuch as the speeches of the opposite party might have contained only similar materials to reply to. Mr. Fox blames the Reformers for having lno policy,' and therefore deems argument needless. The result of such attacks and counter-attacks must be to make the breach wider and the feud more bitter which at present exist between the two parties.

The amended reply was carried, Mr. Wakefield was called to his Honor's counsels, but he had not when we last heard made up a Cabinet. Here, in the closet, man to man, the leader of one party against the leader of the other, we must expect the battle to be fought out which will decide the policy of the province of Wellington. We look to the * sales of land on credit'question as one on which both sides have laid great stress. Will either give way or will there be a compromise ? If not, what will be the course taken by the Reformers, and how will the Superintendent resist them 1 The question is of the deepest interest to those who would mend the Constitution.