Manawatu Herald. FRIDAY. JULY 11, 1879. THE COMING STRUGGLE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 90, 11 July 1879, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. FRIDAY. JULY 11, 1879. THE COMING STRUGGLE.

, It is extremely difficult to specu- i late upon the probable results of the i session of Parliament whioh opens to i day. When the present Ministry took : office in 1877, "Greyism" was all i the rage. An tdtra-liberal policy i was declared, including manhood < [ suffrage, triennial Parliaments, payment of members, and several other > things, none of which have as yet I been attained. Gradually but surely ' a section of the people lost faith in ( the Premier, who was credited with | a narrow desire to further his own i ends, instead of aiming at the adt vancement of the Colony ; and now . again, on the eve of the meeting of Parliament, speculation is rife as to

;he outcome of the struggle about to 3egin, and there is a perceptible injlinationto favour the Ministry. TJnloubtedly a strong Cabinet could be formed from the Opposition, but it tvould be difficult to get a leader of sufficient influence to attract a strong party around him. In that face lies the woakness of the Opposition. It is quite i ossible that the present Government may weather the storm, and retain office, notwithstanu • ing the fact that the resignations of Messrs Ballance and Stouthave materially weakened its power, as both are powerful debaters. Should Mr Balance's retirement from the Ministry result in his defection from Sir Greorge Grey's party, he will prove a strong opponent. Although not a ready debater, and lacking tha rapi and argumentative style of Mr Sfcou*, he (Mr Jiallance) is nevertheless a clear and logical speaker, carrying conviction to the minds of his hearers It is known that he by no means shares in the extreme views of Sir George Grey, and if not in open opposition, he will be at least a free lance, and will doubtless show very lit'le quarter to the favourite measures of his former chief. The accession of Mr Gisborne to the Cabinet, is doubtless a skilful stroke of policy on the part of the Premier; but the new Minister for Lands will certainly not prove a very great accession to the Cabinet. For the chief part of his life, Mr Gisborna has been an official, and the effect of a long career as a subordinate has the natural effect of cramping the mind. Hence we find Mr Gisborne is extremely cautious — in fact, too much so — and the consequence is, that even if he holds clearly-defined opinions, he is as a rule afraid to express them ; and therefore he pleases neither party. No doubt the elevation of Mr Gisborne is intended by Sir George Grey as an assurance to the moderate party that no very extreme measures will be proposed. It also rids the Government of an opponent. During last session, A/r Gisborne showed himself by no means friendly to the Government, his chief ground of complaint being, it was alleged, that he himself was not a member of it. Be that as it may, we think it almost certain that he would have strongly opposed the Government during this session, had he been on the floor of the House. The surprise we felt upon the announcement of his acceptance of a portfolio was ; that he did not wait for a few weeks until Parliament met, in order to ascertain whether his career as a Minister of the Crown was on this occasion likely to be a lengthened one. The Government will face a House of a very mixed character. There are no great lines of distinction between the policy of the two sides of the House. Mr Ormond, one of the most bitter opponents of the present Ministry, has recently declared himself in favour of several leading sections of Sir George Grey's creed. No such parties as Conservative and Liberal exist in New Zealand. The parties that do exist are a parody upon the names. The political condition of the Colony is opposed to any such distinction. The parties now are, and will remain so for generations, the Government party, and those who aro not, but want to be. Sir Goorge Grey has tried to divide the House and country into two great political parties, but can any one say he has succeeded in doing so? We think not. The present condition of the House shows that ; and the experience of the present session will amply justify the assertion. The fight which is about to begin will not be as to whether we shall adopt an advanced set of political ideas, but whether Sir George Grey shall be Premier, or some one else. It will resolve itself, as it generally does, into a question of administrative ability. If the Government is better administered by the Grey Alinistry than it would be by any other set of men, it is tolerably certain they will remain in office ; if not, they will in all probability go out For forms of government let fools contest ; Whate'er is best administered, is best. Sir George Grey is not likely to be turned out owing to his political principles, and we do not think it probable the distinction would be so great that Major Atkinson would be put in because of his. The political outlook is uncertain, and it would need a prophet to explain whether Sir George Grey will end the session on the Treasury Benches, or as a member of Her Majesty's Opposition.