Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1879. THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 97, 12 August 1879, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1879. THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

• — ■: ♦ The session just closed will hold an important place in the history of New Zealand, as being the first session and ,the fir&t Parliament dosed by a dissolution. The whole of the previous Parliaments,— five in number, — have expired by effluxion of time. The sixth has been dissolved, and an appeal to the country is now about to take place. What the issues are, it is even now difficult to determine. The Opposition have attempted to narrow everything down to one point— Shall Sir George Grey or Sir William Fox bfi Premier? When the latter gentleman moved his want-of-conudeuce amendment to; the Address in Reply, he spent nearly the whole of his strength in a tirade against Sir George Grey, —his native policy,his, unconstitutional tendencies, and similar rnattets. The' Premier stepped into the centre of the House and said he was the man they wished to hunt down, and dared them to do so; , We think, however, the country will show that it prefers the reign of a Liberal Ministry to that of Sir William Fox and his party. Sir George Grey has undoubtedly committed some acts as Premier wo would not attempt to defend., c. (/., in holding back the Land Act of 187.7. If a better man can be found to lead the Liberals in Parliament, we believe the representatives on that side of the/ House will follow him in preference" to the Premier. But the country would prefer having Sir George Grey as head of the Government, even with his imperfections, rather than hand over the administration of the country to a set of men whose whole antece* dents and expressed opinions prove them to be opposed to a liberal land law, extended electoral reforms, and the other portions of a progressive poljcy. ,The general election wiljl,; we "believe; destroy Sir William "Fox's hopes of office. The country will express itself in favour of the policy of Sir George Giey, though the new Parliament may require the retirement of the Premier from the leadership of the party.