PUBLIC MEETING, NASEBY.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 352, 3 December 1875, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING, NASEBY.

On Wednesday evening Mr. de Lautour ' addressea 1 the* electors at ( There were from , ?l6X),^; l 2Q(} persons; in the building. _ j-<?-*i * His speaker. \ k: ' ■ : ; "■/■> o-' : '-> -ri-i ..:-■:*-;<:■:% Mr. db Lautoub spokeiat considerable length:- 'M. the outset'-of*his remark's-he explained that althoughjie wa9 connected with the local newspaper he could not consent to convert it into an, electioh;eering pamphlet for his own purposes. There was also no skilled reporter whose services were available. For these.reasons he could not undertake to guarantee that anything like a full or accurate account of What he "said would be published. -He mentioned this so that any expressions he might use which conveyed a double-mean-ing should be cleared up in the room. The actual position of the Provincial relations to the Colony were then sketched in, and a review taken of the origin of the Constitution, and the defect on the face of it which was pointed out in 1852 by Mr. Gladstone, who said— -" When he came to the particular features of the bill he confessed, however, he agreed with h : s hon. friend, and feared that great difficulty would arise from the concurrent jurisdiction of these legislative bodies. . ... He could not understand how this concurrent jurisdiction could work without great difficulty, and without giving rise to great confusion. He looked upon it with apprebjl asion and alarm. Concurrent ju i risdiction meant in fact, in the long, run, conflicting jurisdiction ; it meant an overriding of arrangements already made by extraneous powers.'*/ Following; put this idea he (the speaker) showed how true it had proved, and how it had built up a great centre of Conservatism, which now, if it had its way] would swallow up everything else. Thepositipn the Governmert and the; Government organs look was then explained, an,a Mrv''de u Laut6ur expressed himself, in "favor of; Mr. Macahdrew's Wore "to'simplify the Provincial 'governments," and define accurately their-relafcions to the federal power. .. The position real}y\v£as—How could the people retain inctheir own hands their own government? Would they ; have such con:trol through one House of Itepresentatives for the Colony ? If so, that was the best government. If hot, could they control the government if centred in one Assemyyin. each island. Jf so, that were nextbest. If that would not give them control, would tw t £ Governments or Provinces giveittheni; However subdivided the country necessarily might be, the first thing was to place the Government iu the I ;people's hands. If the minutest subdivision Would' not effect the object, then they had better at once go in for an Emperor and an unlimited despotism. He was in favor of a federal union of simplified/Provincial Governments. The matter of boundaries was of rid consequence. In this way "thVabuses perpetrated by the Legislative Council-wouid be avoided, for each island would- have control over its own affairs. - ; ■-. *.- .'' „■ A.tthe conclusion of .the address Mr. B. Goedok proposed a vote of confidence in/Mr. de Lautour,-which.-was Well received, and the meeting dispersed with a vote of thanks to the chair.