The Political Position.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1657, 13 March 1886, Page 2

The Political Position.

[Now Zea,hn& l XHrne*i\ "-" ,p Wo Imvo reason to "belie vf- that '•& very: important alteration will foe jinada.ih tit*; Ministerial programme for tile caspaigh ; •of the coming PaiTiauie^tSty sersiotiv We believe further that orfe prominent •result will be to avoid the nocessTliyjgl! any dissolution tbia year. When we published m those columns!, uiore than <$h'rge months ugo, the fore-cast ' of the Mitiirflonal policy, which attracted so much attention,' and which has ever since been'recoivihg Verification" by successive 1 instalirierits, we pdirited out the ilriperafciye necessity, lrorii ii tactical rtsp'ee't; ot •80t/ie« ; Iai I gej'-sfcr-iking -and- crirtatrnctiveprogramme; It was manifest that if, MrnisteFs'mel-s^aHiiinient „ with a mere reproduction 'of the rejected policy of last session, they would be -instantly turned out.f Indeed,*cyen a fnpderately |* ra C. c new^pplicy; v^ild .not have saved them if the House rfetuL-aied : ui the same temper that it wasafr at liist .year's prorogation. Several inenabers had followed Mr ScobTe /Mackenzie's : lead mi '."keeping Ministers in[ and their measures out, 11 were notoriously indisposed' to' continue m this course after they should- have explained matters, to their ,constituenfe. Ministers recognised the situation, and promulgated their "Great Progressive Policy." Naturally they would have iiked to go at once to the country f.with this attractive bait ill hand* .but that was not to be. Failing an immediate appeal to the country, the next course would appear to submit the 'polrey-to Parliament, and, m the event of an adverse vote, to claim an app.eal to ; the constituencies. The policy 'would !be»Betv''fortli ; in' the Speech' from the Throge,:and if afterward the Government Should be defeated on any vital question^ they, would have a clear constitutional right to a dissolution ; . or, m other words,: the country would have a clear constitutional right to be afforded I the opportunity of pronouncing its opin- ! ion upon proposals of such magnitude. "Such a step would of" course involve aj . second session this, year, thus necessitating extra expenditure nearly equivalent to a year's interest on a million; sterling This, however,: was the programme for the "campaign ; but a more simple, -cdnr venient, and economical plan, while no less effective, than : ttie^'other hasnow suggested itself. „.,..':'■' : " , * '■'■:' .■> Jin .) the^fijrst;"place' it must bejadinitteel tliat the "new" Progressive Policy," as we may \ dall.it, would ; necessarily require to be submitted to the country before its final adoption ,by Parliament. But thatfcould be done "just as;\yell next year, when the present Parliament expires by 'effiuxibn of time, and when 'a general election .would,, m any case, need to be held. Why should not Ministers declare their policy, announce their intion of going to' the country on it, and ask Parliament simply to grant a Loan Bill for a' million or a million ahdhalf to carry them on until next year ? The answer, no doubt, willbe^ ;" Because the House would refuse it, and would, turn them put at once.'!. But the rejoinder to that is that the . House would not have the p'qwer to do so. The constitutional right' of Ministers to claipi'a dissolution m such a case would be indisputable, and the only result of an adverse rote would be ;that Parliament.wbuld go out and nojfc the Government. Hon. , members *_&te. not so very anxious as all that to undergo the -worry and expense pE a general election. Some, probably "many, would be " open to reason," and would .recognise how' little was to be- gained by defeating the Government at the present juncture, ; when, by .all constitutional precedent, they had a dissolution "at their back." We believe, then, that the Government will meet Parliament boldly with a frank and attractive declaration of their " Progressive Policy " delivered through the medium 6 £ the Speech from the Tliroiie. : That will dobtless be a very cleverly ,aifd ; Beductively ■ written document, putting the case m the telling and persuasive mariner of which Sir Julius Yogel is so distinguished a master. Ministers will then have got their policy .fairly before the country, and should either an amendment to the Ad dress m Re ply j or'a want of confidence vote lii any other shape, be carried, they would have; secured an unquestionable right : of appeal!. ; Probably members would not even move any such amend-! uient or motion but might very plausibly urge that they would prefer to await, the Financial and Public Works Statements before taking any hostile action. Then will come the Budget, most likely at^an early period of the session. • We anticipate that Sir Julius Yogel will be able to show a small- surplus of revenue over expenditure, although there will generally be a considerable deficit as against the estiniated receipts. There.has .been a good. deal of careful curtailment of expenditure during the' recess,, -and all Treasurers-know, how to hold over a few ; payments here and -there until after the ■close of the; financial ..-/■year-. There will probably;, be ■; little ground for fault-finding ionr>the, 'score *of the financial admiriistraSpn ! pf ; the current year, and we [ : exp ; ect -that any proposals for modifications m taxation will be; made expressly] contingent upon the "* adoption of '[ the '"Great "" Policy." TheFinancial Statement ,^ill assuredly be ah eloqnent ad captarulum appeal m favour of this policy ~a iV.igorouß.electionoroeing maniteato.- So will the Public Works Statement. In these two' I Statements we shalLhave the most glow; ing and enticing pictures presented of the vast advantages which would accrue from thft adoption of the policy thus vividly, flashed forth, and no doubt apipalling counter pictures drawn of the hopeless gloom and misery that', must ensue if this chance of salvation be rejected. With the three meana of publishing a policy and appealing to the; inter? estsof al! classes of electors, afforded by the speech from the Throne, the Budget, andthe Public Works Statement, Ministers will be infinitely less capable than we believe them to be if they do not construct a vary strong and useful "platform" for the general election whenever itjnay come. ■•■ ■ . .■; '; : ; ; r • : But then the question:' onca; more arises : When is that to be? We should say at once :— Next year, at the date when it would take place m the regular order, 1 or even at the end of this;, Year, if this should be found desirable, but any. rate after the eomming session has run itsordiuarycourse.. Members will, be shrewd enough to discern that an adverse vote at: this stage would be worse than useless..: They will agree to: let Ministers remain quietly m office until next year's general: election, and; they will pass a Loan bill for a million or a million, and a half to r carry on Public Wi)Vka;.in..:the meaiitime. .... They can hardly refuse this latter, for.theileadcrs of both sections of the Opposition, Major Atkinson and Sir- George: -JGrey, have plainly declared, m favour pi such a course. There is no Valid reasbu why an arrangement shbuld-not be arnyed at to pursue this plan. Both 1 sides might agree to have' a light and short session : to postpono until • a.tter tlie election. all .new legialative measures ot. prominence, and to work hartnoni-, ousiy'iii aweepinfi: the record clean preparatory to an entirely fresh beginning. A few ; individuals,;^ambitious' of distinguishing themselves or, eager/for .inia.chief, might obstruyt the W ay ! a little,' but if the vast majority of the House were at onco m the desire to carry : Out the". ;icdurse : above sketched, such trivial obstacles as those: would be easily surmounted.: We. may say say frankly that we should: be prepared to support Ministers m this course, and to advocate their retention of office on such .terms uiitil next' year's general election. As to the question of their main policy, that is a different

hffuif^yliieWwe deal with wlmn lilt? liKHt'tlUJ%'j»lie«J. Silt it Will bt nsHud^lmr-Hfollliotfil \n ihera of th« Hwbo! (^l'eciiJfUt) Keep i\\\* Qoy»rn« me))t ; a|thc cojiditionß indtoftisd f Wt inay^Bßy plnrnl^ wo h"a¥« ground* fof 'Bji|i).acU. t njfgtii*t this has already been YiritiiJphtfanged: Only a f«W vpte* needed to be ftccitfed to make thiugi safo for the fleeeidn as tilings Rto, utid these, we belieVej have prncticolly been gained. Ministers have been workihjt very hard during the teceia. They have trav«iied everywhere throughout .the. Xi-pjony^north jßoulhj^ast-and^weit — and they have not only gleaned much uieful information as to the drift of pojiular opinion, but they have aIfLQ. .in"StineTTffiootl tjealiftf tlfeir own ' Yiiivs { and mpre^tUJ, -they Have ..maf|«|ed to get holdsofUie addttidual vote* requisite to carry out the v new programme for this season. It see^aa ,to;us a reasonabl* and feasible tposlsessing alio th« speciaf; raent of saving; a perfectly ; urtless expenditure of\otno £30,000 on aa extra session and of>«ypiding a needl«M infliction of the worry, turmoil, and injury,, to trade always caused by a general'^eloctibni v |ivhire securing th« early reference to *"th»- electors* 6t fu* larg« policy.^whichiSir; J.uliu^Vpgel ha» indicated. - ; ° "