The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17,1877.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 35, 17 February 1877, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1877.

It is the misfortune of weak Governments not to know their own minds. Being led instead of leading they are obliged to shape their policy according to circumstances, and the result is vacillation on their part and demoralization on that of the House, which degenerates into a mob from want of proper leadership. For this reason a weak Government is a grave misfortune to the community, and towards the close of last session it seemed as if we were threatened with a calamity of this kind. The present was, perhaps, the only possible Government under the then existing circumstances. The Opposition was badly led and disorganized^whilethe present Cabinet comprised the best available administrators on the other side. However, the struggle which gave rise to that temporary division

of parties is ended, and we are now returning to what seems to be our normal condition — that of having no historical parties at all. In England, where such parties exist, changes of Government are generally sudden and complete. All the members of the Cabinet go out of office together, and are replaced by men who at least belong to a different party, even if they do not hold different opinions. For, by the way, one of the most noteworthy circumstances m the history of English party politics, is .the fact that the vitality" of the party does not seem to depend upon its creed. If we were to insist upon deciding who are Liberals and who are Conservatives, without any reference to historical associations, we should have to settle the question by throwing dice ; for it sometimes happens that a Conservative Government is more liberal than a Liberal one. Yet the distinction of parties continues though the difference of creeds has passed aWay. " Conservative" and " Liberal" are epithets which still represent real distinctions based on historical associations, though the struggles and controversies which originally gave rise to those party organizations have come to an end. Here m this young Britain of the South we have no parties historical or otherwise. While the Abolition struggle lasted we had two parties, and then a change of Government, had it taken place, would have meant what it does m England — a wholesale turn out of the Cabinet and the construction of a new one. But now that we have returned to our normal condition, there seems to be a tendency towards 'progressive as distinguished from sudden change. In other words, Governments change now as our bodies change — by a gradual process of decay and substitution. It was called a change of Government when Sir Julius Yogel resigned the Premiership to Major Atkinson, though the personnel of the Cabinet was not changed otherwise than by the addition of Mr Whitaker. Since then two other seats have been vacated, one by death, the other, by resignation ; and thus a complete change of the personnel of the Government is being gradually effected. Is this going to be the permanent state of things — this progressive change of Government ? Is it the natural and necessary result of the non-existence of party distinctiqns based either on differences, of political creed or on historical associations ? — These are deeply interesting questions for the Economists. The history of constitutional government is as yet m its infancy ; and, among all the phenomena with which it has to do, there are none more important than those of party organization. Mr Herbert Spencer has instituted a fanciful comparison between the process of development which Geology reveals as the law of organic nature, and that development which is of a political -and social character. He conceives that communities, m their growth, follow the same general law which has governed the process of physical development ; and though the idea is, of course, a poetic and not a scientific one, it would be very shallow philosophy to despise it on that account. , For it must be borne m mind that, though scientific demonstration is the highway to the house of Truth, that desirable goal is often reached by following the picturesque bye-paths of poeticfancy. Fancy <is the pioneer of Science. The former is to the latter what the dove~ was to the prisoners m the Ark. With the speed of an arrow the bird | reached tho place where the oliveberries were ripening on dry land ; but doubtless it cost Noah and his family many a weary days' march through, flood and mire to reach the same place m order to settle there, though probably the dove accomplished the journey to and fro m three or four hours. Just so the flight of fancy reaches m a moment a goal which by the march of scientific discovery will not be attained, perhaps, for generations. For instance, it is only poetry now to compare the, sudden catastrophes and the slowly progressive changes which the material universe has undergone, with those wholesale and progressive changes m the political world of which we have just been speaking ; but time may convert the poetic fancy into a scientific demonstration, and perhaps show that, with. Governments as with species, progressive change is the general rule and sudden catastrophe the exception, under such circumstances as those which exist m our own case.. But " qvorsum hesecputidatendtmt" — what is the meaning of all this rot ? — some will ask. "Well; just this, that though a weak Government is certainly a misfortune, and the present Government m the beginning of its existence showed signs of weakness, we do not think the changes of personnel which it has

undergone are necessarily indications of weakness. They may possibly indicate something of quite another character ; and furthermore the new and very good blood which the Cabinet has recently received will, doubtless, give it renewed strength and a new • lease of existence. So let us hope for the best, m the shape of a strong Government ready to set about the business of the session without delay when the Legislature meets again.