THE GREY MINISTRY.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 9, 17 November 1877, Page 3

THE GREY MINISTRY.

. , TO THE EDITOB.V .^ §iB, : -^The '^ Mahawatu Times " having- come out strong m defence of the Grey Ministry, and as the views, it gives' expression tb may be considered" to be ; o expression pi publi#6pinibn^ m an important constitueriey, I should lil£efo:say a word on the other side ofv I .would nofr have trbubled^you with anyi opinion of mine had. it not been that the only.newspaper published^ m the district has come out so strong as it has dbne^andno other expression; of opinion: can sbe5 be giv^en except m ypur open coliiinhsV 1~ offer this aVzqy reason for asking your permisssion t» dissent from your expressed opinion on the political situation; Tou tell us j;hat " the Grey Ministry has been most unfairly treated 1 from thefirst," and then you tell us of the^in-: tentions of the Grey Ministry as ¥ reason why they should be allowed Jo get a fair trial m office. "Well, your ; reason w;onl^ .be Unanswerable if .it applied to a pinistfy getting into office ia tiie. usuar'wa^r— by tHeiv consent of a majorityi'of the House V.but SitGreotge'a pa^y/ was i 'the? small^t party m ; Kduse^ •being; composed, principally of personal^follpwers., i yqur^bje.bt^6nsvtb ; bundling VSir;i jGeprge -; out '; of 'office, would^havp tweight' if he was some new-: man,: .entirely unknown as an admiriis- ; trator of public affiiirs> but no miii iii New Zealand 'has established for himself so public a character, and .old colonists especially have made 'up theif minds as to what manner, of man he is. The opinions of old colonists fou^d^ex-j' pression at public meetings before he ; was commissioned to be the Gbvernb'rj cf the Cape Colony,! &nd while he wwars r there things got so mixed that ah excuse 'was found for sending him back to jNew Zealand again. The Capev colonists made a pun while they had Sir George'f or Governor^ " The BLottentbts say the devil is white ; the Europeans -say he is blfc^:; the colonists: mixed white .and black and found him Grey." The Cape colony was'a milch?

more important Government than the New Zealand, so Sir George was relieved from the Cape Government on the plea that he understood the Maoris better than Governor Browne, whom he superseded ; and England sent out one of her ablest Generals to fight the Maoris, and it was here that Sir George, as Governor, distinguished himself m ! thwarting the General, the end of it being that Sir George was permitted! to ; retire into private life : but, then, bernro t doing so>he-went home and tried for n j seat m the .House of Commons, wlifre j he wonld, 7 ho doubt, have rlistinsuisliod fiTniself m exposing the tyranny of ,the | Colonial Office m relieving him of thepower he had so long exercised «s a Coloniar Governor. This brings us down to recent times when Sir Georgeentered the House of Representatives, and that House had the reputation, before his appearance there as* one of its members, to be the best conducted lower -^HOiise m the British colonies ; but gradually, under his example, the. tone of fthe House has become so low as to disgust many, an. old colonist who, like myself,, > had; v hoped to see an improvement as tue colony got older. I : think the J^ouse^of .Eepresontatives is quite right; m, turning the Grey Ministry out ■! ; of office, before they return to ,their homes, and, for-myself , I should be sorry to see anyone a Premier m the colony; that; would do his level best to place the Queen's representative m a feilse iposijtipii , whenever he could get a chance, an.d I suspect that Sir George would be likely to act m such a way as would : tend |o ■ Weaken oiir^conuection with the mother, country^ as' well as yweaicen.Lthe' political bonds of union that now; existrbetween the North and South ■ shbres;{pfaCopk's. Strait. I trust our Jmember be found' on the side .of >; thoser.whpFill send the, Grey Ministry but of Loifiee.be.f ore^iParliament separates. :The- defeat^of r the Grey. Ministry^ is no .reason., wjiy,; the : .j>reyious Ministry should; re|urm to^^office- There is now j; anaopportiinifey pf getting a new Minis-r ::tr£ I Notwithstending it -.might humber'in its ranks some of the -late- Atkinson -Ministry, it is no reason wKyr. -fit iuigliV upt .be counfcßd ri .a new "Mihistry. : {T^rusting^you will find space m your paper fpr the above expression ■ of -opinioni-^J-Jim, >i&c., - ... ■ x? ■v;7-;i.:d^7^-;n;;'C; : W'HiTE:bK. Black.