THE Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1879. THE SHIP Of STATE.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 51, 25 June 1879, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1879. THE SHIP Of STATE.

"WorcUart tfiiag*. mml a drop «f Ink falllog like d«w iipM't *hona»it, produc« Wtafwkiak makes ' tbOMMidtß, p»rk»p» BiUUoos thmk."

Thb Eecess of 1879 is now near at an i end, and it is more than possible that the new Session will commence with a I vacancy m the Attorney.Generalship, j and the control of the Lands Depart' rnent.. The -Hon Bobeet Stout has ' publicly notified to his constituency that his representation of their interests t must cease before the opening of the new Parliament, and although a con- ' siderable amount of persuasion has been , brought forward to induce him to alter his intention, it is by no means likely that it will have the desired effect. The reason given for his withdrawal from public life by the member for Dunedin is strictly of a private nature, being nothing more or less than a, desire to conform to the deed of arrangement with his' partner, Mr. Sieveight. Should the secession take place the present Government will be shorn of /one of its chief mainstays and lose a tower of strength. 'Besides his extraordinary' capacity for work the Attorney-General was an invaluable ally and a formidable foe m debate, the depth and soundness of his logic, together with his readiness of reply, his masterly command of lan-^ guage, his grasp of comprehension — knowing exactly when to say a thing, and how to say it— obtained for him a position m the House, considering his short political career, almost without a parallel. The one fault opponents haw brought against him, has been that m addressing the House h» still retained the aroma of the Supreme Court, and his speeches partook more of_ the dry ar^nmVn'tßj3fih£_speciaX;Dl?ader,_than The •utterance* Si- the politician. But even those who found fault w^jth him for being dogmatic and disputafieiii,' were forced' to confess that though the nostrums might be unsavory, the manner of their administering was notes'". Mr. Stout m addition to an easy flow of language, has the very unusual knack of forcing home some very objectionable and unpalateable facts to his hearers, m the least objectionable way ; and no matter how fierce or how hot the fight may be m which ht is engaged— though the battle may appear a losing or even a. lost one— he never loses his equilibrium or gives his opponent an advantage by appearing beaten. He may be forcible and energetic m his utterances, but his suavity is always under confimand, and consequently his defeats are robbed of half the formidableness. The career of Mr. Stout is a remarkable one —even for the Colonies — and should act as a beakon to light the road to eminence. A dozen years since and -he was an obscure schoolmaster m aa. Ot agon suburb, and that he has reached the position which he held with such honor is alone due to his indomitable perseverance, and incessant study. Now before he "has reached his thirty-third year he is a Minister of the Crown, and one of the foremost members of the Bar m the Colony. Although with some'training m tho I *©" preparatory sohools, the Provincial Council, his political life may (be said to have commenced with the death-struggle of Provincialism, and his maiden 'speech upon that then all-absorb-ing topic has rarely been equalled m our Colonial St/ Stephens. Although we by "no' mea<ns agree with some of the so-called advanced liberalism of Mr. ' Stovt. m common -with all to whom he Is known, we are bound to give* him" credit for sincerity, Sbould he adhere to his withdrawal into private life, the ' action would seal the fate of the pre- 1 sent Ministry. He belongs to the Ministerial -^ triumvirate . which has worked the pumps of the Ship of State and kept jt afloat while the captain^nd his first lieutenant, Mr. Shebhan, have been finishing one carouse only to commence another. His colleague of Dunedin. and the member for Rangitikei have bornewith biro the brnnt of the toil, and it is not strange'that he should not seek to quit a caft the greater por-' tion of whose crew are dummies. His lotto will be a .severe one to the Ministerial par^y. and indeed to the whole House; and the htghtest compliment that oonlrt posibly be paid to his worth and abilities was when a number of his political opponents waited upon him m ! order to shake his determination. Con, itnwfr the 'political— or perhaps we fbonlcl mv tire Ministerial — career of Attorney-Qpneral with at one time a TnfPlfcnt meteor, the NnHre Minister, »nd ngsin therei* a striking fasten for 1 tne yotMhfal it*pin»nt. for honor. It m ' currently rejjiOTte3 that' with the present Session the political life of Mr. Shebhih will UniRD. and that lie will drop »ut of politics Into p -position of easf to be prepared fof him, never- again io 4ake part m those contest* m which -he shone so <?on«:pfcuon<»ly, and at otic time gave earnest of such a brills nt enrper. The resignation of the onn will cause rogret to friend nnd foe alike t the other like a atqne east into the water scarcely leaves a ripple behind, to tell