THE Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 1880. CUI BONO ?

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 67, 1 September 1880, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 1880. CUI BONO ?

"•Words are things,, and a"iirop_ of ink ftilllne )ik« devr upon a though t.producoß th*.k •which makes thousands, pti-haps ntillions think."

The Parliamentary Korero of 1880 commenced the lait week m Mar — •just three months ago — and before the ink is dry on this sheet it i* more than possible that the Session will have come to an end. "We are quite aware that it is a pet phrase with writers to denounce the last defunct as the most useless and bar} 1 pen since the institution of Eesnonsfble (roVjernmpnt. In other words, the good old motto-" Nil nisi "—is i disregarded, and a pean of triumph chanted over the lavishand worthI less eiponrliture of the money of tho .^late. Without having Any desire to follow m the beaten track, we ask the political, studenPfo oalmlv consider matter, and allege to fhe , contrary That it has beon the case /must be admitted ;. why it has been Ro,'is food ffop> thoughtful reflection i Though m point o£ time the past Parliamentary silting has been by no^incaas " lonof rlrawn " as some of its / '|)rea i ecessors, that etpnespion ca?i certainly be used with ,triith when dealing with the utterances of some qf our legislators, whose eloquence should be measured not by the yard, but by the pate This charge is by no meanr Welled at one side of the House or tho othei\ and sooth to say, some of the besij speakers were fe§ard Qft r^rQ QQOftsion^ a,u4 then tQ

a very decided advantaf?B — notably au old Native Miuister and a youug one — Sip William Fox and Mr. SHEEHADf. To whom must the country loo.k for the measures of Colonial importance which go upon the Statute Book ? Nog certainly to private members, who — heresy though it may bd to utter it— 'think iar more of benetittiug their own districts, or m vulgar parlance, grinding their own individual axes, than inVarihgjfor tKe'cdmnion weal, op the general' good of the community. Of -course there are occasions when members not Ministers rise superior to private interests or party influence, but we are afraid they are sadly few indeed. It will be remem 1 ©red that when the Gtubt Government was driven from power, it v\as on the specific charge of inoompeient'y. It was freely admitted by their very strongest Oj.pmeuts that' their policy was good, but that the work of the country was not being carried on'on-account.of-in-ternal dissension and unseemly wrangling which existed m the Cabinet. There could be no doubt about the last, even if there were about the first statement ; and ourselves at the time denounced, m the strongest terms the manner m which the Liberal banner was being trodden m the dust by its own supporters. The present Premier mounted the State Coach bearing the reputation of being one of the most experienced whips m the country, who, by his skilful manipulation u£ the ribbons, would save it from the utter collapse towards which it was being driven. What has been the result ? The departmental work was sough to be done by a series of Royal Coint missions, and their Legislative labors have bee/i a most disastroia-s failure.. They wijl, no doubt, hereafter haiig their reputation upon what they consider a master-stroke — R-ETttEycHMEVT. But the claims to statesmanship must be, indeed, small to hang upon suoh an abortion. Where was there a spark of genius displayed m saying, " We shall cut off ten per cent, from every unfortunate ?" and what is worse, ruthinto effect, Putting the manifest gross injustice inits operation aside, can it be defended ■ upon the brilliancy of its conception? Perhaps the Hon Joinr had | been reading up Biblical history, and thought he would square the circle after the simple method of the tyrant Herod; or better, still, wanted, to emulate the boast of the JJ.mian Emperor, who wished that all. his subjects had but one neck, so that he could cut oft all their heads at one fell swoop. The Grey Grovernment were taxed with having maintained a masterly inactivity; the present may be said to have exe■cnted a series' of retreats. When m Opposition they were the foes of the Beer Tax, and yet they could evolve no better scheme for helping the revenue than pirating the very measure they had condemned, and actually doubling the amount per gallon. The Property Tax was to be the trump card to replace the Land Tax, but wKen opposition was shown to the obnoxious persona 1 , clause., t>e i painter was coolly cut, and place and pay secured at the sacrifice of principle. Even iii the great Retrenchment scheme, out of which so much political capital has been made, the great iever of Self bore a very prominent part, for the moment the influential State pensioners refused to. part with any of their pickings, it was very conveniently found that to clip their wool would be ultra vires, and they; now romain m undisturbed possession. . ; We admit we have never been very ardent admirers of the Treasury Benches, but after su,ch proof of their weakness, we can safely affirm that they are not the stuff out of which politicians, not to dream of statesman, are made.