PARLIAMENTARY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 149, 28 June 1869, Page 2

PARLIAM ENT AR Y.

Mr. Carleton resumed the no confidence debate by a long speech, in which he apparently, to the great amusement of the House, asserted his perfect inde- . pendence of the Government, and said that he never had been a partizan of the Stafford Government, and had it not been for public reasons he would last session have had great pleasure in turning that Government out of office by his vote, as he might have done, had it not been for considerations far higher than any personal ones. Self-government, Mr. Garleton declared, had proved a failure in this Colony, and the attempt at it had but shown how unfit we were to govern ourselves. All the comparison which could fairly be drawn between one Ministry and another simply was that one was a little worse than another. He looked upon the question before the House as a mere personal Hawke's Bay squabble; and to allow those who wished to avoid voting on such a question a means of escape, he moved as an amendment that proposals for meeting the existing difficulty ought to have preceded & question of personal confidence. Mr. Lttdlam seconded the resolution in"a long weary speech, and he was succeeded by Mr. Farnall, who made his maiden speech in a manner which most favorably impressed the House, and gave promise of his proving a valuable addition to the speaking as well as the thinking and voting power of the House. He strongly condemned the self-reliant policy, tracing most of the subsequent evils which the Colony had suffered to Mr. Weld's initiation of that policy. He announced his intention of voting for the Government,? and hoped that the appeal of the Colony to the home country might be couched in the words of the ancient British appeal to Home : — " To the most noble Earl Granville. The Maoris drive us into tho sea, the sea drives us back on the Maoris. Save us." He did not, however, think that even such an appeal would be of any use. He concluded a short gentlemanly and scholarly speech by quoting another historical parallel to our present condition, Henry the Fifth's speech to - Westmoreland when prior to Agincourt he overheard the Earl wishing for assistance from England. . Mr. Jollie spoke next, and, after announcing his intention to vote for the Government, was expressing his regret that the Government, through . Mr. Richmond, had announced its readiness to sacrifice all its past principles, when Mr. Stafford rose to disabuse Mr. Jollies mind and that of the House of a wrong idea. Mr, Richmond had only apoken his own views without consultation -with bis colleague*, and had said so. For

himself he could say that there never was a period when he and his Government felt less disposed to sacrifice a single iota of the principles which had guided him in. the past, now that he saw the country approaching chaos. This announcement of Mr Stafford's was received with cheers. Mr. Jollie expressed the great pleasure with which he heard Mr. Stafford's declaration, aud then .went on to show how hopeless it was to expect any assistance from Home in tLe shape of troops, saying we should never have released the Home Government of its responsibility to'.iiid us with moneys although wev . relieved it from doing so with men. -He feared, however, the opportunity was now lost. Iv an able review of the present financial position of the colony, he implored the House to lay aside personal and party questions and apply themselves to meet the financial difficulties which surrounded us. He asked the House what possible good could result from a leap in the dark — a mere change of men without a change of system ? He thought the House should not be asked to take such a step without knowing what the policy of each side was. Until he knew that, he would not express his own opinion. At present he only saw his way to prosecute the war vigorously within certain defined limits, and to the extent of our means. To raising a sum necessary for this he would not object, and the South would not imitate England by retreating from its just liabilities. At the same lime, not a single shilling should unnecessarily be added to the already unbearable burden. Mr. Borlase came next, and made some very hard hits at the members of the present Ministry. Alluding to the talk about a coalition, he declared that no coalition in which Mr. Stafford held a place would be satisfactory to the House. He did not see what on earth Mr. Jollies financial speculations had to do with the question before the House. Mr Williamson moved the adjournment of the debate and the House adjourned. — Evening Post, June 24.