The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1877.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 242, 12 October 1877, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1877.

The failure of Mr Larnach to form a Ministry leaves the Opposition in a state of " Chaos Worse Confounded," from which at present there seems but little prospect of anything like order arising, the defeat of the Atkinson Government having brought about something very like a deadlock iu politics. Ifc has beeu proved incontrovertibly that Ministei'3 cannot carry o.i the legislation of the country, aud the Opposition seem in no way more able than the defeated party. A feeliug, that contributed in uo small degree to the result of the division on Monday evening, was a conviction that the time had arrived for a change. The Fox-Vogel Ministry took office in 1869, and, witli the exception of Mr Stafford's short reign in 1872, the Government has been contiifuous, notwithstanding the modifications and changes made to conform to circumstances which the ruling party could not control. For the political health of a country changes arc as essential as chauge of air or diet is°to the physical health of au individual ; but it seems in the present instance that tho change cannot he made with the slightest hope of benefitting the patient, and this brings us to the diifcult point of what is really to be done under the circumstances, and, to us,

the only way out of the difficulty seems to be by an appeal to the country. We set forth no claim to originality or singularity in advocatiug this course, for every journal in New Zealand promulgates a similar expression of the opinion of the taleuts of the ruling party. Heretofore we had already had proof, and of the material from which it is proposed to replace the retiring Ministers, an opinion may be formed from the following extract from the Christchurch Press, published after theresuit of the Waka Maori debate was known. Our contemporary says :— " The administration is conducted by the Ministers now in office fully as well as it would be by anyone likely to replace them. Major Atkinson, Mr Wnitaker, Mr Ormond, and Mr Reid, certainly could not be excelled by any four substitutes chosen from the opposite side. Nor would the country be the gainer by accepting Mr Lusk as Minister for Education in place of Mr Boweii. Compariag the personal qualifications of the present Miuisters and pf their leadiug opponents, it is evident that no change can be made which would be any improvement. And as to policy, the Opposition have none whatever. Any consistent, straightforward action is impossible to them. They are split into two sections, the breach between whom is thinly varnished over and would reopen on the least pressure. Nor indeed have they ever shown the slightest indication of agreement on auy line of political conduct. Never was there a set of men so destitute of every particla of statesmanship. They hare never thrown the least ray of light on any object under discussion. They have planned nothing, suggested nothing. If they came into office to-morrow, 110 mortal knows — themselves least of all— what they would be likely to do.