SAUNDERS ON GREY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 190, 11 August 1879, Page 4

SAUNDERS ON GREY.

The foUomog is the Hansard report of Mr Saandere' speech on Sir George Grey's defiance of the House, and of the Premier's remarks which called it forth :— Sir W. Fox.— May I be allowed to correct the honorable member ? I •imply said that we would ask them (o bind themselves not to adviae His Excellency to summon any members to the Legislative Council. Sir G. Grey, — That is a mere evasion. F.r if we bind ourselves not to advise His Excellency to nominate members to the Legislative Council the prerogative of the Crown is taken from the Governor, inasmuch aa members can only be called to the Legislative Council on the advice of Ministers. That ii the fair meaning of the words, and that is the actual intention. 1 say this : that myself and my colleagues who sit here wi'l bind ourselves over to no degrading condition of the kind. The honorable member for Wanganui says the Opposition will not give supplies, unless we agree to that condition. I say we will not agree lo it, and they shall give supplies. They have said, " Without that condition, we give no supplies." I say, "You ehali not have the condition " — that is my answer — " You shall have no condition of that kind, and supplies shall be given." Mr Saunders. — Sir, although this aide of the House is now in a large majority, and Ministers are so placed that they can constitutionally do nt - thing without our leave, yet I readily admit that the Premier is in a position to defy us as to tbe coarse taken with reference to any matters that affect the welfare, interests, prosperity, and gafety of this country. He, Sir, never feelf aoy deep anxiety as to what will be the result of any daring action that be think* proper to take himself, or to

recommend the Governor to take. Tbe security or happiness of the country is of little consequence to him co long es be can devise some mean 9to retain a Heat on those benohee. But lam happy to cay that tbe gentlemen who eit ou this side of tiie House do feel n deep responeibilify for the exercise of that power which belongs to them as the overwhelming majority of this Housa ; and, however much mischief may reenlt temporarily from allowing a Ministry to sit there n little longer who eDjoy ueither Jhe confidence of this House nor of the country, we will not ha forced or defied into t!ie adoption of any course that would pet manenllyirj ure this colony or degrade tbe British institutions liere established. Jn this respect I aJmit that the Premier is in a position to defy the mfijority of this House, even with the small following of twenty-seven members who have expressed their willingness thnt bo and his Government should louder remain on those benches. It is not his strength, but his weakness — not bis power, but his retklessness — that enable him to adopt such language Qd be has dared (o use here to night. But, whatever measures cr whatever action may be taken with a view to prolonging the honorable member 'a occupation of those benches, we are perfectly confiJent, on ibis side of (be Hou<e, that, as soon aa we come back from the constituencies, so soon will the reign of that bon. gentleman the Premier be terminated for the remainder of l.ia natural life. There is nothing that appears to be too strong, too during for that honorable gentleman to assert to thia House. There are few men in any station of life — probably none in the station tbe Premier ocoupies — who would dare to accuse a large body of men of the very crime of which he knows himaelr' to be guilty. He would to night represent us as those who have prevented residents of New Zealand from enjoying all tbe privileges of electors, and the privilege of taking part in their own government. I tell him to-night, Sir, and I tell those for whom his speech is specially intended, that every resident of New Zealand who finds himself excluded from the electoral roll has siniply Sir George Grey, and Sir George Grey only, to thank tor that privation. Had the Premier allowed the Bill which passed this House and the other Chamber last year to become law, every resident in New Zealand would have been entitled to vote and to take part in the election now about to take place. Almost every member of tnis side of the House — certainly every member from Canterbury — again and again urged the Premier last year to introduce a measure equalizing the electorate of j this colony, in the shape ot an Act to redistribute seats ; and were we not again and again refused such a measure? Then, how can he go to the country I .■■ „ ■ i

now and say that this side of the House has prevented an equal distribution of power, and has prevented any resident of tbo colony from having a right to vote ? I did not donbt for a moment, when I first saw the memorandum that was sent to the leader of the Opposition by the Premier, that it was intended to make capital out of it, and to use it as an electioneering manifesto. No one who knew the Premier doubted that As to that very old story about the poor G5,000 electors who are precluded from taking part in this great contest about to come off, entirely and solely by the Premier's own action, I knew that would be brought up here tonight ; and I knew, notwithstanding — I am afraid to characterize the conduct of the honorable gentlemen in refusing the repeated requests of this side of the House to equalize the representation of the colony — notwithstanding his deliberate and obstinate disregard of our appeals for a redistribution of seats, and his own wanton destruction of the Electoral Bill, I knew he would .stand up here to-night and charge sis with being the cause of it. I suppose the Chinese question also is a good election cry — I daresay it would do something— but I know that a large number have strong opinions upon that subject; and clearly, therefore, it is one of those questions which are precluded by the Governor in the conditions on which he granted a dissolution. There was a time when what the Premier had said to-night, and what no doubt he intends to say before the country, would have some effect upon the elections. But hope deferred ooaketh the heart sick, and these promises have now been rung before the country till every one is sick of hearing them, and Sir George Grey has no one bufc himself to blame for their non-fulfilment. There is not a labourer in New Zealand who does not know that last year the Premier was at the head of a strong majority in. this House, who were ready to carry every one of the measures which he had paraded before the colony ; and that, if he really wished it, every one of them might have been the law of the land. But, Sir, that would not answer his purpose; that would have taken all the wind out of his sails; that would have left him no election cry, no popular grievance for the present emergency — no excuse for holding up every man of wealth or worth, of educatiou or respectability, as an enemy to his race an an object of hatred and suspicion to his less fortunate neighbors. Sir, the Premier has played a game once that cannot be played twice. He will find broken premises, however strongly or ably reiterated, a bad flag to fight under. He may take his old tales and his old promises and lay them before the electors, as he alone can do it ; but he will find that their charms have all *"* - , ii ■■.

fled, and that the electors of this colony will never again believe one word of them.