"A BULL OF BASHAN." And the Golden Calf.

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 67, 12 October 1901, Page 8

"A BULL OF BASHAN." And the Golden Calf.

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR has been vie innocent cause of ninth vitupeiation in the House He has been actused of all soits of dica-dful (lungs and thcPieniiei has also been stigmatised a.s an aidei and abcttoi of the fell designs of the King s icpiescntative to 10b this tountiy of something that it signified its willingness to pay long ago The periodical wild shucks of niembeis w. o have a bias foi economy in diiections wheie they see they have a chance oi thiowmg daits at the "Bull of Bashan arc absolutely hcaiti ending * ♦ # The niembeis who opposed the icinibin icnient to the Goveinoi of the sum of £2250 expended by him at the desuc of the Government achieved nothing moie by then opposition than to make the countiy feel mean, and the heads of the colony and the Government uncomfortable At the same time, then squabbling has liici cased the expense by waste of valuable time They cost money those debates and while the eountiy may at times benefit by acud dispute, ceitainly the experience gamed by the cxpcnditiue of fiothy woids and good haul cash is haidly the kind of expedience we want The Picmiei is m disgiace m one small quaitei because he has the tcmeiity to defend his actions and is accused of political bovine loanngs because when he is baited, lie defends himself with a vigoui that is not agieeable to his opponents Now when the Piemiei was challenged to take a platfoim in the Wanaiapa, and defend his action in wanting to pay a lebt, because lie did not continue the alleged loanng he wa,s saut to have ' backed down " When he went out of the loanng business his opponents ceitamly took ovei the mdustiy and stigmatised his weanness as weakness * * * While the Piennci s enemies allege he is getting weak because he does not excLcise the pouei only Ins detiactois believe he possesses of hounding a membei out of the House who da ios to oppose him the weakness 1^ not at all appaicnt The Piemieis suppoitcis do not icallx believe that his powei can fill 01 eniptv those benches And the piophets of the "Dawn distinctly weaken then cause by exalting the powci they allege he possesses as a dictator * » * Within two 01 thice lines we ale told that Mr Seddon is a weak man who ba< ks (low n and has the powei of making the House too hot to hold a specified politician Is this an anomal\ oi a slab of humoiu ? Tf the law had piovided foi contingencies such as the visit of Royalty the bickeiing ovei His Excellency s extiaordinaiy expenses would not have taken place At any late, seeing th.it llis Excellency enteied into liabilities at the expiess dcsne of the

Government, m older to act as host for the colony, it was a pity there was so much unseemly wi angling m the House over the settling of the bill, and also a pity that &o much valuable time was absolutely thrown away when there are so many other matteis of gieat importance to the tountiy likely to be neglected for want of oppoitunity to deal with them