New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK’S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, January 4, 1851.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 566, 4 January 1851, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK’S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, January 4, 1851.

In last Wednesday’s Independent, in an ac•count of the proceedings of the soi disant Constitutional Association, an outline is given of what these Solons consider “the provisions of a constitution suitable to the colony.” Whether from accident or design, whether it be owing to the ignorance of these self-appointed Constitution • mongers of the subject with which they have attempted to grapple, or to their deshe to withhold from the settlers a full knowledge of their intentions, the outline ... published is so meagre and confused as to be almost unintelligible. From their sudden

opposition to the Governor’s Provincial Conn- ) cils Bill, after their previous hearty and unequivocal approval of it, it might be inferred that the outline before us is intended by these persons as a substitute for that measure, while as far as any meaning can be gathered from itsprovisions, they seem to relate to the General Assembly and Government of the colony. The greater part of the outline referred to is borrowed from the series of resolutions proposed by Sir W. Molesworth as an amendment on the Australian bill, which was rejected by the House of Commons by so large a majority as to satisfy any reasonable person that such a proposal would not be entertained by that House. These men are asking then for what they are surebeforehand they will never obtain, and we have only to examine some of the proposed provisions to be convinced how extravagant and preposterous they are. In the first place they claim to be entirely free from any'interference on the part of the Home Government in the internal regulation of the affairs of the Colony, and we suppose include in this demand an uncontrolled power over the Colonial revenue. So that while Great Britain is expected to preserve the peace and maintain the tranquillity both internal and external of the Colony, while the British Government is called upon to contribute by an annual Parliamentary Grant towards the expense of governing its distant and somewhat expensive dependency, it •is to have no voice in controlling or regulating the expenditure. The colony is to be virtually independent, but the British Government is to be allowed the privilege of defraying all the expenses incurred in maintaining internal security, and providing protection from external dangers. Again, while

no provision or reservation is made in favor of the natives, while universal suffrage, limited only by twelve months residence, is to be conferred on the European population, care is taken ,c to prevent half civilized aborigines from out balancing the intellectual Europeans” by a.high property qualification. It may be well in this place to observe that, while a claim is advanced for an uncontrolled potier over the Colonial revenue, (although the colony is unable to defray the cost of its Government) without any interference on the part of the British Government or reservation in favor of the natives, in each of the Australian colonies included in the Act recently passed a considerable amount is set apart for the salaries of the Governor and Judges, for the administration of justice and the civil government, and for public worship. A demand is made (borrowed from Sir W. Molesworth) the Governor should be removable f ~ or an address to the Crown of two-thirds of the members of the Legislature,” and that the Judges should be removable in like manner, while for aught that appears to the contrary their salaries are not fixed but are to be voted, and may consequently be altered, every year at the pleasure of the majority of the Council, so that pains are taken to corrupt the administration of justice and make the Judges the creatures of a faction, instead of their being wholly independent of any party. It is worthy of remark that the duration of the Council they propose should, be, for. the Lower Chamber three years, for the Upper seven. In America the House of Representatives is elected for two years and the senators are elected for six years, but one-third of the latter body is elected every second year; and Sir W. Molesworth has borrowed this latter feature from the Americans, for in the constitution of his Legislative Council he proposes that onethird of that body should be elected every third year. In the Provincial Councils Bill Sir George proposes that the Council should be elected every two years ; thus giving an opportunity to eligible persons newly arrived in the colony, to take part in the management of its affairs. But our patriots, if they could but smuggle themselves into the Chamber, feel every disposition to remain as long as they can. Such are a few of the absurdities put forth by these ’prentice hands, for the sake of which they would prevent practical legislation and impede the progress of the Colony, if they venture to

publish their scheme before their meeting is held for its adoption, we shall enter into a further exposure of these crude abortions.