New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4825, 8 September 1876, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8.

The House was indebted yesterday afternoon to Sir George Grey for an unexpected, unnecessary, and yet in some respects interesting debate, bristling with personalities, with accusations, and with denials. The House has been so often similarly indebted to the member for the Thames, and is so likely to be yet more indebted to him in this respect, that at the close of the session it will be worth consideration whether a formal vote of thanks should not be passed to him for having, without any seeming likelihood of its occurrence, so often got up a lively discussion out of nothing at all. Yesterday Captain Morris, member for the East Coast, had put a motion on the Order Paper, for placing on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of £4OO for the purpose of putting in repair the bridge over the Waioeka river. The Government acceded to the motion, stating that the sum would be made a charge on the land fund of the district. The Hon. Major Atkinson stated the case clearly. In the district in question the land fund goes directly into the colonial coffers; the bridge had been built by the General Government, and owing to a flood was now liable at any moment to be swept away, unless some £4OO were expended upon it. All this seemed very simple, but Sir George Grey scented corruption, malfeasance, and wickedness of all kinds. Accordingly he got up and accused Captain Morris of having arranged with the Government to put this motion on the Order Papor, when they would accede to it, and that then he would support them in their Ministerial measures. In other words, Sir George accused Captain Morris of soiling his vote to Ministers. But the member for the Thames did not stop here. He went on to accuse the hon. and gallant baronet the member for Marsden, Sir Robert Douglas, of having arranged with the Government early in tho session to support them on condition of gotting certain monies or concessions for his district. And hereupon arose an acrimonious debate. SirGEOitos'spolitical trencherman and led captain, Mr. Rees,

followed his leader with his usual coarse abuse, and lectured Parliament on political morality.' Into the course taken by the debate it is unnecssary to go further. Mr. Moorhouse, roused apparently by the incessant manner in which Sir George Grey and his political bravo made nuisances' of themselves, administered a castigation to the later, severe but not'undeserved, arid which was applauded from all sides of the House. The really interesting part of the debate, however, was shown in the speeches of Sir Robert Douglas and Captain Morris. Both showed that Sir George Grey's allegations against them were simply quite without foundation, and each showed the unfair manner in which Sir George Grey had tried to trap them into admissions by means of which he might give color to his accusations. It seems that there is a, block of land in Sir Robert Douglas s district which his constituents are anxious to have - opened for settlement. He has gone to Sir George Grey as Superintendent of Auckland times out of number, to get some action taken in the matter, but Sir George is always too busy with the concerns of the whole world, civilised and-uncivilised, to trouble himself about such paltry matters, and so the member for Marsden got scant justice from him. Then Sir Robert Douglas went, not to the Ministry, but to the ordinary departmental officers, and made all the enquiries that his constituents required. Sir George Grey was aware of this, and called it making a bargain with the Ministry to sell a vote. In Captain Morris's case it appeared that that gentleman, having placed his notice of motion on the paper some days ago, did ask the Government yesterday what they would do about it, not asking them to support it or reject it, but simply carrying out his pledge to his constituents, which was that whilst he did not expect there would be much money for works this- session, he wouldput each matter in connection with their district fairly before Government, and leave them to accept or reject it as they might choose. But so far as voting went he had plainly stated that he would vote with Government when he thought them right, and against them when he thought them wrong. Sir George Grey yesterday asked him if he had seen the Government in reference to this notice of motion, and he answered yes; and from this Sir ■ George built wp his disgraceful accusations. Now, we are anxious to write as mildly as possible about these kind of actions on Sir George Grey's part, yet we cannot avoid applying the term despicable to them. No gentleman is safo in holding intercourse with one who will go on in this way. Let us take one of the cases under notice. Captain Morris, a new member, one who has given no sign of supporting the Government, is asked by Sir George Grey, in reference to an innocent notice of motion, "Have you seen the Government about it?" Captain Morris says "yes," knowing there has been nothing wrong or underhand about his conduct,' and not dreaming that a gentleman professing to have so nice a sense of honor as Sir George Grey professes to have could imagine anything underhand. No more passes at the moment, but a couple of hours afterwards the member for the Thames pounces on Captain Morris in the House, denounces him as one who has sold himself to Government, and all on account of some perfectly harmless proceedings, and a conversation in which Captain Morris did not know that _ his questioner was seeking to trap him into saying something that might be laid hold of to his disadvantage. The spectacle of one like Sir George Grey doing these things awakens pity as well as disgust. It is pitable to see such a man descending to such contemptible tricks, it is disgusting to find any man capable of practising such arts. Captain Morris and Sir Robert Douglas are both soldiers and unaccustomed to the slippery ways of statesmen of the Sir George Grey type. Their replies consequently to his mean accusations of them yesterday were far more plain than pleasant, and but that they acknowledged the restraints of the place in which they were speaking, their language might have been plainer and less pleasant still. .