DR. WALLIS, M.H.R. AT AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5203, 24 November 1877, Page 3

DR. WALLIS, M.H.R. AT AUCKLAND.

As previously notified by telegraph, a meeting was held at Auckland on the Kith instant. “ for the purpose of obtaining an expression of opinion in the present political situation.” At this meeting, with exquisite taste, three groans were called for for the Governor. Amongst the speakers was Dr. Wallis, M.H.E., who is reported in the Heio Zealand Herald of the 1/th instant to have spoken thus : Dr. Wallis, upon presenting'himself to the audience, was also received with cheers. He complained that the Herald had not given due prominence to the holding of the meeting. He thought that unless there should be a dissolution public business would be not only retarded but thrown into confusion by th» factious conduct of the Opposition. It was said of the Whigs in "England that they governed by means of the favored families of that party. Something of the same kind would take place in New Zealand if the power of public opinion could not prevent it. The Waste Lands and other departments were in a most unsatisfactory condition. Native affairs had been conducted with such secresy as to sustain the suspicion that concealment meant something more than was for the public benefit. Then the Civil Service was like a vampire, draining the life blood of the country. The colony might be compared to the Augean stable which required a Hercules to cleanse it, so foul was it. bir George Grey stood in the position of Hercules to cleanse the Augean stable of the colony of its abuses. But the cliques—the factions the liucrg—who had held possession did not want the abuses cleansed out, so that they were moving earth and Heaven—he begged pardon for using a theological expression (laughter and cheers) —he should have said moving all the powers of earth and hell to preserve the foulness of the Augean stable as it was. _ By all Parliamentary precedent and practice Sir George Grey was entitled to ask for a dissolution, and the people, seeing that the government of the country could not be carried on, had a right to demand it. (Cheers.) 'I he session had been a failure. It was true that what was called in mechanical science “ unstable equilibrium” had delayed business. This unstably-balanced state of parties bad stopped the progress of public business. But what was the remedy? The remedy was a dissolution. (Cheers.) There was another evil which the “unsettled equilibrium" produced. This was that it gave to the unprincipled, to the unscrupulous, to the political . trimmers and traders, an opportunity to turn matters to their private advantage. One out of every four were political trimmers and rogues. An even balance of parties was the opportunity of these political trimmers and rogues—it was their sunshine, and he never heard of any of them refusing to make hay. (Laughter and cheers.) He had heard of only one who turned his hay into cash, he could not depose to the fact before a magistrate, but it was the common talk of the place, and there were many avho believed it. The present Parliament was elected to decide the question of the life or death of the provinces. Sir George Grey fought for the provinces, and lost the battle. But the provinces were now dead; Provincialism was gone, and Sir George Grey now said, if the provincial districts were to he regarded as a part of the colony, let them share alike the benefit of Colonial Government ; let there be one purse and one policy for all. (Cheers.) The sooner Parliament was dissolved the better for the people. The session, however, had been a success in one political point of view. It had manifested the strength of parties. He (Dr. Wallis) had a tear in his eye for its failure ; but there was a smile for the hope that things were becoming better—that public affairs would soon be conducted with a view to the interest and benefit of the colony as a whole. There had been something like an attempt to establish an oligarchic despotism like the French. That attempt had been defeated. But these who had made the attempt though weakened, were not killed. It was necessary that the people should still be vigilant against their assaults. He would quote a passage—in a political, not in a theological sense— Oh for a tongue to curse the slave_ Whose treason, like a deadly blight, Comes o’er the freedom of the brave, And blasts them in their hour of might. The people had a right to demand a dissolution. If it were not granted, then the representatives should go again to Wellington and refuse to grant supplies until they first understood how the finances of the country had been dealt with. The voice of the whole people, he thought, wasia favor of giving Sir George Grey’s Government a fair support. The question of Separation was uppermost at the opening of the present Parliament. Mr. Whitaker, he had heard, had grown cold to his former love. Sir George Grey was for Separation ; so was Mr. Macandrew; and he (Ur. Wallis) had still hope that Mr. Whitaker would be true to his political faith. He could wish to see him, who was unquestionably the ablest man in the House, united to Sir George Grey in political life. Both would be in place fighting together the battle of the people who sent them both to Parliament. They would, when acting together, be a tower of strength. (Cheers.) The Herald has an article on the subject of this meeting, whicii concludes thus : —“ One word maybe said in conclusion, and that is, that the taste which led to the call for three groans for the Governor was what we do not care to characterise. It may be pleaded that to some extent it was led up to by the speeches, but it was none the less a mistake. It was a mistake, because it may be regarded as reflecting on the vice-regal office the Governor fills as the representative of her Majesty, and which therefore custom has properly fenced round with a fence of ceremony that may not lightly be broken. Perhaps, too, Dr. Wallis allowed the warmth of his style to overcome his Parliamentary discretion when he said that one out of every four members of the House was “ a trimmer and a rogue,” Parliament is still sitting, and we are disposed to think that in making a charge of this kind against 22 out of the 88 members, he committed a “breach of the privileges” of the House of which he is a member. According to his arithmetic, Dr. Wallis holds that probably 66 are honest men, and the others are “ trimmers and rogues.” In which class does Dr. Wallis include himself ?”