PROSPECTS OF THE SESSION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5349, 20 May 1878, Page 3

PROSPECTS OF THE SESSION.

THE GOVERNMENT TOLtCY. ■ - (From the' Daily Telegraph.) “The next session of. the General Assembly, will be one;of a most,'interesting character, not only on account of tho measures that are ■ promised to be brought down by the Ministry, but also on account of the forces, that will bo arrayed ayjiu-t the Government, The .proceedin'?;! of the session'will include something , more than ast'ruggle fo.r placo'between the pc-., cupauts of the .Ministerial Opposition benches,' for underlying the -position of the two'parties is the imjircssiou that has been created that a hold office; in,..consequence of the laches of. theirspredecessors. There is.anjll-. disguised feeling amongst the members of the Opposition that they are regarded, if not by the .country at large, at least l by supporters qfi tl|ei Government,; as. being in disgrace. ! Throughout the whole of last session the. Atkinson party , w?s. being,! constantly,;iand = vifttlently charged. with.dishonesty of purpose, and hints at the ppsr. Vibility, of substantiating still graver' charges/ when ; tho drawers and pigeon-holes of the Government; offices were; examined were not wanting when arguments failed, Sinea, the, prorogation .'simihir.-insinuations have been thrown out, till at length a feeling of very great. indignation and irritationhasbeen'ereated that cannot fail to show itself wheu/Parliament assembles. This irritation is not in the least de- r gree! lessened.because of the knowledge that the; charges made are wholly untrue ; on the contrary, it is reasonable, to think that this knowledge has tended to strengthen it by adding to it a feeling :of contempt for men who .have not shown- much-:hesitation .in the .employment of language : not by facts in order to obtain power aml place. In fact, ou the principle that if plenty ofJnuid bo thrown some is snro to. stick, the Government party has been so unwearied in assailing the honor, and honesty: of; ittf opponents/that, in snany. quarters, it is really-believed the late Ministry were deservedly ousted from office. Nothing can ho-mora unjust than IsuohS; belief, and that it should; bo; entertained-iia the more ox-,, tradrdinary from-the//circuraatahce iof 'the utter failure, of the present .Government Jo., substantiate a single charge;-or, even to shape one into anything more than a base insinuation. The-Oppositiou cannot; be expected, to, sit tamely under-an imputation of this kind; .its mehibers cannot be expected to allow their detractors to*ride rough-shod over them, but it will take alt-their forbearance- to -siibdue thpiq, natural indignation within those Parliamentary,! bounds which are necessary to the maintenance' bflthtf'dignity of the ,’House. It is to be hoped that there will bo no repetition of those scenes Which ’disgraced -the- -General' Assembly ■ last'session, sCem-s quite unknown- toit till the character of the House was lowered by - the entrance* of representatives ’ whose only, claim to; the votes of electors was-their-power of rant) and,abuse./ -We-haye,^-.however,- this assurance of the propriety avith which the debates ayiU,be. -contacted-next sessionjiso far as the; Gppqr sition .is concerned, that its ranks afe com ; . posed of - the best jnea in the House—mon who can recognise the,dignity, of their position.not, only in the -General Assembly, but in those parts of the colony to which’ they belong. They ■are nearly every-one of them men of mark,and : so ; .far. tadepbutantkaai uotltu; require special legislation: to. ‘enable ithem/tq i retain their seats. They neither want manhood-stiff frago nor representation .on.-.the-basis of popn-,: latfou.' to secure thoif annual; honorarium, for they are above ;,the .suspicion!of being professional politicians, .In this -they are 'in as muohj striking contrast to many of. tho i most ardent supporters of the Government, as they are in. regard tb : their past services' to the colony-. To the Opposition belong„, the men ' to whom tho colony is indebted for. having raised it from -a , very, .insignificant ;to a "very proud . position amongst ,tho poshes;-; sions of the , Umpire ; meii. whoso", names are , associated 'with'.-the 'initiation and progress of a policy that. for, boldness: has, never been surpassed in Australia, and -by which the country passed from a period of the, deepest depression to'one of unexampled pros-, perity. 1 These arc they whom the,Government will have to confront next session, and it is in the fact that the Ministry, composed 1 of, inexperienced men, will have,-to giye .an account of their btswarduhipr.to iki'iccl aiid.ablo.; politicians, that much of the interest iu the proceedings will centre. Some sympathy will naturally be folt for a (•ioveruincnt'that has no reputation to fall back upon* no past Heivices to which it can point as a claim to .support. It is possible however, that that, sympathy will—take uo very active form in a case demanding a close investigation of facts and figures, j T-he Ministry will have to stand, or fall on the merits of their administration ; during the recess, and not on' the problematical value of any measures they may desire to introduce.