THE HON. MR. FOR BEFORE HIS CONSTITUENTS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5353, 24 May 1878, Page 6

THE HON. MR. FOR BEFORE HIS CONSTITUENTS.

(From the Wanyanui Chronicle.)

In pursuance of notice to that effect, the Hon. Mr. Fox addressed his Wanganui constituents in the Odd Fellows’ Hall last evening. There was a very good attendance, and the meeting was most orderly and sympathetic throughout, the only interruptions being the frequent bursts of applause with which the speaker was greeted. The chair was occupied by his Worship the Mayor, whoso nomination to tlio presidency of the meeting was moved and seconded by Mr. Henry Nathan aud Mr. William Beid respectively. The chairman having briefly introduced the hon. member, Mr. Fox, after some introductory remarks, observed that when he was elected a representative of 1 Wanganui, the one great political question of the day was the abolition of provincial institutions. The electors, almost to a man, were in favor of that course, and he had in a previous session committed himself to it by voting for the resolutions which passed the Assembly on the subject. When, last session, the attempt was made to turn out the Ministry which had carried abolition, he considered that it was his duty to vote so as not to endanger the safety of tho abolition cause. The party who turned out the; Atkinson Ministry were chiefly those who fought to the bitter end against abolition, and who, after it was carried, had proposed: to: set provincialism on its legs again, by creating, a North Island and South Island province, with the, scats of Government of:each island at Auckland and Christchurch respectively. : He did not consider this party as fit to be trusted with the constitutional question. They had to , the very last moment denounced the new institutions, declared them utterly unsuitable and incapable of securing the good government - , of the colony. Were these men then to be entrusted with the duty of fostering these institutions, of bringing their ■ machinery.; to perfection j and making them a success.- Was it not more likely that if put in a position to do it, they would endeavor to upset what had been done, and to carry out their own policy of re-establishment of the provincial system? He believed it would be:ao, and he determined, therefore, whether' he: agreed or not with the Atkinson. Government on other points, to keep them iu power, because he believed them to be sound in this. He was: satisfied that he was right in this view, and recent events had proved that the Grey Government was secretly designing to thwart the , new institutions, and reintroduce the old in some modified shape, worse perhaps than the former. It was only a few days ago that Sir William Fitzberbert, wjio had been one of the extremest of the provincial party, had, in his speech at the Hutt, denounced the new institutions as utterly unsuitable, and had bewailed the fall of provincialism as a dire calamity. He had upbraided the people with “having cast into the dirt one of the best democratic forms of government which the world had ever seen.’’ “They had,” he said, “ been deprived of their old aud noble institutions, and instead of bread had been given, a ■ stone.*’ He called Sir George Grey the Angel of Democracy, aud his speeches a New Gospel. He asserted that “ formerly the people knew something of their government, but that now throughout the length and breadth of the land there was nothing but the mystery of fovernment.” Sacli were the opinions expressed by Sir William Fitzberbert of old, provincialism and our new county system. It is true Sir William is not a member of the Government, but till elevated to the Speaker’s chair he was a prominent member of that party, and it is evident from his late speech that he is still an ardent admirer of Sir George Grey and his policy. But there were other utterances besides his which could not be disregarded. A few weeks ago, at a banquet at Dunedin, after dinner, when, according to the old adage, “ when the wine is in the truth will out,” Mr. Macandrew, a prominent member of the Ministry, publicly expressed a hope that we should see “ provincial institutions restored, not perhaps quite in their original form.” There were many other indications of the same intent. Changes were being made in the railway and police departments, which seemed to be intended as preparations for a separate administration in each island. Tho thing would no doubt be cautiously done. There are signs in the colony that a preparation is being made to upset the new system aud replace the old. He (Mr. Fox) would now give them some account of the. manner in which the change of Government was brought about. His respected colleague, Mr. Bryce, had attributed the fall of the Atkinson Ministry to their want of principle. When abolition was carried, he said the Atkinson Ministry had no principles left which they were not prepared to sacrifice in order to retain office ; and he gave ns an illustration their withdrawal of the Native Lands Court Bill and tho Charitable Aid Bill. > Now, he differed from Mr. Bryce in his view of the case. He did not impute to him any want of candor or truthfulness, but Mr. Bryce had unfortunately been absent from the House, owing to severe,illness, during a great part of the session, aud he was probably quite ignorant of what was going on. Otherwise, he would not have omitted all reference to the Middle Party and its action, which really caused the overthrow of. the Atkinson Government, and the access to power of Sir George Grey. He would give them a brief account of the facts. Mr. Fox then related the formation of the Middle Parly, consisting of a few members who were not satisfied with either party, and who thought that they could put themselves in a position to dictate to either, and probably so introduce into a new Ministry some of themselves. After a time there were indications of weakness on the part of the G-overnmeut, and some of their supporters, imitating the rats in a rotten ship, began to follow their instincts and leave it. One of them, Mr. Larnaoh, backed by the Middle" Party, ’ undertook" to move a vote of want of confidence. The Opposition secured the adherence of several more by positive assurances that 1 neither Sir George Grey nor any of his extreme followers should be in the new Ministry. On; the strength of this pledge, they assisted to turn Atkinson out; and then in direct breach of their pledge formed the new Ministry with Sir George Grey at its head, and Mr. Macandrew as his principal colleague. Moat of the Middle Party, on this, refused to support Sir George’s Ministry ; but with the aid of the deserters from Major Atkinson, and a resort to trides which did them little credit, they retained their seats, and remained in at the end of the session. There was really no principle at stake, at least openly, but only a party struggle for power. ,• PRINCIPLES OF SIB GEOBOE grey’s GOVERNMENT, But ns it lias been alleged that the Atkinson Government was turned out for its want of principle, it was desirable to learn what were the principles of the new one. In his opening speech as a Minister, Colonel Whitmore declared that “the Government would be conservative ; there would be no changes.” Now that Sir George Grey has been taking the colony into his confidence and expounding his faith, we are told it is not of a conservative character, but the “Gospel of Democracy.” Mr. Fox had endeavored to ascertain from Sir George’s speeches what his principles were, but had much difficulty in understanding them. He reminded him (to use a happy illustration of a lato writer) of-that young man in one of Longfellow’s poems, : who climbed a lofty mountain with a .flag in_ his hand inscribed with the word “Excelsior,” but the young man had only the vaguest idea of the road he was going, and not the remotest notion of what he was going to do when ho should get to the top. 'The three principal features of Sir George's policy, however, appeared to be manhood suffrage, a land tax, and payment of members. But strange to say, while Sir George Grey declared that _ he meant to fight these principles to “ tho hitter end," a large number of his followers ■ had declared they would not support him'upon them, and that his colleagues; would. h»ye to compel him to

modify them. So hero we have the Atkinson ’Government put out of office because it hadno principles, and the. Grey Government put into office by men who declared they would not suffer him to carry his principles out. HOW FAB MB. POX APPROVED OF THEIR . PRINCIPLES. : : Ist. As regarded manhood suffrage, he was prepared to go a long way. They were not far from it already. If all the people were decently educated so as to be removed from some of the baser influences which too often guided their votes, hs would be prepared to give every man, and every woman, too (if in an independent position), a vote. But unfortunately it was not so. And, besides this, iu a new country there was some reason for requiring actual residence for a time to insure the immigrant intending to remain, and to learn a little about the politics of the colony before he was allowed to vote. They would remember the story of the Irishman who, on landing in America, was beset by the agents of the two great parties, the Democrats and Kepublicaus, each anxious to secure his vote. “I don’t know anything about your parties,” he said, “ but - have you a ;Government ?” “ Yes.” “Then I’m agin that,” ha replied. Now, a little experience would have been good in that case. He. was not aware; of anyone asking for an extension of the franchise in New Zealand, and ho believed it was quite as extensive as prudence would dictate. LAND TAX. Mr. Fox had no objection to a land tax if it was an equitable and fair one, and laid on all lands. He would contend also for a tax on other property, when it could be laid without driving property away. He quite agreed with the sensible remarks of Mr. Bryce on this subject, when he entered a vigorous protest against vindictive legislation, He objected entirely to legislation having for its object the bursting up of the big estates. 1 That would be secured fast enough by the operation of ths general taxation of the country without its being necessary to make it a special point to be secured. He objected to the proposal to tax all lands above a certain acreage. If such a tax were imposed, it should bo on all lands, large and small; and every man should contribute proportionately to tho revenue’ of the country. This was a mere matter of justice ; but there were other reasons why the proposal to which be had referred was a most objectionable one. It would be certain to create class feelings and prejudices. Happily the colony had hitherto been free from anything of that sort ; but if a line were drawn between the large and small holders the former would soon begin to look down on the latter. He anticipated that a land tax would soon become a necessity, but he did not quite see why the tax should bo confined to land. 1 He thought banks, insurance companies, and all institutions of a similar nature should bear their share of taxation. For himself he thought an income aud property tax was the fairest of all, but there was of course the difficulty of collection. .PAYMENT OP MEMBERS. He decidedly objected to this. He would pay bare expenses) but nothing more) Payment of members elsewhere had been found to create, a class of trading politicians, who got elected for the sake,of pay, or for some other plunder for,which they lipped to barter their vote. As far as he could learn, it had resulted iu other countries in placing in the Legislature a large number of men without either intelligence or a stake in the country, and had been the. means of keeping out many of the best aud most able men in the country. SIR GEORGE GREY’S ; ANTECEDENTS IN RELATION TO HIS PRESENT OPINIONS. When he contrasted Sir George Grey’s present utterances with his past career, he (Mr. Fox) was much puzzled to understand him, and on his reading his Gospel of Democracy, as Sir William Fitzberbert called it, a sort of qualm came over him. He had himself all his life been an advocate :of what were called liberal opinions, of equal rights for all men, so far as consistent with public safety, and an equal share of the public burdens iu proportion to the share of protection which each man received from the.law. The first part of Sir George Grey’s career was in the army, a training not generally conducive to very liberal opinions. For. many of the subsequent years of his life he was a servant of the Colonial Office, at that time, he might say, a department the most arbitrary aud opposed ,to the extension of political liberty. In that capacity, as he records himself, he had to obey the behests of his master, the Minister of the day, whether he agreed with him or not, and even to conceal from the colonists that he was acting under such instructions as antagonism to their rights and wishes. Aud now, when Sir George Grey came forward as the Angel of Democracy, he could not help calling to mind a long course of years during which himself and all his fellow colonists in every part of New Zealand combined in constitutional associations, and led by such men as Featherston, Fitzberbert, Godly, Clifford, aud Weld, were engaged in a death struggle with Sir George Grey, because he stood between them and representative institutions. It seemed strange now to read his Gospel of Democracy, and remember the Governor of New Zealand of 1816 to 1850. He could not help remarking, also, on tho strange hallucinations of Sir George Grey's present mind. He was laboring under impressions that the people of New Zealand were divided into two great classes—a mushroom aristocracy and down-trodden serfs, and that his mission was to' liberate the latter from the heel of the former, which now pressed upon them. He could only account for these strange delusions by the fact that Sir George had never been a colonist. Most of our public men, and all our previous Prime Ministers, had been colonists. They had come here to fight the battle of life, to throw in their lot with the other founders of the colony, and work out their destiny on the same conditions as all the rest. Mr. Stafford had worked bis way to the position he now hold. Sir Julius Vogel did the same. Major Atkinson had been twitted by one of the most foul-mouthed of Sir George’s followers with haying driven bullocks. Mr. Domett, Dr. Pollen, and he himself, had all undergone tho experiences of colonists, and stood on an equal footing with their fellow men. But Sir George had never done anything of this sort, and he never understood or felt by experience what the life of a struggling colonist was. And now he had got some recollection of the condition of society in Ireland and in the rural districts of England fifty years ago, with mushroom aristocracy, and downtrodden serfs, and he was going about trying to set class against class, to persuade the working man of New Zealand that he was a poor, oppressed creature, deprived of the rights of humanity, and suffering the greatest conceivable hardships. He (Mr Fox) was not; surprised that with such vain dreams fermenting iu his brain his colleagues did not allow him to travel alone, but always one or more accompanied him bn his tours. He was tho only Prime Minister he remembered who had not been allowed to go about without a keeper. Mr Stafford used to go at large. Sir Julius Vogel did the same, and he himself had never been under surveillance, nor any other i Ministers he remembered. .But .when he .remem,bered Sir George’s speeches he was not sur- : prised that he was not allowed to go alone. His colleagues were evidently prudent men. It greatly raised them in his estimation, and he hoped it was an indication that Mr.’Bryce’s hope would be fulfilled, and that his colleagues would be able to make him modify his opinions; After thanking the meeting for their patient attention, Mr. Pox sat down amidst loud and long protracted cheers. I A question was asked by Mr. Peat in reference to the Permissive Bill, and answered by Mr, Fox. Mr. Pharazyn then said that it had been stated that the Atkinson Government intended to make the terminus of tho West Coast railway about the middle of tho Waitotara, and that its extension was the work of the present Government. Was it so ? Mr. Fox thought there was some misunderstanding. Ho had often talked to Major Atkinson about the railway and other roads on this coast, and always understood that he was desirous of pushing tho railroad through to Taranaki as fast as possible, consistently with the possession of the necessary funds. , Mr. Pharazyn then moved a vote of confidence and thanks to Mr. Fox, which was seconded by Mr. Flebtwood, and on being put by the Chairman, was carried unanimously, with loud cheers, nearly every hand in the room apparently being held up in the affirmative, and not one in the negative.