THE GOVERNOR’S DESPATCHES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5360, 1 June 1878, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE GOVERNOR’S DESPATCHES.

(From the Australasian, May IS.) . The publication of the despatches between the Governor .and the, Colonial Office,on the subject of the crisis shows that Sir George Bowen as a letter-writer very much resembles Sir George Bowen as an after-dinner orator. The same power of skilful facile statement, in which partisanship is ably disguised under the forms of impartiality, the, same complacent de- 1 mand on the universe at large to admire his absolute neutrality while doing his utmost to ensure the success of; the one side in the dis-: pute, and the same desire to shelter his actions under the opinions of such Governors as Lord Canterbury and Lord Dufferin are equally displayed in both forms of deliverance. A reader who knew nothing of the facts of the case would gather from these papers that at every step which Sir George Bowen took, he had the written and accepted principles of his judicious predecessor to guide him. And he would be at a loss ,to explain how it is that while Lord Canterbury’s character for fairness and impartiality, is unchallenged, the action of our present Governor has exposed him to such bitter denunciations of the grossest partisanship. To those who know the circumstances the difference between the two men is, most apparent, aud the explanation lies on the surface, but we need not now enter into that branch of the subject. : ' The astute tactics of the Governor iu going about to secure the assent of the Colonial Office beforehand, to a line of action entailing most .far-reaching, and indefinite, consequences, are in, the first telegram included iu this batch of despatches. Knowing the advantage of gaining on his side .the first impression, His Excellency telegraphed on September 19, “ Payment of members having been twice affirmed by Parliament, by Act, my Ministers now propose to place it on the Estimates, as hi New Zealand, and Canada.” To have added words to show that it had been affirmed by Parliament merely as a temporary and: experimental measure, aud that now it was. opposed by a large majority of one House of the Legislature, would, his Excellency doubtless considered, have subjected the country to a ruinous and needles , expense. Moreover, which is more to the point, it would have modified the impression made;, by, the ftelegram iu. a direction opposed to the :wishes of the Government and the. Governor. Sir George Bowen iu the same telegram, and more at large iu the subsequent despatches, proceeded to play on the timidity of the Colonial Office by holding up the bogy of “ another collision between the ' Imperial Government and the House of Assembly,” unless he is allowed to follow the advice of .his Ministers. The telegram was successful in eliciting the reply desired, and it is difficult in considering the circumstances .to question , the justice of the observation o£ .The. Times- on this point, that .though .Lord Carnarvon's reply,, “may cover Sir George Bowen’s subsequent action,” it “ was dictated in ignorance of some ofithe : material. facts Of .the case.” The; issue was, that the Colonial-Office was committed to a line of action which seemed for the moment to avoid a present difficulty,-although it entailed, as Sir M. Hioks-Beach has since discovered, a 'grave responsibiUty.and.,embarrassment iu the future.

Wo pass over the large shave' of these despatches which Sir George Bowen has devoted to self-adulation to note another point in which it is difficult to acquit him of deliberately misleading the Secretary of State, both by assertion and suppression. He requested permission to publish the confidential despatches of Bord Canterbury on the ; ground that “ it would do much public good.” The Secretary of State was evidently disposed to consider such publication improper and (inadvisable, and requested Sir George Bowen’s reasons for advising such a course. That official replied that the despatches “ define the position and mutual relations of the Council and Assembly, and their presentation to Parliament here would now do good ” -If the,Secretary of State had been made aware of the disgraceful breach of confidence by which tlie contents of these -.despatches ;h«d- been made known to the Government, and the discreditable purpose their publication was intended to serve, by wresting them from their appropriate circumstances and applying them to am entirely different case, can it be doubted that instead of a reluctant assent .he would have given a very emphatic refusal to this request?, , ! . ■' The shifty shuffling spirit which, animates these despatches attains its fullest development In those, referring, to the dismissals of Black Wednesday. „ In ,his first telegraphic account of those proceedings, the . Governor actually ventured to describe then! in these words ; “A number of. civilservants and minor officers of the judicial; department have necessarily been dispensed with temporarily, but sufficient provision has been made for the administration of justice and maintenance* of law and order.” " The feelings with which the Secretary of Stato ultimately discovered that these “ minor officers” were all. the; county court judges and police magistrates of the colony we may readily imagipe, and also the expression which eveii dignified official human nature would reasonably apply - to such a - statement.. In justifying the . .adoption of the advice .of -: his. Ministers, the Governor in his extended despatch recurs : to his favorite device,. of . alarming ithe Colonial Office with the prospect of , the . difficulties which the refusal of thatbadvioe; would have ■ entailed. With 'Peckaniflian effusion, tho Governor 'declares his “deep-sympathy with the officers of the; civil . service”-—a poignant feeling which, it will be remembered, compelled him to plunge; for relief into tho festivities and amusements of a tour in the Western District directly the decreo was signed. He is careful to • represent( the removals as temporary, enlarges on tho “considerable retiring allowances; and other, compensation in money” payable to thedismissed officers, and in every way seeksto extenute what has declared by the dominant party , to •; bo , a . “ revolutionary proceeding.”; Ho quotes. a memorandum which ho wrote under. the. influence of the opinions of learned counsel ,condemning the suspension of ; the law courts as illegal, showing his alarm tod en-> deavor to “ hedge.’* How. far;the despatch purporting to relate-the. proceedings of Black Wednesday was from being a.faithful account, may bo judged from the fact that it is impossible to discover from it that, in’the first im stance, all county; court; judges and.!.police magistrates wore,dismissed. Indeed, Sir George Bowen only notices the assertion that’ the “ re-; Auctions rendered-necessary by the rejection of the Appropriation Act;will interfere with i the machinery of some of tho minor, courts of justice,” to (declare that “there is no foundation for. this statement,- and that provision has been made for tho holding of tho county courts, the courts of mines, the courts of insolvency,* and tile general sessions, In- tho usual .course according, to;law. Really when, we read: this /surprising assertion wo feel rather, be wildbredii ; Is it merely a dream, then, that all of; these courts were closed, that their registrars and clerks were forbidden to issue any processes,. and were threatened with dismissal if, they,did, so, and that the Ministry : only reappointed some;; judges and magistrates to. make a nominal oomplianoe with the law after the; illegality: of their first action was; pointed out ? : Of, these?developments of the crisis, , and of the. ** avowedly? revolutionary ” arguments by. which Ministers defended their acts, the. despatches In which the Governor is supposed,to lay; an honest, and?impartial account before tho Secretary of State make iio mention whatever, and even by implication declare: that, “there is.no foundation: for tho statement;" ; Surely by this time the Secretary of State must have found the meoessity of going Outside the despatches of his; vibe-regal correspondent if he really desires to obtain impartial and authentic history. . 1