THE CABINET AND THE STUMP.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5366, 8 June 1878, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE CABINET AND THE STUMP.

, " (From the Timaru Hercdd:) • >, - Mr; Ballnnoe’a speech at Marten .has, wo fool convinced, done more to embarrass Sir George Grey andhis Government than all the devices of their :• opponentscould possibly have done. We shouldthink the meeting between the Premier and his young colleague, after their prolonged separation, would bo anything buta : .pleasant one: Sir George has been, “.dragging his weary body”- all round the colony, - and - addressing innumerable public mee tings, in order to disseminatoono set of prin-i, ciples; while Mr. Ballance was laboriously incubating a speech to his oonstitue’nts-in ■favor of a totally different' set of principles. We need hot'wander through all the extracts, quptationa, far-fetched paral-lels,-and theoretical essays which,make up the bulk of .that ipprteutous.Mart'on speocli. We.will take,.as.best illustrative, of the wide divergence of opinion betwoen Mr. Ballance-and, his chief,'the passage, which deals with the question of manhoodsuffrage.? That is the article with whichSir? George Grey begins, continues, and endshis political creed; Again and again ;he comes back to it, whenever he addresses; the : people: 'Ho wants’a land tax, but the only way to get at is by manhood suffrage; he wants ,to destroy ‘ ‘ the power of the runholdera,” but the only way to .do it., ia by manhood suffrage ; he wants, to reform the Civil Service, but he cannot do so until he is supported- by a House elected by manhood suffrage ; he bewails ! the abolition of the provinces; and declares that no appeal to, the people was made on • the subject, because'there was no nun-; hood suffrage. Everything with him turns on manhood suffrage, and when he speaks l of manhood suffrage, ho means it .and nothing else. • . .. In a word, Sir George. Grey-is an. ardent-advocate of manhood suffrage, and Mr:; Ballance is an unqualified opponent of it. . Yet Mr. Ballance declared that his account of; the matter -‘-‘ showed the opinion of the Minis-try.’’-""Either he 1 does not include ; the Premier in the Ministry; or else Sir Geo: Grey’s opinion concerning manhood snffrago; is ;exaotly tile opposite of what it was two months ago. The latter hypothesis is too improbable to.be worth considering. It is obvious that such.an absolute diversity of polioics-in one Ministry must seriouslyf: embarrass; their supporters. Whom are they to support, Sir George Grey and the rights of . ;man;!; or- Mr: Ballance:and the rights of property l The most extreme - partisans- of the Govern-; -ment will have to choose between those; two, and how are they to make the choice I When the division takes place, for instance, on the, clause perpetuating the plural property vote, are they.to follow Mr.,Ballance into the.. Aye V . lobby, or. Sir [ George; Grey into; the-.‘f,No ”> lobby I How;are’ they; to .satisfy; their, constituents,- t00,,when called, upon -to -account for their action 1 . What is Mr. Saunders.to do,: for, example-? : He has pledged-himself to, support the present Government and manhood suffrage. But;- according to Mr.; Ballance, the present Government are not in favor of manhood suffrage, and Mr; Saunders will be compelled s either to oppose .manhoo'd, suffrage,;or else: to go into ' Opposition., The position would bo very amusing, if an utter antagonism of opinion’ in the Ministry; on. a-leading public ques-; 1 tion were-,mot too, grave-a matter >for a -joke., ?:The■ state"of -affairs'iwould 'be,a: farce, if it were not ’so l very melancholy.:-: