A GOVERNOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5384, 29 June 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

A GOVERNOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES.

(From the European Mail May 10.)

Sir M. Hicks-Beach recently received a deputation, who presented to him a view, in respect to the recent crisis in Victoria, adverse to the course taken by Sir G. Bowen, tho Governor. The Colonial Secretary read a telegram just received from Australia, which intimated that the crisis had passed, and in his reply suggested .that the matter might remain uow where it stood. Since the deputation waited on the Colonial Secretary a telegram has been received from the Chief Secretary of Victoria by the Agent-General for that colony resident in London in reference to tho subject. The telegram asks the Agent-General to protest to the Secretary of State for the Colonics, on behalf of Victoria, against any attention being paid to the representations of “ absentee colonists in England, who are entirely without influence in Victoria,” and stated that groat indignation ii expressed iu Melbourne at their interference. “The payment of members question,” the Standard says, “is not the real subject of the dispute. The Ministers and the majority in the Legislative Assembly aro determined to prove that the Council cannot resist, cannot use its constitutional powers for resistance, without finding itself deserted by the representative of the Crown, overruled by distortions of tbo law, defeated, humiliated, and insulted. Tho Ministers, supported by their majority, can advise the Governor to any measure they please, and the Governor declares that ho preserves his Constitutional attitude of impartiality by accepting the advice of his Ministers without hesitation, even when it is alleged that the laws and the spirit of the Constitution are violated by the measures proposed. If the Executive thus administered, have the needful amount of evil courage, it is obvious that tho resistance of a body like the Legislative Council must bo quickly 7 vanquished, especially since the classes it represents have most to lose by the delivery of the community to anarchy. According to the Colonics and India “it is evident now that the law of numbers is to prevail in Victoria, and that intelligence and property are to bow down to the authority of universal suffrage, and that it will be useless to expect that the Colonial Office will step in to stay the hand of a Democratic Minister who has' a powerful working majority in the Assembly at its back. The remarks) made by Sir .Michael Hicks-Beach to the Victorian deputation which waited upon him made this perfectly clear. Tho Colonial Office will look on as a calm observer in any future struggle, and will be ready, -when its advice is asked, to afford it, but will certainly not come forward to thwart the wishes of the majority. Any improvement in the political aspect of Victoria can only therefore originate from within.”