The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1017, 24 July 1879, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1879.

h- is stated that « friend of Liberalism will bring forward an amendment in the House on the no-confidence motion to this effect:— "That this House has no confidence in the Ministry as at present constituted," This proceeding vrtll not by any means be a new line in political tactics. The same conrae of action was followed in, we believe, 1566. : Sir E. W. Stafford—then plain Mr. Stafford, and in the zenith of his popularity—had succeeded th& Weld Government dnring the previous session with a Ministry composed almost entirely of nonentities. Shortly aEter the assembling of Parliament. Mr. .1. E- FitzGeratd, fne of the member* of the ; Wetd Cabinet, brought forward a no-con- ; fidenee motion, and was backed np by ! a large majority a majority including many eiembere who, while willing to follow : Mr. Stafford's leadership, cottld not support : a Ministry composed of snch men a3 Colonel , Russell, Colonel Haultain. Mr. James Patteri son, Mr. Jollie. and Mr, S«well. Rightly estimating the intentions and opinions of the House, Mr. Moorhonse, a follower of Mr. Stafford, moved and amendment to the effect that the House had no confidence in the Ministry as then constituted. This was carried by a large majority, and Mr. Moorhonse advised the Governor to send for Mr. Stafford, who at once undertook the task of reconstructing the Ministry, with the result thafc he gathered around hint some of the best men on both sides of the Hottse. This coalition Ministry, if we remember rightly, was composed of Sir E. W. Stafford. 33 Premier : Sir W. Titzherbert, Colonial Treasurer : Mr. J. C. Richmond, Colonial Secretary and Native Minister : the Hon. John Hall, Commissioner of Customs and PostmastcrGenerat; Cotonel Hanltatn, Defence Minister; and, we think, Mr. Sewell, as Attorney--o*neraL It was a Ministry strong in debating power, and representing every part of the Colony. It had a three-years' lease of life, but eventually failed on its native policy, and gave place to the fo.t-Vogel Ministry. Whether the amendment, if thought forward, will prove successful, or not, remains yet to in? seen. Judging, ho'vever. froto the fact that there is a smalt party in the H>.use. j allied to neither of the present combatants, I who are not favorable to the present I Ministry, and who view government under | the leadership of Sir William Fox a coni summation by no means to be wished for. we should think that the proposal would find a strong bo;Jy of supporters, ft has frequently been asserted that many Ministerial supporters have already urged the withdrawal from office by Sir Gtorge Grey as the only means of saving the Liberal party from defeat, and it i 3 highty probable that they wottld gladly avail themselves of tW opportunity for having the Cabinet reconstructed. To us, therefore, the prol>afxitity of seeing the Ministry re-modelled, with a raojre moderate but still liberal programme, does not appear so unlikely a contingency as many seem to think. W c should tail such a result with satisfaction, and we U-lieve it would be thoroughly appreciated by the country.