The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1878.

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 363, 9 October 1878, Page 2

The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1878.

* Tei.eokajis which appeared in last issue, a fiord further evidence of the unscrupulous and shameless manner in which the Grey Government will make a right-about-face when promises and bounce have failed to keep their followers in order. To direct questions put to the Government by opposition members, more than once, the reply has been that they intended to stand or fall on the policy, as embraced in the Land Tax, Customs Tariff, Beer, and Companies Bill. 'The Land Tax Bill has been severely criticised both hy opposition members and Government supporters. 'The speaking has been mostly against the. Bill, some members of the Ministry also having had full fling. Yet for the sake of duty to party, many members voted against their conviction, in favor of the Bill. Withal, it had a narrow squeak. The Tariff Bill passed without trouble. The Beer Bill, however, showed the Government to be in a minority. Plenty of opportunity had been given to Government by the Opposition, to make the Bills more acceptable to the House. The Ministry alike treated the advice of foes, and tlie solicitations of friends, with contempt. '• These Bills embrace our policy —we stand or fail with them.” Promises and bounce having both failed to carry the Government through with their Bills, and a defeat having been suffered, Sir George Grey only then discovered that the Bills could not be carried through the House in “such a form as to he acceptable to supporters, or useful to the country.” fu his “ oration ” against tiie Canterbury runholders (quite beside the question at issue) in which Mr Rolleston, as the Premier had afterwards to acknowledge, had been wronglj accused, Sir George Grey said—- “ The Bill proposed to give common rights to all, and the people would have their rights. The scales had fallen from the eyes of the people, the time of regeneration had come ; no more would the old state of things return. It would be the laud for the people in future, and not the land for certain privileged classes.” The defeat suffered on the Beer Bill, may have helped to remove the scales from his own eyes. At any rate, his right-about-face action in withdrawing Bills,, by whicli the Ministry had repeatedly affirmed their intention to stand or fall, has removed the scales from the eyes' of some hitherto staunch supporters. It lias done more—it has incensed them against Sir George and his Ministry. They have lost all faith and deem the Premier capable of any treachery. They had been gulled into voting for (lie Land Bill and Customs Tariff Bill under false pretences, and so expressed themselves. Had Mr Kelly (Taranaki) only known that such a right-about-face could under any circumstances have been made, ho i.i i.... w a against, me juauu Tax Bill. The row in the House, after the defeat, in no way improved the position of the Government. Mr Bryce, a steadfast Government man, coaid not find words to fully express the astonishment and chagrin which he felt at the action of the Government. Though Major Atkinson made a short but telling speech on Mr Wakefield’s motion for the re-committal of the Land Tax Bill on its third reading, wc question if he or other members of tbo leaderless Opposition were at all anxious for a majority to be recorded against the Government. It lias, however, been done, and the bounce has been taken out of the Ministry, as shown by the unseemly haste with which the Premier announced the intention of Government to withdraw the two Bills without which, according to previous assertion, their policy would be incomplete and unworkable. Wo have no doubt but what Sir George will wriggle out of the difficulty, or at any rate stave off the consequences for a considerable time. There arc some good men in the present Ministry, and we should prefer a reconstruction rather than that a dead-lock should be brought about. After the way Sir George Grey engineered his party, on supplanting the Atkinson Government, though actually in the minority, it may safely be predicted that though defeated he wifi not go out of office yet awhile. It is not, in fact, desired by the Opposition, as may be gathered from remarks made on Friday last by Major Atkinson, who, after commiserating with the Government on the unfortunate position they occupied, said—“ Overweening selfconceit had brought with it a speedy fall, and that, with their ignorance of the wants of the country and tiro feelings of the people, would be sure to bring them to their ruin ultimately. However, he hoped they would pocket the affront and remain in office, for he wished to see them remain there yet a little while, to reap the consequences of their acts If Government wished to go to the country on this important item of policy the Opposition was ready to meet them in the country. The Government had endeavored to force the Bill on their supporters by absolute terrorism, and having failed had accepted a defeat at tiro hands of their enemies.”