The Governor’s Mistake.

Patea Mail, 13 April 1882, Page 2

The Governor’s Mistake.

A statement which boars the stamp of authority was telegraphed yesterday from Wellington, affirming that the .Premier* in forwarding his resignation and that of his colleagues, offered certain advice to the Governor as to a successor. Mr Johnston, the bearer of this message, was not allowed to deliver it. 'The Governor seems to have used, words to this effect : “ Yonr resignations I accept, but yonr advice I don’t want and will not have.” Thus the Governor cut himself off from friendly counsel with the retiring Ministry ; and the Governor did this because he is not in sympathy nor in decent accord with Mr Hall or his colleagues. The Governor has supplied all that was needed in the shape of a motive for refusing to receive, in the usual manner, any advice from a retiring Premier. By sending for Sir George Grey, the Governor has shown a disgraceful discourtesy to all the colleagues of Mr Hall, and has revealed an official animus which becomes him not. These airs of an autocratic Governor are offensive and mischievous. His duty .as Governor is to govern with and by a Ministry appointed with constitutional regard to the balance of. parties in Parliament. It is not for the Governor to descend to the trick of a partisan, as he is doing by using his technical right to send for an Opposition leader to form a Ministry at a time when no change has occurred of a nature to give the Opposition a claim to oust the party in power. A Governor who these high-handed ! mistakes is a dangerous and unconstitutional representative of that gentle and sagacious Sovereign whose aim invariably is to govern a willing people by being herself governed. The Queen has no official likes and dislikes ; and her official acts betray no petulance. What the people declare or wish by a clear majority, that she bows to with a gentle grace that endears her alike to both parties in the State. ; But how is it with this Governor? He makes himself a partisan, and flouts the evident desire of a majority by his outrageous preferance for an unpopular leader who has no decent following In Parliament. Sir George Grey’s name does not command that confidence which is necessary to justify his.appointment as Premier. He is not the leader, bat only an ex-leader of the opposition ; for even if that party were strong and coherent enough to form a .worldng 'ni’ajoTTty, which it is not, the actual leader would not be Sir George Grey. Every practical politician (except a prejudiced Governor) understands the weakness, the fatal weakness, of Sir George’s position. Confidence in the colony’s stability would sink to zero, if he became Premier. Capital would take wings and fly to safer lands. Foreign lenders would stand aghast, as they did before, and would exclaim against Sir George as a wild. theorist and a dangerous experimenter. The present flow of English money into the colony would cease. STOPPING PUBLIC BUSINESS. One unfortunate effect of the Governor’s interference between the two parties in Parliament may cause the loss of a session, and the loss of a year in public works and useful legislation. An unnatural ousting of the party in power, and forcible .seizure-of the Ministerial benches by impatient members of the Opposition, may lead to violent scenes in the House, with deadlocks and party motions and stonewall obstruction. The fact is clear thar Sir George Grey is excessively unpopular with his own party. If a moderate Liberal like Mr Ormond (who failed to get elected), or a strong Liberal like Mr Macandrew, were to form a -Ministry* there.would be a feeling of friendly fair-play towards them ; Sir George Grey’s appointment would excite alarm among the ' moneyed class, and would provoke a violent opposition which might defeat all attempts at