The Poverty Bay Standard. PUBLISHED TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SATURDAY MORNINGS. Saturday, April 22, 1882.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1064, 22 April 1882, Page 2

The Poverty Bay Standard. PUBLISHED TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SATURDAY MORNINGS. Saturday, April 22, 1882.

The southern papers are wroth with Sir Arthur Gordon for presuming to consult Sir George Grey as to the relative state of parties before giving his decision as to the re-coiietructiun of the Ministry. The Otago Daily Times of the 14th April; says, “ No.w i,t must .“ be borne in mind that although the “ Ministry bad formally resigned, ac- “ cording to universal custom the mem- “ bers bold office, until, their successors “are appointed, and until, in fact, “ their resignations are gazetted. “They are clearly responsible for any “ executive acts .that may have to be “ done in the interval; and though no “ doubt.the Governor might in his discretion refuse to accept their advice “ he certainly could not coustitution- “ ally do so on the grounds which he “ stated. The Ministry were following “ a precedent very rarely departed from in naming to. .the Governor a “gentleman whom he should consult. “ In this case they were perfectly justi- “ fled in naming one of their own party. ‘ L The cause of the resignation was ho “ adverse vote in Parliament, oranti“cipation of au adverse vote. Sir “ Arthur had no right to assume that “a stable Ministry could not be formed “'from the same side of the House. Ministers had been placed in their “ position by a Parliamentary majority, “ and they' claim to hjive still a Parliamentary - ' majority, which “is not broken up by the en- “ forced resignation of the Premier. “ Though that resignation carries with 2 it the necessity for.thedormal retire- “ ment of all the other members of the “ Cabinet it by no means precluded a “ re-construction, with the consent “ and assistance of the Governor. But “he has formally withheld.,hisconsent “ and assistance, and has called into “ consultation a man whom he must “ have known to be the bitter opponent “of the party in power. Todd, in “ his ‘ Constitutional Practice in the “ Colonies ’ thus lays down the duties “ of a Governor in relation to his Ministers. ‘But while a constitutional “ Governor is bound to insist upon a “ strict conformity to law on the part “of his responsible advisers in every “set of administration; he is equally " bound on his own behalf to afford to “ his Ministers for the time being, a “ cordial support and eo-operation. “ This support should be entirely irres, “pective of jiarty predilections. A “Governor, like the Sovereign "he represents, is removed out “of, the political arena, aud placed “ aliove and beyoud its strifes “ aud temptations. His first duty “is to be .impartial and just to “ all, and while ffie refrains from anv .“ act which could possibly be re- “ garded as indicative of personal pre- “ ferenee to either political party, he

“is in a position to exert a moderat- “ ing and conciliatory influence with “ both parties.' This : will enable him “ at all times to bring an even and “ unbiassed judgment to bear upon 1 “ whatever may need to,be submitted “ for,his. consideration and ..approval.’ “ In pursuance,” says the Daily Times, “of such a line of action, had Sir “ ARTHHR-ficat consented to confer “ with Mr Whitaker, and then called “ in Sir George to give him the other “ side of the question, there mould not “ have been much reason to complain ; “ but he declines to receive Mr “ 'Whitaker as the representative of “ the Ministerial party, and, on his

I “ own -responsibility, sends for Sir “ George Gb<y. Can this be re- “ garded in anytother light than that “of gross partiality ?” Thus brays the Otago Daily Times in the plenitude of its Draconian wisdom and the oraeular bigness of its waistcoat bursting Bumbledom. If ever paper were hoist with i's own petard, commend us to the Otago Daily Times. IVe I have only quoted a portion of the ar--1 tide, the remainder is simply abuse of i Sir Arthur Gordon and Sir George 1 Grey. What we hare quoted is an asj sertion of distorted facts, in support of 1 ! their vie iv of which an eminent authority ; <>n constitutional matters is quoted. I Every word used by the Otago Daily I Times, either in argument or quota- | lion, .turns against themselves with: redoubled force. Thus, the Ministry, having resigned. Sir Arthui: Gordon, 1 i knowing .that the strength of the i House is very evenly balanced, rei solved before sending far any person to re construct the late Ministry, or ! form a new one, to consult the leaders [of )ioth parties.as to their relative I strength, and with that object in view I goes to Wellington to hold a personal [consultation with Mr llai.i,, and telegraphs to Sir George Gkev to meet [him there for a like purpose. Is i there much to complain qfdiere? TouchI ing the precedent which the Otago Daily Times harps so strongly'upon regarding fhs,recommendation by retiring Ministers as to their successors. Let us hear what the authority,, undoubtedly a great one, quoted by the Otago Daily : Times. Mr Todd, .says upou this subject. “It is now universally conceded that the Prime Minister—as the Minister in whom the

Crown has placed its constitutional confidence, and who is responsible to his Sovereign for the government of the whole 1 Empire—should be the free and unbiassed choice of the Crown itself. A,dy<?rting to the circumstances' of his. resignation of office in 1815, Sir Robert Peel (who may. be considered nekrly as good an authority upon constitutional law and etiquette as the Otago Daily Times) said in the House of Commons, ‘ I offered no opinion as to the choice of a successor. That is almost the only act which is the personal act of the Sovereign. It is for the Sovereign to determine in whom her confidence shall be. placed. A retiring Minister may,‘if requested by the .S'orcrciyw, suggest that any particular statesman should be empowered to form a new administration,' but such advice should not be obtruded on the Sovereign unasked. Being debarred by his own resignation, or dismissal, from • office, from the constitutional right, to tender advice to the Crown, he can only do so in the quality of a peer or privy councillor, being still responsible, in that capacity', for any any advice he may give the Sovereign'!' ****** If difficulties should occur in the formation of a Ministry, it is always competent for the Sovereign to send for, and take the. advice of, any Peer or Privy • Councillor of weight and experience in public affairs, whose counsel he might consider would be serviceable to him in the emergency. * * * ' *• The'act'of the diivt-reign in communicating with trusty councillors in circumstances of, political exigency is in strict accordance with constitutional principles.” I'hus on the very authority quoted by themselves we convict the Otago Daily Times out of their own mouth. , But we go even further. We holt! that the Governor in thus consulting the leader of the retiring Ministry in conjunction with the leaifer &f the gave to the Ministry for the time being that “ cordial ‘support entirely irreypectice of party fredelict ions; xxM\e\i'\s hirldc a sine (pud non by the quoted" authority, We emphatically assort , that in so doing he shewed himself “ impartial and just to all\ ahdrlfrained from any 'act which could possibly be regarded as indicative of' personal preference to either party, while exerting a moderating and conciliatory inJi ueifce with both.” and thus the weight of Todd’s.opinion asquoted tends to shewfhat Sir Arthur Gordon 'suction was thoroughly constitutional,jand conducive of tjie greatest good to the people, while the unsparing. abuse of him, flung broadcast in all directions by the Otago Daily Times and other papers, was unjust, malicious, and untrue. Prom the circu;nstanees | of the . resignation Sir Arthur Gordon nail a perfect right to assume, as was undoubtedly the ease, that the Ministry were hopelessly divided amongst themselves. The Otago Daily Times would ignore this if possible,- but the fact is too patent for their thin cloak of fawning policy to cover. Let them epnfess that they would not have been adverse to a Ministry with Mr. Macandrew as a head, o,r to a.Ministry with Mr Macandrew as Minister of Public Works and a nominal leader who would be’ virtually under his. control. But with a leader who is likely to. check Mr. Macandrew’s prodigality in the -Otago direction, no Ministry could or would be acceptable to the Otago Daily Times. .Whendefeated in their already |elaimed fraudulent ,appropriation of the lion’s share in the forthcoming £5,000,009 loan, n-s thuy undoubtedly wjll be if justice be done, they’will torn and'Vent upon -the new Ministry all the malicious spite and opprobrious epithet they have hitherto so viciously and ineffectually expended upon Sit; Arthur Gordon 'and the leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition in this Colon v.