South Canterbury Times, MONDAY, APRIL 19, 1880.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2211, 19 April 1880, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, MONDAY, APRIL 19, 1880.

Extremes mcel, |says the philosopher, and the saying is a true one. In the held of politics it is constantly demonstrated. (treat parsimony usually follows profuse prodigality, just as the feast of the spendthrift leads .on to destitution. The pendulum has to oscillate many times before it finally assumes a hxed and settled and peaceful position. The avarieiousness of Conservatism fans the (lame of Radicalism. Modern history shows plainly enough that Democratic excesses are duo to the bitterness engendered hy the tyranny of influential minorities. In the political world, just as in the physical, there arc natural laws, a disregard or violation of which is followed by a terrible retribution. The iron-hand of the McCulloch administration in Victoria aroused the sleeping lion of democracy a few years ago, and the constitution of that colony has ever since been threatened. The high-handed policy of the Boaconslield Government in Great Britain, has led to the signal overthrow of the Tory party, and the autocratic rod that refused to yield to supplication or argument, will now be bent, and perhaps broken. In Russia, tbe demand for national education,and political freedom, has led to revolution, and tbe dragon’s teeth, which Imperial despotism sowed, have brought forth an ax my of resolute assassins. In America, particularly in California, the admission of Chinese aliens to tamper with the labor market and other abuses, have brought about a sad condition of social disorder, and rendered . life and property most insecure. The world, in short is full of illustrations in the shape of suicidal conflicts between power misused and freedom abused, all tending to enforce the lesson that the safety of the people and their representatives ' F,, j in a policy of intelligent moderation. This lesson, we submit, deserves the serious consideration of the New Zealand Parliament. Towards the close of lust session, in a thin House, several measures were passed, which we believe to be admirably designed to excite popular resentment. One of these obnoxious measures was the property tax, an impost that will be severely felt by the colony, find which is destined, avc think, to relieve the majority of those who voted fur it, from the cares and troubles of political life in the future. But in addition to this odiously oppressive scheme of taxation, it is stated that in various ways the Ministry intend increasing the popular burdens. For instance the subsidies to local bodies arc about to be withdrawn, and to add injury to insult the heavily taxed ratepayers arc to be encumbered with the support of hospitals and other charitable institutions. W orse than all, the system of national education is ,to be

emasculated —robbed of its chief virtue by n return once more to school fees. This is retrenchment with a vengeance but it is a kind of retrenchment for which the ratepayers never bargained. At the last general election there was no hint that the food, the industries and the 'property of the people was to bo taxed on the one hand, and that the boons which previous legislatures had given to the masses were to be withdrawn on the other. The threatened resumption of school-fees is • a step, which up till lately, has never been contemplated. Should it be carried out, New Zealand will earn the lasting contempt of every enlightened community _ Already the press of San Francisco is pointing the finger of scorn at the colony, because of its huge debt, its enormous taxes, and the fact that while living is dearer, the rate of wages for tradesmen is considerably lower in New Zealand than in America. If we con-

tinue to jump backwards in the waj r contemplated, by the rc-iraposition of school fees, these taunts will be rc-itera-ted, and the colony will suffer by being regarded in foreign parts as a shocking example of impccuniosity and inisgovcrnment. The boon «f free education is too great to be lightly thrown away. To disturb the existing system before it lias barely received a trial would be impolitic ’in the extreme. -More than that, we believe any attempt to interfere Avith it, will bring about a speedy and severe retribution. As the result of the electoral privileges wbicb have lately been conceded to the people of New' Zealand, it is more than probable that tlic Parliaments of the futuie will be very different in composition to the Parliaments of the past, and avc are confident that if any member of the House wishes to make his rejection when again before bis constituents a certainty, lie cannot do better than support any proposal to re-introduce school fees.