PARTISANSHIP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7919, 7 September 1905, Page 2

PARTISANSHIP.

To what extremes partisanship can carry politicians, from leaders downwarus, has been shown most polent.y by the Opposition in the debate over the laud question. Foiled in ilieir ellorts to steul a march an the rrcmicr, they have resorted to language una tactics that arc alike distabic to the House and to those

.nuiviuuals who havo substituted auuse for argument. It is much to „c regretted that because an iuipor.ant subject is be)'ore the House, una „.e which it was desirable to dis.i.s.s from an independent standpoint, ..i t .ait.uch as members tiiiieiyd coitsid•m.jly on several ui the points to be ~.ivud, that instead of approaching no matter in a calm judicial spirit .nth the object of promoting the ..iost satisfactory results, the land ieuutv has been characterised by in.emperunce! of language and gross personalties that would have been all jry well had the assembly been ...imposed of Billingsgate iish portis, but was entirely out of place in Parliament. It is all very well for .dr Jlassey to twit the i'remier with .aking an "unconstitutional" course ii submitting to the House certain • piesiioiis arising out of the report of the Jjand Commission with. a. view io obtaining the opinion of meniiiers thereon us a prelude to legislation. Jio greater compliment coula ,ie paid to the Opposition and the members generally than for the Ikuu ol the {Jovcrnmcnt to consult them >n such a dillicult question as that .if land tenure, and the I'remier is certainly to be congratulated on the .iew departure made in thus endeavouring to obtain the free and unfettered opinion of members as to the .iest means of solving the problem, instead, however, of accepting the referendum in a proper spirit, ami seUing to work to come to an agreement as to what would be best for the settlers, the Opposition eagerly seized the opportunity for trying to make political capital out of the Premier's attempt to obtain the assistance of members in improving the land laws of the Colony. There has consequently been an outbreak of party feeling in its worst form, and the Ministry has been abused instead of praised for taking a bold and sensible course. Such miserable tactics will not avail the Opposition much, nor will they harm the Government. Their only effect is to lower the tone of Parliament, and to open the eyesof the electors still wider to the unsewnly way in which the Opposition is struggling to obtain power instead of devoting their energies to furthering the well being of the Colony.