The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1887. POLITICAL SITUATION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1643, 6 October 1887, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1887. POLITICAL SITUATION.

The immediate result of the elections is that the Government has been completely defeated. W 1 at the ultimate result will be it is difficult to foresee. Major Atkinson will, doubtless, form a Ministry, but whether he will succeed in retaining power is doubtful. Many of the members returned as “ Oppositionists ” will never serve under Major Atkinson. Mr Hislop, of Oamaru, is thoroughly radical, so is Mr Feldwick, of Invercargill, and Mr McGregor, of Akaroa. There is about a dozen members who are thoroughly Liberal, although returned as opposed to the Government. Their opposition to the Government consists in personal opposition to Sir Julius Vogel, and now that he is ousted from power they will rank themselves as opposed to Major Atkinson. Then there is Sir George Grey to account for. He will, he says, support Major Atkinson provided he initiates Liberal measures, but the question is : What are Liberal measures ? Sir George Grey is doubtless to be the judge as to whether a measure is, or is not, Liberal and his promise of support therefore only binds him during pleasure. Whenever it suits his convenience he can say, “ That measure is not Liberal. Tou shall not have my support any longer.” Hatred of Sir Julius Vogel actuates Sir George Grey; it is above all other considerations with him, and as soon as Sir Julius is out of the way Sir George will be as determinedly opposed to Major Atkinson as ever he has been to the late Government. Then there are a host of expectant Ministers. Mr Vincent Pyke has boasted he will never support a Ministry which does not include himself; Mr Fisher, of Wellington, is another who has his heart set on a portfolio; Mr Scobie Mackenzie believes himself a ready-made Premier, and so on with most of the Opposition. How Major Atkinson can secure a following sufficiently strong to carry on the Government of the country in a House thus constituted is what no one can see, but it is possible he may be able to do it. With such wily advisers as Sir John Hall and Sir Frederick Whitaker he may succeed, but to do so it appears to us he has only one road open to him. That road is the one which he and Sir John Hall took up in 1879—that is, take up the main features of the policy of the Stout-Vogel Ministry. In 1879 the Sall-Atkinaon combination took up the measures introduced by the Grey Ministry, and by means of the show of liberality thus made, together with the assistance of wholesale corruption they managed to cling to office for five years. If Major Atkinson makes a fair attempt to give protection to local industries, take some means of advancing land settlement, and do something in the way of retrenchment, he may possibly succeed in holding office for three years- He may be able to struggle through for a couple of years, but it is not probable that he will lastout the three years with out a dissolution. He has been deprived of his favorite means of retaining poWer. Hitherto he was able to buy support by means of lavish expenditure, hut that cannot go on. Anything he can do henceforward in that respect must be of a very limited nature; he will not have the money to do it with. Major Atkinson’s capability to retain office may therefore bo said to be considerably curtailed, but as he is known to be very fond of power and pelf he may possibly try others means of keeping them. Sooner than take his hand out of the public purse he may turn Liberal, and bring forward Liberal measures, but the moment he does that the banks and money-rings will turn on him with a vengeance. At any rate the situation is critical, and it will take him all his time to weather through the storm which his reappearance as leader of the House will call forth.