The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1890. POLITICS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2012, 25 February 1890, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1890. POLITICS.

We are told that Ministers are in Cabinet preparing for the forthcoming session. This reminds us that we have a Government, and that we shall soon have a sitting of eur Parliament. For a long time the Premier has been sick, and politics have been dead, and there was nothing to remind us of the Government except taxation. Ministers were never heard of except now and again at banquets connected with the Exhibition. One thing that can be said for the present Government is that they have the virtue of being able to hold their tongues, and keep their own counsel. They certainly seem indisposed to take the public into their confidence and let "them know what their future intentions are It was not so with the Stout-Vogel Ministry; they always allowed the people to know what they intended to do. Months before the session they had many of their hills printed and distributed, and the people knew exactly what was coming. This is what haß never been done by the present Government, or any of its Conservative predecessors. They have always kept the people in the dark as regards their intentions, and generally kept back their measures until the latter end of Parliament, when they ran them through as if by stealth. This may be called government by trickery, and on the face of it it is very dishonest. Why should not the Government let the public know at once the measures they intend to introduce next session ? What interest can they have in withholding them ? If they settled on their policy now, printed all their measures, and distributed them, members of Parliament and the country generally would have time to thmk over them and digest them between now and the opening of the session. If this were done members would go to Wellington prepared: they would know exactly what to do and they could get through tfae work in halt the time. Instead of this the Government withhold their measures till the last moment, then introduce them, and rush them through as fast as possibln, before members have time to read them in some cases, This bears the stamp of dishonesty' on its very face, and it is most extraordinary that this sort of trickery has been tolerated so long. It is f rom the people the Government and the Parliament derive power, and it is absolutely wrong far the Ministry to hide their haads from the public They ought to make the public acquainted with their intentions several months in advance, and if this was done we should hear less of illdigested laws and hasty legielation, This is done for party reasons- The Government do not want to let the Opposition know what they intend to do, so as to prevent organised opposition to measures. This is what they call policy, and it is in this way we are One thing we know tor certain, and it is that we shall have a general election soon. There have been talks of a dissolution before the meeting of next Parliament, but we do not think that there is the slightest probability of it. So far as we can judge Parliament will meet • there will be a very short session! 1 which w:ll consist principally ef pasß . 'rig the Estimates, and then the general election will follow immediately T behoves people therefore to begin thinking about it. Ifc is a yerjr im *' n ant matter, and if people rtudfed heir own interests they would keep it uppermost in their minds.