HON.W ROLLESTON’S SPEECH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2284, 24 November 1891, Page 4

HON.W ROLLESTON’S SPEECH.

The Hon. W. Rolleston spoke as follows at the banquet given to him in 'Christchurch. His party had been in a minority in Parliament, but was gaining strength in the country every day. It would hold a very different relation to the country in the future than it held last session. (Hear). It might bo asked what he meant by party. It was a very proper question. It was by the proper carrying out of party that principles were arrived at, and the rights of the people were secured. It was not a questions of ins and outs. Were it so the people might well say a “ plague on both of you.” The Opposition represented the old pioneers, who subdued the wilderness, who assisted one another to make progress. (Applause). 'The great question of the day was : —Is individual freedom worth fighting for 1 Is the right . of a man to do what he thinks best to be maintained ? Is State tyranny to be peril: ted ? Are we to be kept for ever in the leading strings of the Government; to be dogged by the policeman and the tax-ga-thef erfrom the cradle to the grave ? God forbid ! He and those asociated with him would never consent to this. They believed in giving everybody an opportunity to rise from the lowest to the highest station. (Hear). Standing among old settlers, whom he had known for five and twenty years, he asked them who was responsible for the improvements to be seen in this Province ? Was it the great Liberal party ? Who had fought the battle of education and liberal land laws but the men he saw around him? He need not name them. Think of their first Superintend ent, Mr Fitzgerald, who fought the land battle ? Who had fought the battle of education and our local institutions ? Was there, in the days he had referred to, any of that arrogance of assertion now to be heard that certain persons alone represented Liberal ideas. He named Messi’s Bowen, Stevens, Fitzgerald, Sir John Hall, and others. These ; were men who had; guided the Colony do prosperous times. They had had no vindictive or harrassing legislation. For them there had been no human vermin, no “ social pests.” (Applause.) There was then a common belief in levelling uo, not levelling down. (Applause). What were the main features of the great Liberal policy ? They had been expressed, it was said, by an elector when coming out from a meeting of the great Liberal party. The feast of reason and th 3 flow of soul had been too much for him. He threw up his hat and exclaimed; “ Ho more property, no more gentleman’ no more blooming nothing.” (Laughter.) “ Blooming ” was not the word he used, it was a disyllabic word, and not so refined. (Laughter.) He reverted to the days of old, when no such thing was known as class, and people did not feed or fatten on class animosities. (Applause.) The great liberal Party had done a “ bloomin';,'" nothing in respect of education. His friend, Mr Bowen, des«rTod the credit of the Education Act The first Land Act was the work of his friend, Mr Reid. (Applause.) The present Government were utterly incapable of dealing with the materials they had in their hands. They had stolen the Opposition’s clothes, but the clothes did not fit them. They reminded him of the great Pecksniff, who would have been a member of the great Liberal Government had he been here. Pecksniff had been about to lay the foundation of a building of which he cl inied to be the architect. Martin C.iuzzlewit had drawn the plans, and all t.iat Pecksniff had done was to put in four windows, which had spoiled it. The Land Bill was his (Mr Rolleston’s), but had been adopted by Mr Ballance. It was now a foundling, and might be handed over to General Booth or Dr. Barhardo. The village settlements were his and Mr Peacock’s and Sir John Hall’s., They were now exposed on the hills and were dying. Who solved the Native difficulty? His friend Mr Bryce—(applause)—who had been driven from the service of the country by the great Liberal party. They heard a great deal about the working classes from the great Liberal party. He would be ashamed of himself and his party if they could be guilty of the truckling to the working classes which the present Government descended to. The Labour Bills were jackjaw’s plumes. They were due to the Opposition. He thought that Messrs Booth and Reece had done more in one week recently by the prevention of considerable suffering amongst the working classes than the Government were likely to do in years. (Applause.) He had seen no document for some time that inspired him with greater hope of the solution of Labour difficulties by common sensethan the speech of the Chairman of the Conference. (Applause.) He (Mr Rolleston) had notes of what he wanted to say to, the farmers; but Mr Mackenzie had taken the wind out of his sails. He hoped the farmers would not be beguiled or humbugged. (Applause.) It would be impossible to introduce confiscatory proposals like the Income and Land tax and not do injury to the farmers. The end was not iar off. The working men would not be misled by the hush-a-bye policy of the G overnment. The unemployed would not, be content to be told to go to the iva Iw, v Commissioners, as they had been l ythe i remier. When the working men road of the Payment of Members Bill they would appreciate that democracy meant, in the minds of the great Liberal P ty. £iJUa mouth .-ecu re from creditors. ( .oida iso.) idle Government left its p.uV, in the lurch on that occasion. As Die of them had Said, the party had to bear all the odium and got none of the spond t cks, poor fellows ! It was that wicked Le :;i.-.iative Council that baulked them of tueir plunder. (Applause.) He must curtail his remarks. But he must refer to oae or two things. The Ministry thought it right to speak of the Council as a junta to be awed into submission, to be swamped by men of the right colour. It would be a constitutional crime for the Ministry to advise his Excellency to act thus to secure the passing of measures which the people had not given an opinion on. New Zealand wanted someone who could rule and could not lie. (Applause.) Parliament must not be allowed to be an arena for intrigue. The people must organise. If they sat down quietly and allowed things to be done which were not right, they deserved all they got. A party must be formed to preve it political charlatanism, and to assure the people their rights. He yas thankful to think that the more ♦

intelligent part of the Press had taken the side his party represented. He hoped the public would see that it was their duty to make their voices heard. If, as he believed, he was backed by the bone and sinew and all that was good in the country, his paity could, he ventured to think, bring about a far better state of things than at present existed. (Long continued applause).