THE Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1892. LORD ONSLOW.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2321, 20 February 1892, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1892. LORD ONSLOW.

Loud Oxslow is a diplomatist of the first water. He has now gone through the colony giving expression to sentiments which we have been taught to regard as socialistic, but when put to the crucial test he was not halt* SO ’> Liberal as one would have been led to expect from his speeches. In Dunedin and Christchurch he made very ' partisan speeches, HI which he supI ported the policy of the pFC.sej.it Government most unmistakeably, Mot only that, but he went a great deal further ; he told those who were raisi ing what he called “ a shriek of panic’ that they were doing an immense ; imount of injury to the colony, and, in fact was altogether very uncomplimentary to Conservative party. However, when askef? 0 ossist the present Government by s * n CtiolHng the appointments to the Legislative Council he refused to do so. His action reminds us of the vagaries of Sir Harry Atkinson —another diplomatist. Sir Harry went frequently about the Colony preaching doctrines of an exceedingly Liberal nature, and often struck teri’or into the hearts of landowners by telling them that he believed the day was not far distant when all the land of the colony would be nationalised. The very moment he returned to Wellington, however, he on all these occasions commenced practising the very opposite of what lie had preached. It is so with Lord Onslow: from his speeches anyone would infer that the policy of the present Government had his thorough sympathy, but he declined to make the appointments on the ground that lie had his doubts about his constitutional right to do so. That is all bosh. His constitutional right was undoubted; he certainly was in a better position to judge what ought to be done than Lord Glasgow will be. Lord Onslow wanted to win popularity, and he has done so cheaply, but that he has failed to do anything substantially beneficial to the people who lavished applause on him is unquestionable. As for Lord Glasgow, we do not envy him the position he will find himself in, the moment he sets his foot on the soil ofNew Zealand. That moment the Government will ask him to make the appointments to the i

Upper House, and, being a rigid Conservative, he is certain to refuse. What then ? Simply the Government will resign, Lord Glasgow will send for Mr Rolleston, and if Mr Rolleston acts in accordance with precedents he will decline the responsibility of forming a Government. It is unusual for the leader of the Opjiosition to accept office under such circumstances, more especially when he knows his party is in a minority in Parliament. Lord Glasgow would therefore find himself in a very awkward position, and he would have to accept the advice of the present Ministry, or else resign. It was ungenerous on the part of Lord Onslow to leave such an unpleasant legacy to his successor, but apparently he did not care so long as he could leave the colony amidst popular plaudits. The Legislative Council appointments will, we are afraid, lead to some trouble yet; possibly they may result in a dissolution of Parliament and a general election within the next few months.