THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 1893. THE HON. MR ROLLESTON.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2456, 26 January 1893, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 1893. THE HON. MR ROLLESTON.

Reading the Hon. W. Rolleston’s speech recalled to our memory the story of the old man and his ass. The old man tried to please everybody, but in the end pleased nobody, and lost his ass into the bargain. This was exactly the way with Mr Rollestou. He was excessively generous in his criticism of the policy of the Government, because he knew that misrepresentations would not go down, but the result will be that he will please nobody. He certainly will not command the confidence of the Liberal Party—he behaved too badly for that during last session—-and he will not please the redhot Oppositionists, as his speech is of too neutral a tint for them. The leading feature of Mr Rolleston’s address is that of disappointment and despondency. He bragged, and boasted, and gasconaded about what he had -done in the past, and claimed that almost everything the present Government had done had been originated by himself, yet he was Ringing out hints at every hand’s turn about the immorality of the New Liberalism. This was an amusing feature of his speech. It was really funny to hear a man saying ; “ This Perpetual Leasing, these Labor Bills, this Land for Settlement Bill, and so on, were all originated by myself and the party I lead, but the new Liberals are carrying them out. The new Liberals are very bad.” This was the burden of Mr Rolleston’s speech, and what surprises us most is that he did not see the incongruity of his position. Of course, if he originated the measures he must be every bit as bad as the new Liberals. To understand Mr Rolleston properly it is necessary to sketch the past ten years of his life. We are perfectly satisfied that ten years ago Mr Rolleston was a thorough, honest Liberal, and he certainly placed on the Statute Book Liberal measures about that time. Both he and Sir Harry Atkinson were then so Liberal that they frightened the monopolists and money-rings, and who became as rabid against them as they are now against Mr Ballance. The consequence was that bota Mr Rolleston and Sir H. Atkinson were thrown out of office just to punish them for their Liberalism. It is a well-known fact that the Stout-Vogel Government never had a majority in the House, and that they were kept in office in order to keep Sir Harry Atkinson out. The one-man-one-vote system had not yet been adopted, the power still lay in the hands of the wealtly classes, and Mr Rolleston saw that he had gone too far. Ho was accused of being in favor of Land Nationalisation at this time, and there can be no doubt that he and Sir Harry Atkinson were land nationalisers then. Sir Harry, however, never denied it; he always said he was, but never acted up to his principles. Mr Rolleston acted differently. He denied that he was a land nationaliser, and made violent efforts to regain the confidence of the wealthy classes again. In the election of 1887 he made the most violent, the most unfair, and the most untruthful speeches that any candidate made during that campaign, but the result was that he was defeated by Mr Buxton, and that he sat for three years on the stool of repentance. Last election he came forward again, and was far more moderate, but in

Parliament he became most unreasonably violent in his opposition to everything that was done. He also attended several banquets during the recess, and, as Lord Onslow put it, joined in “the shriek of panic ” which the Opposition tried to raise. All this time Mr Rolleston was trying to rehabilitate himself in the good opinion of the wealthy classes. All the screaming and all the violence was merely a hysterical effort to make the Tories believe that he was no Radical, and that he could be relied upon, but now he finds that this will not do. He has found that wealth has lost the greater part of its power, and that no one can govern successfully unless he has the real democracy at his back. Mr Rolleston is therefore in a fix, and he is trying to get out of it by currying favor with both classes, and hence his thanks to God that the working man’s interests were at last attended to. We all know what this invocation means “ The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hand is the hand of Esau.” The voice is the voice of William Rolleston trying to curry favor with the working men, but the hand—that is the party he is leading—is the hand of the monopolists, who were crushing and sinking this colony down into the depths of depression, till it was released from it by the splendid policy of the present Government. Ho one can read Mr Rolleston’s speech without feeling satisfied that the present Government is the best we have ever had, Mr Rolleston is noted for exaggerating tin? faults of his political opponents and making this,no. look ten times worse than they are. But ip Jjis last speech he has expressed approval of almost everything the Government have done, even to the extent of saying that there is no chance of going back to the Tax any more. He is satisfied j. - T -<Mid and Income Tax now, but with tiie - ' - 1 he says, and no doubt it must be amonueu. +hn removal the direction he has in view * - 1

of the tax on improvements. We m... sure that that will be clone without any assistance from Mr Rolleston. Mrßallance has already said frequently that this tax would bo removed as soon as the linancss of the colony would warrant it, and if as is expected, he has a surplus of half-a-million this year, his next step will doubtless be in this direction. For our own part wo would prefer that taxation should uot be reduced until we are beyond all risk of further borrowing. One thing is certain : the G-overnmerit must have money if they are to continue opening up the country by means of public works. They must also have money for buying native land, and land for settlement, and they have no means of getting it except by borrowing, or by taxation. We are entirely opposed to borrowing, and consequently we favor the continuance of the present taxation so as to provide the moans of settling the colony. At present no one is hurt by the taxation. Toe tax on farmers has been reduced, and with the exception of very largo Land owners, no one is paying more than ho did under the property tax. We could go on very well with the present taxation, but we are inclined to think that it will not be maintained and that the tax on improvements and on tea will be taken off. That would probably come to about £200,000, but a surplus of about £300,000 would still be left. Farmers may therefore rest assured that there is no danger of their taxation being increased. Wo sympathise with Mr Rolleston. There was sadness and disappointment in every woi'd of his

speech, for he sees all hope is past, and that (here is nothing left for him now but to remain in the cool shades of Opposition for the rest of his natural life.