The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, MAY 12, 1885. A HOUSE DIVIDED.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1988, 12 May 1885, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, MAY 12, 1885. A HOUSE DIVIDED.

—■ <a Ik ojjr yesterday's issue we briefly mentioned tjjat a report luul reached us from ut reliable source, to the effect; that Sir Julius Vogkl anticipated tierce opposition during the ensuing session of Parliament, nothing, however, being said ijs to the grounds on which an attack was likely to lie made. \Ve think that Sir Julius is far too practical a statesman not to see that hiseolleaguesaresurrouiidingbiiiiaswell as themselves with all sons of-difficul-ties. After thft long struggle which occurred at the beginning of last session it was generally admitted thai the Stout-Youel Ministry should have a fair trial, and no further party opposition was offered to them. It was at once apparent that, although parties were not liy any means clearly defined, the various portfolios were held by gentlemen no two of whom, except perhaps Mr Stopt and Mr Ballanck, agreed upon any fundamental principle. Tim majority of their supporter?, however, hoped that if they only had a recess they would ho able to produce a policy, the general outline of which would cement them together ami prove nc:eptublo to Parliament and, perhaps, the country, They did get a recess, but so far we have vainly waited for signs of consolidation anion;; them. The Premiet is at I loggerheads with himself, for, while Jio told the people at one end of the Colony that the State should sell no more land, bat, if j;.ossible, resume the title of l hat which had ajready been sold, he informed those at the end that he should like to see every man have a piece of land that no power on earth could take from him and his family. Sir J ULJK} Vouel meanwhile pursued his own ideas, without, apparently troubling himself much about what his colleagues are doing, while Mr JBallance endeavored to carry out, as near as possible ihc two ideas of the Premier, by le.tljng land on lease, and giving freeholds on ve/y l/bernl'terms While this was going on the IJm\\. W. J. M. Launach, Minister fur AJjijes, was promulgating his own ideas in ti|B South. From a speech deliveicd by him, a full report of which has just come to band, we are enabled to gather that he ridicules the very idea of leasing Ciown Lauds, and thinks that all the Grown Lands of the colony should be put into the market at an early date, and tjjaji even auriferous country should not be reserve/d. He thus entirely condemns might be termed the .Radical' portion of the policy pursued by two of his colleagues, But this is not all. Mr Ballance is the father of the existing system of free and secular education, and he is still its warmest supporter. In this he has Mr Stout's assistance. MrLAKNACH, however, bo)4ly states that be dillets, and proceeds to sjvahits reasons. He Hays;—"! am not a believer in the State acting in the despotic manner that we have been acting in preventing religion from being taught in schools, and I can never change my mind in lhat respect. In other words I would rather sec free trade in education. It the Government will give assisatnce in education —which they will continually have to do, and rightly soviet them pay it in the way of capitation. Let eveiysect have their schools if they choose, and 'let them lit! treated all aljjte,"-And again:—" Every sect should receive alike from the Government in capitation fees for every child educated, and the results. I believe, will be as good, if not better, than are now obtained, The matter of religious instruction should be a matter left between parents and children, and the Styte, I think improperly interferes when it says that children should not be taught religion in schools. What the State ought to do is to insist that every child in the colony shall lie educated, and when it has done this it h;js done its duty. The State has no right to say that a child shall not be taught to read the Bible, or that it shall not bo taught a religion, and it is despotic when it does that, That is a question which < should la; left to parents, and no colo- ■ nist has a right to complain if he is ' allowed what the State is prepared • to give per head towards the educa- ! tion of his children ; but parents have . a right to choose what school their children shall go to, and whether

they hIihII or shall nut receive religious instruction. On that point I have not changed my mind, and never shall." We think these remarks need no explanation. They prove beyond doubt that Mr. Larnaoh, if partly agreeing with the Premier and the Minister of Lands on the land question, is entirely at variance with them on that of Education. Judging by the past he does not stand alone in this in the Cabinet, for Mr Tole is also of his opinion. Now, if the members of the Cabinet had done what their supporters expected them to do-stayed at the seat of Government during the recess and comidered their policy, and decided what questions were best left untouched—we should never have heard utterances that are entirely irreconcilable from the leaders of a supposed party, and they would have boen in a position to timet Parliament with an' apparently close front.. As matters now stand wa can only think of the old adij>e, "A. house divided against itself must fall,"