The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 1887. THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2662, 1 August 1887, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 1887. THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

A year aijo Mr William Gisborne, an ex • Minister, published a volume entitled, "New Zealand Rulets and Statesmen," and Mr Balance's friends in vain looked through its pages to find a record therein of the present Miniater for Lands. Mr Gisborne was intimately [acquainted with Mr Ballance, and we may assume that ho could not conscientiously assign to him a place among Statesmen, Those who listened to Mr Balance's speech in the Theatre Royal on Friday evening last, would not be altogether at a loss to account for the conclusion at which Mr Gisborne has evidently arrived. Our Minister of Lands speaks glibly enough, but his words are not the wise ■ utterances of a thoughtful politician. No Statesman sets class against class, no Statesman represents the rick as a sort of sponge to bo squeezed by the poor. The term poor was often in Mr Balance's mouth the other evening, but he ought to know that the thrifty and industrious working man of New Zealand is not a poor man, and is quite prepared to tako his fair shave of the public burdens. Thero ure unthrifty and extravagant men in this as in other commuunities, and at the late meeting those mou cheered Mr Ballanco most lustily. He will have their votes to a maa. and he is wolcomo to them. Mr Ballauoo is a clever demagogue, and as a popular platform speaker surpasses either Sir Robert Stout or Sir Julius Vogel, Still, most of those who listeued to Mr Ballance on Friday evening, must have noticed the flippant way in which be complained that tho country would not let the Ministers retrench, and those who on the follawiiig day read Mr Vioker,B accusation in the New Zealand Times of extravagance, and something worse than extravagance, in one of Mr Balance's 'own departments, could easily understand that this Minister prefers increased taxation to retrenchment. Mr Ballance .passed overlightyl also the, tariff proposals of the Ministry. an old free trader he cannot'probably advocate protective duties' with even an assumption of earnestness, The strong point of his speech was with reference to his land administration. In sot-

tling land Mr Ballance has been earnest and industrious—would that be had also been intelligent! Within a clay's ride from Masterton, his village settlers are breaking their hearts over the insurmountable obstacles which they have to face, and the Manawatu Railway Company are pick' mg up the.righfc class of settlers, a class, which Mr Ballance has spurned. In the one case ordinary business rule 3 are disregarded, in the other they are studied. The Railway Company is making a profit,, the colony is experiencing a loas. With an unlimited purse Mr Ballance may achieve success but with an exhausted exchequer his fad must end in disaster, However the people on Friday evening last found out what was meant by the political situation. It was a catch vote of confidence in his Ministry, and a leg up for our own clean-handed Ministerial candidate. Surely now Mr Ballauce's two thousand a year is perfectly safe for another term, and the country is willing to be bled for the suppon of the Ministry and their many frienda for a longer poriod. Morn taxation, an extra squeeze of that Hpongo which patriots love to grasp, and retrenchment cau bo put off till a mora convenient season. Still, we venture to hope that every thrifty and industrious settler iu the Colony will deuounce this mad policy, and will insist upon the expenditure of the Colony being brought within its means and new taxation kept at arms length' till an honest effort at retrenchment has at least been attempted.