The Wairarapa Daily THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1891.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3909, 10 September 1891, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1891.

Mr Rolleston has been appointed leader of the Opposition, and the choice is a worthy one. Had th members of the Opposition hoisted the Premier, with his own petard, by refusing to appoint a successor to Mr Bryce, they would have been justified in such a proceeding, for never in the history of any legislature has been recorded such an outrage as that which forced the late leader of the Opposition to retire- That the deed was done under a show of order, under a pretence of Parliamentary etiquette, and that it can be defended by any number of specious arguments matters little. The act itself was essentially mean and contemptible, it was, to use an expression once quoted by Mr Ormond, "an unclean thing," and it will dwell in men's minds in after years, in much the same way as that little incident remains which happened years ago when SirQeorge Grey contemptuously ordered Mr Ballance out of a room. The Opposition has unanimously elected Mr Rolleston as its leader! 'ln its ranks there are no petty jealousies, no scheming for position or precedency, Had some other member been selected for the post, Mr Rolleston weuld have been as earnest and legal as a lieutenant, as he will be as captain. There is a splendid esprit de corps among the members of the Opposition. Numeri cally they are weak, but morally and intellectually they are strong, and they are bravely standing by the colony in its darkest political hour. Doing and saying the thing that is right, and mindful of their responsibilities to their constituents, they face, withoutflinching, the blatant majority at the back of the Government, and do their duty without fear or favor. They are a body of repre* sentative men of whom any colony may be proud and their leader, Mr Rolleston, is a true liberal. It is almost perhaps a slur in these degenerate days to call any decent man a liberal, but there is a distinction between true liberals and sham liberals and all parties recognise Mr Holieston's claim to lead the former. Mr Rolleston will be a more popular leader than Mr Bryce because he is somewhat more genial in his manner than bjs illujtrjous prsdecesspr, but like him he is the soul of honour, and the mantle of Elijah has fallen upon Elisha. The Colony need not despair of its political future, when men of such high unblemished character continue to serve it, and the time will come when the false gods now throned in power will be displaced and the true gods will once more be called upon to rule. Next session will see Mr Rolleston premier.