Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878] WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 1892. ON WHICH SIDE ?

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4138, 15 June 1892, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878]

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 1892. ON WHICH SIDE ?

beino the extended titie 0? the Wairakafa Dauy, with whioh it is ' identioal

It is possibly owing to some confused t idea of imitating the Times in Lon* t don, that'the Post in Wellington is ' careful to steer clear of commending J any political party. If this be indeed the reason of the Post's uncertain s sound, perhaps our city contemporary J will do wisely to continue the same i course in the future—since assuredly i the dubiousness of its tone is the only < feature about the Post whioh oan be < considered to give it a resemblanoe to the mighty English newspaper. ' Yet, notwithstanding its affectation J of critioal indifference to parties, we , conjecture that the Post feelfl better , when it finds its favourite political j attitude taken up by others. It is I never nice to be isolated,, though it ■' may sometimes seem grand—as when St. Simeon Stylites stood on one leg for forty years on a pillar, while people hurried up to have a look at His Eminence. We wonder whether the Post has ever had a carking suspioion that its Bp'endid remoteness from live men and their, doings is viewed with a more than half contemptuous smile by the busy public whohave the courage of their opinions and woik hard at getting their opinions translated into practice, However, for the next few'months at all events, the Pos* will have plenty of imitators. So far from being laughed into coming down from its pedeßtal and mingling with tho workerfl, it will find men of a certain class eager to join it. Does the Post '. occupy the serene heights of aelfesteem ? There are politicians who clamber at this time of year to the topmoEt rail of time-serving, The Post can count, therefore, upon much moral support; though it must be aaid that its supporters are, upon the whole, meaner in aim than itself. These are the men who, when they find • themselves obliged to address either their constituents or the House, take every possible precaution notifo com* . mit themselves to a definite line of policy. These are the patriots; they avow themselves superior to party calls; they are no respecters of Ministerial persons; and as to measures, they cannot pledge them- , selves'for or against a; Bill till the , division bell has begun to ring.' When one of these gentlemen has to make a speech, the peroration is the best part of it. It is full of sound* ing words about the right relation which should subsistbetween political parties in New Zealand, Here are some typical flowers of oratory, culled at random:-" It is no part of the duty of the Opposition to oarp at the Government; it should offer generous criticism, for whioh, in turn,', the

Government' should be thankful." This is truly beautiful, and beyond praise as an effort to'make things pleasant all roundj but wo should like to hear a oritioisra of this Een«iment from the leader of Her Majesty's Opposition at the preaent time, say, in the House of Commons, We fanoy that Botne enlargement, of these modest funotions is generally claimed by the party which is not in power. But hear the political trimmer again: -"New Zealand should be for New Zealanders," This is a specially popular formula;and we can only reply,"Why,certainly." Doesany» one urge that it should be the habitat of Hottentots? ' If occurs to ua that this attempted epigram had very little real meaning even when it was fresh jrppitjifl lipsof.the man who J3rs> .spoke it-whoever he was. 'We supn I pose the phrase to imply that thelans

of this Colony Bhoiild not be snapped up by English trading corporations, 1 though we oannot be sure. If, how* ever, this really is tho aspiration which timid members of tho House want to "get off" from time to time, all we oan say is that it is unexceptionable in its tone, but that we look for something more definite from our Parliamentary speakers than the constant re-issue of an old cant phrase.

But we fear the truth about a go'od many members ' ot■ the House •bj Representatives'is thV that they aro 'licensed dealer's in old oant phrases. "The need of a progressive policy "—" the Colony to bo made prosperous and united "—why, bless us and savers, it-is hardly worth while for the consolidated revenue to pay men an annual parliamentary stipend that with timid non-com-initial tongue they may talk to us like this I Yet we have many such men in our Parliament. We have no doubt whatever that they are estimable in tbbir} homes. It never surprises us to read that when they speak they are greeted with "applause"—since applause is apt to follow the eoand more than the sense. But this we will say, that such public men as these will "find, in the long run, that they carry abdut, as much weight as -the Evening Post. When an important measure is before the House of Representatives, it is men of this stamp-call it calculating or plastio, whioh you will-who waste time and discourage honest effort, because they speak on both sides and vote iu the middle.