THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1107, 29 July 1879, Page 2

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

OPINIONS OF THE SOUTHERN

PRESS.

(Per Electric Telegraph.)

WELLINGTON, last night. (" Timaru Herald.")

Sir George Grey has not only misled and betrayed the confidence of the country, and done his svorst to set class against class, and breed illfeeling and distrust amongst the community, but he has immensely lowered the tone of the House of Representatives, weakened the hold upon it of invaluable constitutional principles, and damaged the political reputation of New Zealand to an exteit which will take many 3'ears before it is repaired. We" believe that he has a sincere, though vague, and thoroughly impracticable desire to be a benefactor to this colony, but there is no doubt that he has done it more harrn in five short years., than a whole generation of ordinary men could have done, if they had tried their utmost to injure it. Let us hope he will shortly vanish altogether from the scene.

The Wellington correspondent of the ' Lyttelton Times,' a consistent ministerialist, and steady supporter of Sir George Grey, writes as follows:—" It is with considerable hesitation, and, but for the fact that I might be accused of unjournalistic partiality, I could add, with considerable pain, that f feel it my duty as a chronicler of things as they really are, to say that on both sides of the House <he opinion is growing that the day when Sir George Grey should aspire to be a ruler of men has gone by. I am confident that then the bitterest of his opponents would, in 3001 blood, not call to question his splendid services to the State in the past. At the same time his warmest supporters (by the way, I must exclude the hon. member of Auckland [City East) admit that the time has arrived when he should rest upon his laurels." The same journal, how,ever, in its leader of the same date, thus pleads the cause of the Premier :— '* We are tired of the Premier's autocra.cy, of the abandonment of the Electoral Bill, of the neglect in the matter of representation, and of the iniquity of the Land Tax. One would imagine that a Ministry is expected, unlike anything else, to be able to get on without a head. No collection of individuals can hold together by the

force of independent individual opinion, but it seems that whenever such a collection iscalled a Ministry it isa crime for it to relyonanystronger bond of union. Within certain obvious limits a Premier must cease to be the head of his Ministry. Beyond these limits Sir George Grey has never been proved to have gone, and the will is not wanting to prove anything against him."

(The Canterbury " Press.")

We quite concede to the' ministerial organ, that there is a very, marked contrast between the existing Government and the Opposition. It is not precisely of the kind that it would have the country believe, but it will not be less worthy the attention of the people, whenever the expected dissolution takes place, that the Opposition have not deluded the Colony as the Government with profess:ons. They have not, as a body, nor has their leader individually* indulged in splendid declamations about the human race or future generations yet unborn. They have shown a capacity of sticking to work. They have displayed an exact knowledge of the measures which the Colony wants, and they have placed a careful limit upon the objects to which its resources ought to be confined. They have judiciously insisted upon the public control being made effectual over future expenditure, and they have refused, therefore, to place large sums a*- the disposal of the -Government without distinct, appropriation at every step to specific purposes. In this spirit they threw out, unhesitatingly, the Railway Conservation Bill as originally introduced, and confined Sir G. Grey and Mr Macandrew, who had hoped by means of it to become the uncoutrolable dispensers of six millions of the public money, to the strict appropriation of the year. By this attitude of judicious watchfulness during last session, they have enabled the country to understand the sooner than might have otherwise been the case the autocratic character of the Ministry with which they had to deal, and they are now reaping the natural roward of their service, the call about to be made on them to occupy the Ministerial benches. Mr Wakefield's speech was considered by the best judges to be oue of the most masterly efforts ever made within the walls of the Parliament of New Zealand. . It occupied nearly three hours in its delivery, and has had the effect of marking him as a necessary ingredient in any Ministerial combination that may be formed. Mr Bryce, too, will, we venture to opine, be found in the next team. The division will take place on Tuesday afternoon, and will give a majority of nine or ten against the Government. Ultimately, a combination will become necessar} 7 , as some seven or eight will not record their vwtes fo ft r or against the motion. Mr Sheehan's speech was also considered very powerful, and was quite free from personality or abuse.