The Waikato Times. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1879.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1136, 7 October 1879, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1879.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of-;whatevei^state-_or persustsionj religious^. or oolitical. iHere shaU-the'Press.-theiTPEOPiVs right maintaiu, Onawed. bv.inflnenco. and onbribed by gain, jj -JA:' k

The Ministry/it would seem/have chosen ithe. better part and have at once^rosigned. : •It is well that they should ;do so. They have acted both wisely and gracefully iv I I the. course they have taken', their: last \ official act. The Colony would,ill brook ; that the floor of the Legislature should be made the arena of factious •-opposition . : after the House had twice: expressed Its : want of confidence, not ih the policy of the Government, but of tho fitness of the. men composing it to carry out that policy. And this phase of the question.jnust not be overlooked. At the recent elections, the members of the Government party raised a false issue when they.pretended, tp ma'ie the, adoption of certain Liberal measures the test of fitness in.a representative. It was not to decide any such question of policy that the dissolution w.as granted by the Governor. The question before the country was really not one of measures, but of men. The Assembly, m the last session of the last parliament, did not condemn tho policy, but the administration of tho Government., At-the elections, Government and Opposition members alike took their stand upon the same Liberal platform, and throughout the colony the question was made one of men, not of measures. Condemned on their maladministration by a majority pf fourteen m the session of July last, the Government did not resign, but availed themselves of the one loophole of escape lef tyan appeal to the country. They submitted themselves, by their own voluntary act, to this ordeal, and the result has been that though they decreased the majority that was at first recorded against them, the country and the House have not thought fit to absolve'them from the charge of mal-administration that hung over them.. They had, therefore, no other legitimate course than to resign; reconstruction was impossible when the charges of mal-administration swept over the whole ministerial gamut. - And novv.that their resignation, has been sent m, what next? We^ do sincerely hope that, if it be found that another Government can he formed, having the confidence of the House, and'there is not the slightest doubt that such will be, all factious opposition will be eschewed,, and that the late Government party will be found as cordially supporting those liberal measures—to which the Colony is most unmistakably pledged, whatever set of men may be: m power--as they would have done, had they emanated from themselves. There is much..work, and but little time m the.present session to do it. It will be difficult to' keep Members together, as the business of the summer draws them to their homes, and therefore ■ all unnecessary, delay m mere squabbling for tbe possession of office will be not only unseemly, but injurious to the best interests of the colony. As yet, nothing definite appears to be known as to the formation of the new Ministry. The only authentic intelligence is, that Mr Hall has been sent foi-, aud that Mr Whitaker, senior, will be called to the Upper House, and occupy the office of Attorney-General. What a commentary upon the late action of the Central Committee, which lent its whole force to keep out of the Assembly the one man to whom Auckland can now look to defend her interests m the Cabinet. •