THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2970, 28 July 1891, Page 2

THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION.

TO THU KDITOH. Siu,—l have read "JuliiiuV strictures upon Mr Bryce as a rctrcnclier, and J ffit vexed. Not vexed for Mr Bryec, hut vexed for " Julian." "Julian" and I hold ideas very contrary, lint for all that 1 liked to read his letters. They were free from silly platitudes and grandiloquence such as Sir (i, (jrey uses, There was something about his writings, although I could not agree with them ; .still 1 respected "Julian/ , I looked upon him as a man of .1 different stamp from tho ordinary political stumper of the day. I respected him because: I felt he was honest, and to me a man honest in his opinions, though to me wrong, is as much to me, as far as cate-m and respect goes, a.s if he was to me right. That "Julian " should .speak slightingly, almosc snceriiigly, of Mr Bryce as a rctrencher makes ma think one of two tilings—either ''Julian" has not been seven years in New Zealand, or, if he has been here more than that, hn (" Julian ") had not till lately given much thought to what wa-.i coing on in New Zealand. I think when 1 have, explained what Mr Bryce did in tho way of retrenchnieut some seven or eight or uiue years ago, "Julian" will hold the opinion that I hold, and that is that Mr Bryce has been the greatest retrenchor there has been or ever will he in New Zealand. That in the past lie has been so cannot be denied, for facts canuot be disproved. That there will in the future ever he such a great retrencher is very unlikely, from the fact that it is not likely that such circumstances will be that there will be room for such a thorough retrenchment, and in which retrenchment ho (Mr Bryce) had to act the part of retrcocher. 1 will explain to "Julian" that retrenchment as it now is is not retrenchment in the terrible sense to thu rotrenehers as the retrenchment which Mr JJryce had to do was terrible to him (Mr Jirycc) as the reti'onchcr. It is not tremendously harrowing to a Minister to sit in his easy chair in the oflico of his department and to issue an order for the discharge of a judge or Crown Commissioner of Lands or a ranger, or :i rabbit inspector, nor is it a matter of life or death to tho town or district in which such a one is discharged, but how different was it with thu retrenchment which Mr Bryce had to perform. I will explain to "Julian" tint some eight or uine years ago the whole of the inhabitants, excepting the farmers in a district of the upper Waikato, from quite legitimate and unavoidable causes were either directly or indirectly depending for their livelihood wholly or partly upon the Native Department. When I say tlio whole, I quite know that there were exceptions, but at the same time I say it would be splitting straws to cavil at the word whole. Well the time had come when their depending upon the Native Department would cease ; "Julian" will easily see that this was no ordinary case of retrenchment, first of all it meant to a great extent the depopulating of the district, it also meant that those who remained in tho district wore great sufferers. This was a ease of retrenchment which would frighten any man unless with that man the determined sense of duty overcame the natural repugnance to such a retrenching operation, Mr Bryce took that disagreeable task in hand, and at his own mental suffering purformed the task. If Mr Bryce could, from his Ministerial ollice, have performed the duty it certainly would have been much less harrassing to his feelings ; but no, that could not be, for the nature of his duties had to take him personally into the midst of the people and district iu which he was retrenching. To show what a difficult and painful duty he had to perform I will need to draw a contrast betwixt him and his successor, Mr Ballance. It was one of Mt Bryce s duties to retrench a lot of officers iu the A, C. fc'orcu ; he (Mr Bryce) did retrench these officers. Well, when his successor, Mr liullaiicc, as Native Minister visited the district, upon pressure being applied to lii'ii, he (Mr Ballance) reinstated these same officers. Surely it would have been comparatively easy to have resisted the pressure than it was in the first place to have retrenched the officers. Mr Ballance could easily h-ivo thrown the odium upon Mr Bryce and could easily have made the excuse that, as Mr Bryce had done so lie dare not reinstate the officers. I would draw "Julian's" attention to that retrenching of these otlices and to the reinstating of them, it shows the contrast betwixt. Mr Uryec and Mr Ballance. With Mr Bryce it was duty, and with duty was coupltd unpopularity. With Mr Hallanee, duty was no consideration but popularity was everything. Any oue who has watched the doings of what is miscalled the Liberal party will have seen that for years all along it has been popularity that has guided them, duty is what they kuow nothing about ; they know that with democracy they must please, no matter though that pleasing should be in direct opposition to tho well being of the country and the people. It will bo said that the people know best what is for their political welfare. I deuy it ; every day we see what blunders the people make in their own small affairs. Is it to be supposed that if they make blunders iu their own affairs that they do not make blunders iu the political affairs of the country which are largo and complicated? Do they know the country's large affairs when "they do not know what 13 best for their "own small u flairs '! —lain, etc., Hakai-kpk.