The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Tuesday, January 6, 1891. POLITICAL PROBABILITIES.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 553, 6 January 1891, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Tuesday, January 6, 1891. POLITICAL PROBABILITIES.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country’s. Thy God’s, and truth’s.

The Wellington Post, which professes to be well informed on the probabilities in political matters, holds out a dismal prospect. It says it will not be surprised to find a rapid succession of weak combinations set up and knocked down like ninepins before a combination is formed sufficiently strong to make a stand for the session, and that the session, instead of being a short one, may find occupation to keep it going until the close of the financial year will enable it to proceed with the ordinary business under whatever Ministry may than be in power. All this is the reverse of comforting, as the taxpayers are in no humor to have the burdens increased by party wrangles. Of course there will be most strenuous endeavors made to give the Continuous

Ministry a further lease of office. That party has already shown its willingness to sacrifice their best man (Sir Harry Atkinson), if by that means they can sufficiently humor people to enable the reigns of power to be still held by the coterie. It is pointed out it is nonsense to talk about the Opposition not containing the material to form a competent Cabinet, the fact being that Mr Ballance would be more likely to suffer from having too many competent men to choose from than from any want of choice of good material.

The Times thus explains the present position so far as politics generally are concerned : —“ In regard to the summer session a new light is dawning in the public places. It is at all events very freely said that the Assembly has been called together because the Governor would not take the responsibility of finding any successors to the present Ministry. In a state closely bordering on equilibrium the responsibility of finding the leaders should be with the House of Representatives. The suspicion that this is the Governor’s view is said to have prevented Ministers from resigning. It may be the Governor’s view; it is a sensible enough view at all. events. If it was really so, the point is this : Ministers wanting to reconstruct have found themselves debarred from resigning except in the presence of the House, which may not permit any reconstruction.”

The Post says : —“ The only thing which at present may be regarded as a certainty is that there will be a change of Ministry; not a mere reconstruction, in which one or two members would be replaced by others, but an entire change, and a fresh start. It is, indeed, quite possible that there may be several false starts. Whether the present Ministry will place their resignations in the hands of His Excellency immediately before Parliament meets, or will prefer to wait until they are forcibly ejected, remains to be seen, If they do not resign before the business of the House commences they will certainly not be allowed to retire voluntarily afterwards. 'The very first notice of motion given will in all likelihood be one of want of confidence. Why they should desire to court a division on such a motion we cannot imagine. The result would be a foregone one, and even if it were not so Ministers themselves are perfectly aware that as at present constituted they could not carry on the business of the country. Even if the result of the late elections had not been so decisively against them, it is an open secret that a reconstruction was intended before Parliament met in April The Premier is not, and is not likely to be, equal to leading the House through a session, and he is eager to be Agent-General. Sir Frederick Whitaker’s advancing age and increasing infirmities have rendered his early retirement a matter of necessity rather than choice ; and it is well known that Mr Fergus had some time ago determined to retire from office at an early date. Mr Hislop’s retirement was determined by his erstwhile constituents. Then there would only be left Mr Mitchelson, Captain Russell, Mr Richardson, and Mr Stevens, the latter being mentioned merely for form’s .sake.” However, in three weeks’ time there will be a better chance of knowing what turn things are going to take. When the proper time arrives we imagine that some of those Conservatives who are now pretending to know so much, will have as big a surprise as they had on the day following the general election. A great victory all along the line was then anticipated, and when the returns were made throughout the colony, there was blank dismay on the Ministerial side.