THE STONEWALL.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 16 September 1881, Page 2

THE STONEWALL.

The following remarks by the Premier in reply to Sir G. Grey's speech on Tuesday week are taken from the New Zea* land Times, and at the present moment are worthy of careful perusal :— Mr Hall said— l am precluded by the form of the discussion from referring to the Representation Bill, for which I am very sorry, because I should have liked to have shown how very unreasonable the Opposition on the present occasion has been. I should like to bare recalledto the attention of hon. members how patiently the arguments upon the whole subject were listened to and considered before we entered upon this deplorable contest, bat all that must now be taken for granted, and will be so taken. I believe, by the majority of the House. The question now is a much larger and more important one. It is whether, when a serious difference of opinion arises be* tween the minority and the majoiity in this House, and when it is found that that difference cannot be reconciled by patient and protracted argument, whether the opinion of the minority is then to prevail or that of the majority. That is the issue at which we have now arrived. [Hear, hear.] Mr Seddon— Put it to the people. Mr Hall — The hon. gentleman induces me to say that the question now to be settled is whether the majority in this ! House is to be Forced to give in to a | small minority of head- strong men who make an unscrupulous use of the forms of the House. [Applause and cries of ' No, no.'] Mr Seddon — That is a word, Sir, which I submit should not be used here. Mr Speaker— What was the word ? Mr Seddon— An ' unscrupulous ' use of the forms of the House. Mr Speaker— l wish that no stronger words were ever used by hon. members. I Mr Hall— l say, sir, that the question raised, and wbich we have now to decide, ?s whether a minority, by perseveringly abusing the forms of the House by putting those forms to a use for which they were never intended, shall either impose its will upon the majority, or shall I paralyse the action of Parliament. (Hear, hear.) That is a question to which there can be no answer certainly from the Government, I am confident, or from the House, and undoubtedly not from the country. (Applause.) Mr Seddon— Try it. Mr Hall— We as a Government should be untrue to the high and important trust committed to us if we did not maintain at all hazards and at any incona venience, the great fundamental princi* pies upon which (he system of represen* tative institutions rest, namely, that the will of the majority mast, and shall prevail. (Applause.) That is a principle, to abandon which would be to sap the fery foundations of our institutions. Mr Seddon— The " cloture," Mr Hall— Although I cannot refer to any proceedings on the Eepresentation Bill upon the present question of ad« journment, I may say that we have now had introduced a form of discussion to which the House has hitherto been a stranger. We have not merely had an indefinitely protracted discussion upon the principles of the Bill which is in question, but by motions for ajournment as soon as the Houso meets we have practically come to this, that no business whatever can be proceeded with, everything being brought to a standstill ; and this has come not from hon gentlemen with whom we may sympathise, though we cannot agree with them — the members for the Nelson district— but this hitherto unknown mode of obstruction was intro* duced by the hon. member for Auckland City East, who has nothing whatever to do with this matter. Mr Speight — As much as anybody else,

Mr Hall-— As I have said, one might sympathise, if Dot agree, with lion airm* bers whose district is to suffer a deprivation' of political power, but the lionmember for Auckland City East is not at all in that position. It is not proposed that his district shall be averted, Day after day the business of Parliament has been brouuht to a standstill by tliis abuse of the motion for adjournment, and this is done when the House has been nearly three months in session, aod when we have on the Order Paper a large mass of legislation which the country is anxiously waiting for, and which is of itself of great importance. For three days we have had to submit to this obstruction, and there is no indication whatever that those who have been engaged in it do not intend to continue it as long as they possibly can. (Applause.) I say that this is tbe most grievous, the most scandalous abuse of the forms of the House that I have ever witnessed. It is a state of things that no other deliberative body in the colony, whether Borough Couoci!. Eoad Board, or County Council would ever allow itself to be brought to. These tactics cannot succeed, (\pplause.) Every day that tho9e who are so abusing (he forms of the House detain us here, they are increasing the anger with which the greater part of the country is re* garding them and their proceedings. (Applause, and cnes of ' No, no.')