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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 23

The Serious Nature of the Crisis

The Serious Nature of the Crisis.

Before proceeding to deal with protective duties, however, I shall offer some remarks on the serious nature of the crisis in which we find the colony, and which is of such a character a to have caused me, as an old colonial, the gravest uneasiness. I have seen manynen lately placed in power who have displyed nothing but incapacity and ignoranc in the direction of the legislation and to the public affairs of the colony, and these have now been brought to such a pass that it behoves every man who loves New Zealand to ask himself this question, "What can I do to bring about a better state of affairs?' Although I have always taken an ardent interest in the public affairs of the colony, I have not hitherto been able to see my way to enter the House of Representatives, nor I think, under ordinary circumstances, should I have contemplated doing so now, but the situation is so serious that I have cast overboard every other consideration and jumped into the breach, with the desire to do what I can to bring about a better state of affairs. I do not suppose that. I can do much, but it is my day to offer to do what I can. It has appeared to me that the men who have lately been putting themselves forward as the statesmen of New Zealand are not only incapable but even so ignorant that they do not know the very A B C of political science, making such havoc with legislation, introducing so many visionary schemes and generally so seriously prejudicing the business and c edit of the colony, that I have come to the conclusion that men of business capacity possessing common sense and a decent education, are the class of persons which we must seek to choose our new Legislature from, and that we must have a large infusion of sounder and better blood than is to be found in the members of the present Government, or indeed of any other party.