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Nation Making, a story of New Zealand

Chapter XXXIV. — Representative Government

page 310

Chapter XXXIV.
Representative Government.

Responsible Government:—Good government.—Three Systems.—The Weak point in Each.—Party versus Nation.—The 'Ins' and the 'Outs.'—Responsibility means Loss of Place and Pay.—Government by Bribery.—Representatives as 'Sturdy Beggars.'—Bread or a Stone.—Constituencies as Plunderers or Paupers.—Degradation of Free Institutions.—Borrowing the Cause.—An Overloaded Donkey.—Absolute Stoppage of Borrowing.—Retrenchment in Every direction Imperative.—Repeal of Property Tax.—Self-Government on its Trial.—Found Wanting.—The Remedy yet to be Found.—The 'Hare' system a Partial Remedy.—The Problem for Solution.

True Nation Making can only rest on Free Institutions—on government by the people for the people. In this Chapter I propose to show how this system of government may be degraded; its reputation injured; its objects imperilled.

In Nation Making it is self-evident that—other things being equal—a Nation becomes strong and powerful, and its people become prosperous and happy, in proportion as it is well governed.

There have been, and are various systems of government. Despotisms pure and simple, Oligarchies, page 311Constitutional Monarchies, Republics, and Colonial governments.

The first two systems may be dismissed as not coming within the range of this enquiry. The last three—being those which are supposed in the last resort, to govern by the people, for the people—are the systems in which the Representative system is working out its destiny, under the manipulation of what is termed Responsible Government.

We may take the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand as fair types of the most successful forms of self-government to be found in the modern world. Theoretically, they are good self-acting machines. But like other machines, they require careful watching and frequent adjustment. If these necessary operations are neglected, the best machine will get out of repair, cease to do its work satisfactorily, and end by destroying itself, and injuring those who have failed in doing a very plain duty.

Let us see how the system works.

In the three countries selected we are met with a grave neglect of duty, and by a serious failure in the system, in the facts, that probably one third of the electors do not vote, whilst nearly one half of those who do vote—having voted for defeated candidates—are practically disfranchized, thus leaving the actual government in the hands of Representatives elected by one third of the electors.

In the United Kingdom the Government is nominally responsible to the people, that is, to one third of them. Under what is known as Government by Party page 312nearly all questions are discussed and settled on party, rather than on national lines. And though, to the honour of English statesmen be it said, jobbery (to use a well Understood term), is less a governing influence than in any other nation, still, it cannot be denied that almost every question, however vital to the Nation, becomes a Party question, a matter between the 'Ins' and the 'Outs.' It is true, that a job in its more sordid sense, is not the motive force, but the love of power and place, the emoluments and patronage of office, are the most potent influences by which Responsible government is carried on, in the first and greatest Representative Assembly in the world.

In old English days Responsibility was a reality, for it meant the axe and the block. In our times, it means nothing more than the loss of power, place, and pay.

In the United States, there is no Responsible government as we understand it, though there is government by Party in a very pronounced form. There the Ministers of State are appointed by the President and are responsible to him. Ultimately the President is responsible to the People, but only—except in very unusual circumstances—at the end of his four years' term of office, having for that period; within certain well defined limits, more real power than the Queen of England and the Prime Minister combined. At the end of his term, his Responsibility begins and ends with the loss of office, with its attendant patronage and pay.

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In New Zealand, Responsible government means nothing more than in the United Kingdom—loss of power, place and pay. Representative government, as now carried on in New Zealand, means Government largely by 'jobbery'—a degraded term for a mean system. Majorities in Parliament are made and kept by a system of bribery—a railway to this batch of Members, a bridge to that Member—and by way of a sop to Cerberus—the dog that does the barking—the many-headed, horny-handed, voting Democracy, flattery, talk and work are administered in varying proportions.

Said a legislator, to whom an elector was expressing regret that he had placed himself in the general crowd of Representative 'beggars'—sturdy and otherwise—

'I was a politician, and I was not going back to my constituents without a railway.'

'If I come to you,' said a legislator to a New Zealand Premier, 'and ask bread, and you offer me a stone, will that secure you my vote? No, indeed.'

The Premier was an adept in pauper legislation, he knew that many Members had their price, and he gave this 'sturdy beggar' his bread, in the shape of 60,000l. for a 'job' in his Little Pedlington.

Such law makers, and they are not few, but many, have lost the art of free self-government.

The Representative system in New Zealand, under what is practically universal suffrage, has become a disgrace and a danger. Under the vicious system which first, the Land Revenue, and then the Borrowing page 314Policy has developed, true patriotism has become like a buried treasure—there truly—but of no use or value, until it is brought into circulation. So long as a large proportion of the electors on the rolls—and possibly the best portion—do not vote, then the election of Representatives is largely left in the hands of those who vote for their man, not because of his patriotism, his ability, or his integrity, but for his capacity to obtain in exchange for his vote, a road, a bridge, or a railway for his particular district—in other words—so much 'plunder,' to use a well known, and indeed, a fitting term.

These are the Members of Parliament who sell their votes—not for their own monetary advantage—but for some special favour to their district, regardless of the true interests of the Colony at large. They degrade the noble institutions they profane by their touch. They are so many unscrupulous larrikins, who scuffle and scramble for the pence which a reckless passenger scatters in the street.

So long as there is a Loan to be scrambled for, so long as money is borrowed, so long as Public Works are not paid for by those who want them—so long will good government at a reasonable cost—or indeed at any cost—be impossible in this, or in any Colony.

Year by year, it is becoming evident, that our noble representative system, is being more and more degraded by being used as a means to obtain or retain office. In New Zealand honest efforts are not made to secure good government and its attendant prosperity. Three fourths of every parliamentary page 315session are occupied in bitter and mercenary struggles between the 'Ins' and the 'Outs.' A continual succession of motions of 'confidence or no confidence' wastes the time of Parliament, disgusts every honest-minded Member, and insults and robs the country.

Government in this Colony, under the pauperizing and mercenary influence of the 'Borrowing Policy,' has degenerated into an ignoble scramble for subsidies of all sorts, into a thing of tricks and bribes.

Now, at last, when the borrowed millions are expended, and as, happily, no more money can be borrowed, the feast of fat things is ended, and Government by bribery is coming to an end, because there is little but scraps and bare bones remaining. Under these circumstances, bribes were not so plentiful, nevertheless, during the Session of 1889, a lower depth of degradation was reached, when the Government, to provide a breakwater for one supporter and a railway for a ring of other supporters, attempted to lay hands on Trust funds—Post Office, Savings Banks' deposits and Government Life assurance funds. At this point, the House of Representatives drew the line, and vetoed the proposal.

The Members recognized that the Colony staggers under its heavy burden like an overloaded donkey, and refused to increase the load, in this, or in any other manner.

The heavy Public debt of New Zealand, it is clear, can be successfully dealt with—if the Colony is to page 316escape drifting on the rocks of repudiation—on two conditions, and on two conditions only.

First:—The absolute stoppage of all borrowing, not for three years only, but for many years.

Second:—A most rigid retrenchment in every department.

The broad lines retrenchment must follow are plainly these:—

Railway making under any circumstances—however promising—must cease. The abolition of all steamer subsidies. The Education grant reduced by one half. The army of Civil servants, many thousands strong, reduced one half. The House of Representatives reduced to fifty Members, the Legislative Council to twenty.

If these reforms are made, the Property tax can be abolished, the heavy Customs taxation substantially reduced, and all public liabilities honourably met.

With such a reduction of taxation, capital and emigrants of the right kind will again come to New Zealand, and a sure foundation be laid for the progress and prosperity of this Colony, and Nation Making will proceed on safe lines.

There can be little doubt that Self-Government, government under the Representative system current amongst the English-speaking race—whether in free America, in freer England, or in the still more free British Colonies—is on its trial. In them all, the page 317Representative system as at present conducted, is unequal to the strain and exigencies demanded from it, under the new conditions of industrial, monetary and political life.

Some of the difficulties would be removed by the adoption of the 'Hare' system of voting. That system would at least secure the representation of minorities, and in the Colonies, would do much to render government by bribery practically impossible.

The disease which affects the healthy action of Self-Governing Institutions, which indeed, threatens their destruction, is apparent enough. The perfect remedy has yet to be discovered. Its discovery and application is one of the problems which the Nineteenth century presents for solution to the Nation Makers of the coming century.