he must be dismissed. But when I exposed the facts to the House the officer was restored, and the arbitrary Minister had to resign. As soon as the Supplies for the year were voted, the Opposition, which had now grown to a decisive majority, attacked the Government by a vote of want of confidence. It was carried, but, contrary to expectation, the Governor agreed to dissolve Parliament, and the Legislative Assembly sent him an address of remonstrance. There was no ground, they insisted, for an appeal to the people. After twelve months' occupation of office, during which they passed no measure of importance, the Government were ejected, not in defence of any principle, for they had vindicated none, but for mere incompetence and unworthiness, and the House called on the Governor to take measures to secure the reassembling of Parliament at the earliest moment, as public interests were seriously endangered while their control remained in the hands of his present advisers. As his answer was not satisfactory, Supplies were only granted for three months, to make sure that the authority of Parliament should not be evaded. When the dissolution was secured the Government proclaimed an ultra-democratic programme on which they determined to go to the country, but of which Parliament had never heard anything. Under the election law existing at that time the Administration could fix the order of elections at their discretion, and the Government put the most democratic constituencies in the front.
Constituency after constituency chose the Government candidate, and an exulting minister declared that, as there would be no Opposition in the next Assembly, it would be necessary to hire one to keep up constitutional forms. On the goldfield constituencies the cry was, "Down with the black coats and bell-toppers." The miners and artisans accepted the Government as representing for the first time their own class. The party relations which formerly existed were rudely shaken or overthrown by this new sentiment, of which the hope of protection for Australian industries, now first broached by a Government, formed a realistic and practical side.[1] The current was strong, and men
- ↑ Geelong was the headquarters of protection, and Aspinall was brought there to make an oration on the question on behalf of the new Government.
