CHAP. I] ORIGIN AND HISTORY 49
Lord Kimberley, in a dispatch of March 15, 1881, declined
to advise the Crown to accede to the petition, on the grounds
that the grant of responsible government would render the
Colony liable to provide for its own defence against internal
disturbances as well as from outside aggression, that the
Colony was unable to meet this liability from its own re-
sources, that the Imperial Government could not hold itself
responsible for the outcome of a policy over which it had no
control, and that therefore responsible government must be
preceded by federation with the neighbouring states. To this
decision a reply was sent by the Legislative Council urging
reconsideration, pointing out that federation was not in sight,
and insisting that the main burden of internal defence did
rest, under any circumstances, with them. In replying on
February 2, 1882, the Secretary of State authorized the
resubmission of the question after an election to the Legis-
lature, but the proposal was then shelved, the members not
yet feeling prepared to assume the burden of responsible
government in its entirety. Steps were, however, taken to
increase the number of members and to extend the franchise,
but practically nothing was done to give a native franchise—
a fact on which both the Governor and the Secretary of State
commented with regret. In 1884 the Council made an
attempt to elicit from the Home Government what degree
of military defence would be provided in the event of self-
government being adopted, but that Government was not
prepared to answer so hypothetical a question. In 18881
the question was again brought before the Home Govern-
ment on the motion of the Legislative Council : they urged
that the slow progress of the Colony was due to the divorce
between the legislative and the executive power, which
created the unfortunate feeling that the Government was
not really that of the people at all ; while again, the views of
the majority of the popular representatives in the chamber
could be thwarted by the action of a minority of elective
members together with the nominee members. Moreover,
the views of the Colony were represented to the Imperial
1 Parl. Pap., C. 6487, pp. 1 seq.
mn
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