Responsible government in the Dominions: Responsible government in the Dominions

Responsible government in the Dominions (Vol. 1)

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Multivolume work

Identifikator:: 1896933912

Document type:: Multivolume work

Author:: Keith, Arthur Berriedale http://d-nb.info/gnd/119086794

Title:: Responsible government in the Dominions

Place of publication:: Oxford

Publisher:: Clarendon Press

Year of publication:: 1912-

Collection:: Economics Books

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Volume

Identifikator:: 1896934455

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-236504

Document type:: Volume

Author:: Keith, Arthur Berriedale http://d-nb.info/gnd/119086794

Title:: Responsible government in the Dominions

Volume count:: Vol. 1

Place of publication:: Oxford

Publisher:: Clarendon Pr.

Year of publication:: 1912

Scope:: LI, 568 Seiten

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Multivolume work

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Part II. The executive Government

Collection:: Economics Books

CHAP. IV] THE GOVERNOR AS HEAD 195 I felt that this belief, if well founded, was a strong argu- ment for dissolution, and the by-elections which supported the Government certainly gave an air of probability to the Premier’s contention. (2) He pointed out that some of those who voted against the Ministry did so avowedly, not because they disbelieved in the policy of the Government, but because they thought that certain of his own past actions showed want of upright- ness. They made accusations against him, the truth of which he indignantly denied ; but he said that if these were grounds for declaring want of confidence in the Ministry, it was only fair to himself, to the Ministers who supported him, and to the country that the constituencies should be asked to pronounce their judgment. [ did not think this in itself a reason for granting a dissolution, though the case for one might be strengthened if dissolution gave the electors an opportunity to express their views on matters concerning the honour of their State. (3) The Premier thought that if I did not follow his advice, I could only ask one of two men to form a Government— either Mr. Prendergast, the recognized leader of the Opposi- tion, or Mr. Murray, who had moved the vote of no con- fidence. Either of these, he thought, would be willing to form a Ministry, and might for the moment succeed ; but to ask either to do so would not be in the interest of the State, for he felt certain that no Government led by either of them would last for many days. He believed dissolution was in any case inevitable before long, and ought to be given to the Ministry which the country had placed in power with so large a majority in 1907. I did not think that my choice was necessarily confined to one of these two gentlemen, nor did I think that the Premier’s opinion that dissolution was inevitable was neces- sarily correct ; but I felt that, if I should decide to dissolve Parliament, there was some reason in his claim to be allowed to appeal to the country whilst still in office. I did not seriously consider whether I should look for a leader in the Legislative Council; for I believed that the Legislative Assembly would never accept as Premier one who was not a member of their own House. The majority in favour of the vote of no confidence was made up of fifteen members of the Labour Party, who never had any confidence in Sir Thomas Bent’s Ministry, and 22 former supporters who had lost confidence in it ; “but who, both at the last general election, and apparently still, were 092

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