But, thanks for once to his political
extremes, the question was happily settled rather by being laughed out
of court than by time-wasting argument.
"Government House," however, did secure, in both colonies, a certain
measure of triumph. Authority in esse having the whip hand of authority
in posse, the one-third of nominees as against two-thirds elective were,
by a disproportionately large representation purposely given to the
squatting districts, converted into a permanent majority of Crown
nominees and Crown tenants. This was clearly an evasion of the intention
of the Imperial Parliament, which was that, by giving a decided majority
to the popular side, the colonies might be graduated into complete
constitutionalism.
But, after all, this evasion lasted only for a very few years. These
early wranglings are now all but forgotten. But they are so only because
the narrow views which gave them birth have been entirely defeated, and
are all but exploded. In the progress of the colonies since, "the
merits" have occupied the front, and the useful has taken the precedence
of the ornamental. The latter is not to be despised when in company with
the former; nor has it been, for not a few who were once on the
anti-popular side have entered public life, and even secured the highest
prizes.
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