1856: Politics and Politicians Dissected

December 31, 2019

By AHNZ

In late May, 1856, an anonymous pamphlet was circulated in Auckland called Politics and Politicians Dissected. The author was Auckland’s Superintendent himself, Dr. John Logan Campbell.¹ The writing sheds some light on the Parlaimentarian of the day who is referred to therein as a “pimp, a truckler, and a sham.” for the most part according to Campbell (image left.) The author also expresses much dissatisfaction with the disorganised waffle taking up all the time of New Zealand’s politicians and sought to dislodge them.

New Zealand’s First Prime Minister had been James Fitzgerald or Henry Sewell (right,) depending on how you look at it. In 1854 the First New Zealand Parliament had been a ridiculous parade of running, fighting, locking doors, and physical antagonism. Acting Governor, Col. Robert Wynyard, dismissed the would-be nobility back to their colonial strongholds.

No sooner did this first batch of bad Statist biscuits return to our nation’s capital (Auckland) for another run at it than they were again scattered to the ends of these islands. Colonel Gore Browne arrived during their time of gathering and status-seeking circus and dissolved the House for fresh elections. This done, a Second Parliament assembled and sat from 15 April, 1856, to try to get it right this time.  Could they be worthy of the power New Zealander’s had given them?

Progress Party vs. Constitutional Party

Politics and Politicians Dissected shows that the people of New Zealand were crucified between two factions not unlike Christ betwixt two thieves. First came Sewell’s Constitutional Party (est. 1854,) followed by Fox’s (image left) Progress Party. Both ate up about 2 weeks each of talk and jostle signifying little or nothing and maybe that was because they were little cults of personality…

“Party slaves are unfit to govern freemen. A party slave gives up to party what is due to his country. …he believes that political wisdom can get along very well without political honesty; that language should rather hide than express our thought; that to wait upon events is safer, altogether better, in fact, than to guide them; that governing means plundering; and that men on earth ever did, ever will, live very much in the manner of fish in the sea–great ones eating up the little ones.”

“But here, in New Zealand, the “madness” of party is very mad– so utterly stark and staring that affairs are brought to a dead lock..The General Assembly has now been sitting something more than a month; yet we still are wondering what they will do, or whether they will do anything.”

“..helping us to recall the venerable joke–“John, what are you doing?” “Nothing, Sir.” “Thomas, what are you doing?” “Helping John, Sir!”- Politics and Politicians Dissected

To be fair, Sewell and Fox were inventing in NZ from scratch the institution of party politics. It was better than the autocracy of the Governor and his selected Ministers. And it was certainly better than the autocracy of the Orwellian Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act (2018) that made Members the prisoners of their party boss.

What was worked out during the Progressive and Constitutionalist contests was a fair bit of hot air. However, they did secure Responsible Government from the Governor’s autocrats² and set an example (even if a bad one) that the next Ministry would be able to learn proficiency from.

Stafford 1.0

“I am not the partizan or hanger-on of any Opposition or any Ministry,” wrote the anonymous self-identified “independent thinker” behind this pamphlet. Yet it was he, Logan Campbell, Superintendent of Auckland and MHR for Auckland City electorate, who fired the torpedo that had sunk Sewell’s Constitutionalists. Then, when Edward Stafford’s (image below) want-of-confidence put Fox out and himself in as New Zealand’s first lasting premier he was joined by Campbell as one of his Ministers.

“We have enough politicians…the majority of them are talkers- merest possible palaverers..”- ibid

The funny thing is, now that Team Campbell had secured power over Central Government through such devices as this pamphlet, he quit the country for good. The future Father of Auckland, 6 months later, handed over his business and his Superintendancy and his seat and his ministry to exit New Zealand never meaning to return.

Of course, like George Grey he did come back for a mighty squeal. I don’t yet know if Campbell left New Zealand because he was satisfied or dissatisfied. Was he happy that Politics and Politicians Dissected and the attendant strategy had been successfully pulled off? Or was he as disappointed and exhausted by ‘place-hunting coteries possessed by the twin-devils of avarice and ambition’ as Peter Plume purported to protest?

—

Ref. Politics and Politicians Dissected (1856); W. LAMBERT, PRINTER; Early New Zealand Books, Auckland University

Ref. 1854: New Zealand’s First Prime Minister?
Ref. 1855: Governor Browne; AHNZ

1 So we’re told by Bagnall, who I take to be Dr Campbell’s associate Horatio Bagnall. The nom de plume used was Peter Plume; Ref. Worldcat

2 This was done by paying them off. A deal that Campbell spends quite a bit of his pamphlet railing against..”absurd, impolitic, unjust!”

Image ref. Dr. JLC portrait adapted out of the 2nd New Zealand Parliament; wiki

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