Commissioner of Crown Lands. Mr. O'Grady Lefroy still continued in the office of Colonial Treasurer.
General elections to the Legislative Council were held in February and March, 1880. An abortive attempt was made in several electorates to awaken a vital interest in Responsible Government. The new Council consisted of—Nominee members—L.C. Burges, S.S. Parker, G. Randell, and E.A. Stone; elective members—M. Brown (Geraldton), C. Crowther (Greenough), Sir L.S. Leake and S.H. Parker (Perth), W.E. Marmion and E.H. Higham, (Fremantle), J.G. Lee-Steere (Swan), E. Hamersley (York), G. Shenton (Toodyay), T.C. Carey (Vasse), H.W. Venn (Wellington), Sir T.C. Campbell (Albany), S. Burt (Murray and Williams), and McKenzie Grant (North district )
In 1882 the Legislative Council carried a bill amending its constitution and increasing its membership from twenty-one to twenty-four. A new district, comprising the southern portion of the Northern district, was declared, and named the Gascoyne district. Upon his arrival, Governor Broome discouraged any agitation for Responsible Ministers. He sought to impress on the people that they should wait for some years before essaying the onerous task of governing themselves. Mr. S.H. Parker, a native of the colony, was for years the most energetic advocate in Parliament for a change, and he was not easily disheartened by the weighty opposition and sluggish interest that were sometimes shown to his proposals. In August, 1882, he had moved an address, praying the Governor to introduce a bill providing for Responsible Government. Mr. Carey seconded, but the debate was forlorn and discouraging. The motion was negatived by twelve votes to five. Mr. Parker was particularly desirous of ascertaining the terms and conditions upon which the Secretary for the Colonies would grant autonomy, and asked, by address, that the Governor should obtain this information as speedily as possible.
At this time it was considered that the condition of the finances warranted, even under Act 13 and 14 Victoria, the granting of the privilege. In August, 1883, Mr. Parker again testified his earnestness by moving in the Council that "the time has arrived when it is desirable that the colony of Western Australia should adopt a system of Responsible Government." Mr. M. Brown, who seconded the motion, explained that hitherto he had been a staunch supporter of the existing constitution, but his views had totally changed, and he would do his utmost to bring about autonomy. He was led to this position by the unreasonable and idle locking up by the Government of funds which should be devoted to development works. Mr. Marmion had already spoken in similar terms. After a long debate, Mr Lee-Steere carried, by eleven votes to eight, an amendment, "That it is inadvisable to express any definite opinion until the Secretary for the Colonies has signified terms upon which he would inaugurate a new system."
Lord Derby, who now controlled the Colonial Office, gave scant attention to the request for a definite statement, and threw cold water on the whole matter. In a despatch, dated 23rd July, 1883, he lays particular stress, as did Lord Kimberley before him, upon the difficulty of administering the northern parts of the colony with the southern, inferring that this could be more satisfactorily done under a Crown Colony regime than under Responsible Government. He said he "was not disposed to anticipate that a request for autonomy would be strongly pressed, or that it would be equally acceptable to those people developing the tropical districts, in the belief that their interests were protected by the Crown." He then declared:—"And while I am of opinion that, under Responsible Government, the control of the Crown lands generally would be vested in the Colonial Parliament, it appears to me, as at present advised, that it would be necessary to make an exception in respect to those northern Crown lands which would be likely to form a separate colony at any early date." Indeed, he saw "no reason why the colony should not continue to prosper for a further period under its present form of government." Grave political and financial questions, said he, would have to be determined before such a radical change could be allowed.
A slight revival of interest was at once evinced, due perhaps, to the apparent opposition of Lord Derby, which stimulated the latent spirit of agitation. Governor Broome compiled a tabular statement, showing the condition of the colony, its population, and resources. On 9th April, 1884, he wrote the Secretary for the Colonies, enclosing these facts and figures, and giving an interesting opinion. "Though I see," he writes, "no valid reason for withholding free institutions from this colony after its inhabitants shall have expressed a general and decided wish to take upon themselves the burden and responsibilities of that form of Government, I am strongly of opinion that until such wish shall have been expressed, which certainly it has not been yet, it would be a mistake to make this great and irretrievable change. Furthermore, while I concede that the colony has reached a stage at which a claim to its birthright, if deliberately insisted upon, should not be refused, I nevertheless think that Western Australia would do well to delay its majority for a time, until its wealth and population shall have still further increased, and until the community contains within itself a good ballast weight of public opinion, and a sufficient complement of qualified public men to govern on the party system. By qualified public men I mean, not only men of ability and capacity for public affairs (for these already exist in full proportion), but men in whom good social standing is joined to means and sufficient leisure to allow them to devote themselves to political business." In this respect, he considered, there was a deficiency, but not a prohibitive one. The existing legislators were among the most prominent, intelligent, and public spirited men in the colony, and there was no reason to suppose that under Responsible Government the standard would be lowered. He advised the Secretary for the Colonies to intimate that Responsible Government would not be refused if a decided and general wish for it should find utterance at the next elections in 1885. But "it should be pointed out that such a wish has not been expressed, and that looking at the scant population, the vast area, the limited means, and the special circumstances of Western Australia, this great political change cannot be considered necessary or advisable, so long as the present form of Government works reasonably well, guards all interests, and gives fair satisfaction, as I think it is doing."
Lord Derby was not so considerate of the demands of colonists as Lord Carnarvon, who, during his term of office, had shown an estimable spirit of conciliation, and had devoted graver attention to colonial affairs than most of his predecessors or successors. The first clauses of the despatch of Governor Broome were as just and impartial as people could desire. He conceded the principle that Western Australia required Responsible Government, both from its financial position and the intelligence of its legislators, but he correctly said that, at this time, no wide-spread request for a change had been preferred. He was probably moved to thus write to Lord Derby because of a conviction that
