The impatience for rapid success which distinguishes society in a gold country operates in politics. In England an Opposition has to wait long for office, and is content to wait; and takes its measures accordingly. But in Australia, at this time, men were devoured with anxiety and chagrin. Public life was often a perpetual guerilla warfare of surprises, ambuscades, plots, and single combats.
The position of leader of such an Opposition had strong attractions for me. We had an opportunity, I thought, of adopting whatever was best in the habits and institutions of free countries, and rejecting whatever had proved deleterious; and this experiment might be made with great success in Victoria, for liberty, civilisation, and arts had come to perfection in small States. In the old country, overladen with abuses, the chief work of a statesman was to pull down, but here it was clearly the more exacting task to build up. In democracy I recognised the modern form and expression of the spirit of improvement which won all the concessions which constitute political liberty; but I had as little sympathy with the naked selfishness which saw no interest at stake but the interest of the working classes, as with the other naked selfishness which plotted to get the public lands into the hands of a few monopolists.
The main purpose of the Nicholson Government was declared to be a settlement of the land question in the interest of the industrious classes. Their Bill was the most liberal proposal made up to that time, and when it got into Committee the Democratic Party aimed to enlarge its scope and amend its machinery. The lead belonged to me, but I had effectual help from Mr. Wilson Gray and Mr. J. H. Brooke. The Government majority were eager to push on at all hazards; I was resolved that nothing should be unduly hurried. On one occasion they were determined to take a division on amendments which had not been printed or circulated before the assembly of the House that evening. I insisted we must not be required to vote upon proposals which we had not considered, and defied them to proceed. The Government persisted, and the entire Opposition rose in their places and withdrew. In their absence the Government were ashamed to proceed, the amendments were
