THE SQUATTER IN POLITICS 315 



he sat there in the Legislature. He was a consistent 

 free-trader, and to this day the squatter remains a 

 supporter of free trade. 



A more prominent type of pohtical squatter is repre- 

 sented by Sir John Hay (not to be confounded with 

 the dairy-farmer, who was never a legislator). He was 

 a steadfast representative of the pastoralists. He it 

 was who led the opposition to the Robertson free- 

 selection bill, and in the Legislative Assembly he carried 

 his hostile amendment to it by a majority of 33 to 

 28 votes. It was a Pyrrhic victory. On the strength 

 of it he became for a brief space Premier of New South 

 Wales, and, being a well-educated Aberdonian and a 

 polished speaker, he adorned the office, but he did not, 

 as a minister, survive an appeal to the country. 



Queensland, with few and unpopulous cities for a 

 long while, at first afforded ample scope for the squatters 

 as both legislators and administrators. The " Squire 

 of Naraigin," Murray-Prior, was appointed Postmaster- 

 General of the Colony before responsible government 

 arrived, but retained his office when it did, and he then 

 was representative of the Government in the Legislative 

 Council. Sir Joshua Bell, another squatter, was con- 

 tinuously elected to the Legislative Assembly from 

 1863 to 1879 ; he was then President of the Legislative 

 Council till his death. From 1864 to 1867 and from 

 1871 to 1874 he was a Minister, under several Premiers. 

 As we run the eye down the list of the -personnel of the 

 various Queensland cabinets, we find, especially among 

 the early ministries, the names of prominent squatters 

 everywhere — R. R. Mackenzie (Premier), Coxen, Wien- 

 holt, Gilbert Elliott (who presided over sixteen sessions 

 of the Legislative Assembly), Arthur Macalister, Murray- 

 Prior (more than once). Gore, " that fine old polished 

 gentleman," Archibald Ai'cher, of Gracemere, Arthur 

 Hodgson, Oscar de Satge (whose son has proved one 

 of the historians, or novehsts, of squatterdom), Sir 

 Arthur Palmer, (he, too, Premier), B.B. Morehead 

 (another Premier), C. B. Dutton, who was the Robertson 



