182 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



civilised countries. The committee decided that the practice pre- 

 vailed everywhere except in England, some of her Colonies, and 

 Italy and Switzerland. Sir Charles Gavan Duffy was strong in 

 declaring that the English example in a matter of this kind was 

 no guide, and in compliance with the unanimous recommendation 

 of the committee a fresh Bill was submitted, retaining the amount 

 at 300. It cannot be said that public opinion had been much 

 stirred on the question, but the Legislative Council, in view of the 

 persistency of the Assembly, and strongly urged thereto by the 

 Metropolitan press, agreed to make the experiment, on condition 

 that the operation of the Act was limited to three years. This 

 was readily conceded, and the Act was assented to at the close of 

 December, 1870. It was renewed for another three years on 24th 

 December, 1874 ; here it can be left for the present. 



The advent of Mr. Graham Berry to the important position of 

 Premier of the colony in August, 1875, marked the commencement 

 of an era of political intrigue, Parliamentary degradation and 

 shameless self-seeking, that for seven years threatened to justify 

 the predicted failure of popular representation, and filled the more 

 thoughtful colonists with shame and indignation. Mr. Berry, at 

 this time a little over fifty years of age, had already gained the 

 applause of the masses by the fiery oratory with which he de- 

 nounced the enemies of the people, who, for brevity's sake, might 

 be defined as Mr. Berry's political opponents. They varied with 

 the environment of the moment, and the success or failure of the 

 speaker. At one time the most offensive of them were to be found 

 in the Legislative Council. At another the docile followers of the 

 imperious McCulloch were held up to scornful reprobation. Yet 

 again it was the Francis-Kerf erd- Service clique that he denounced 

 as grinding the faces of the poor. Nay, even the polished Duffy, 

 who had introduced him to Ministerial office, and who in the midst 

 of his own wide circle of antipathies had generally been friendly to 

 Berry, was found wanting, and relegated to the Chief Secretary's 

 black list. 



He had tasted the sweets of popularity, and also the bitters ; had 

 stumped the country in the interest of McCulloch during the Darling 

 grant controversy, followed by tumults of applause. When, how- 



