THE BEEEY INFLUENCE, 1875-1882 197 



House an opportunity of considering the propriety of renewal or 

 otherwise of payment of members by submitting the measure by 

 Bill as heretofore. The reply was loftily equivocal. The Post- 

 master-General said it was unusual and inexpedient to state the 

 intention of Government otherwise than by the due presentation 

 of business to Parliament; but in this case it was "highly un- 

 desirable that the Council should interfere, even by a question with 

 appropriation, the initiation of which is by message from the 

 Crown on the advice of the Ministry, and is further controlled by 

 the exclusive privileges of the Assembly ". The Council at once 

 memorialised the Governor, giving him copies of the questions and 

 answers, calling his attention to the fact that Sir Henry Barkly 

 had refused to sanction the payment of members as a mere appro- 

 priation of revenue, and further that, as no less than five Bills had 

 been sent up to the Council in the past embodying the principle, 

 there was no ground for attempting any change of procedure. His 

 Excellency replied that he would consult with and be guided by his 

 Ministers. The apparent result of such consultation was that a 

 separate Bill was introduced on the 4th of December, which, a week 

 later, was rejected by eighteen votes to ten in the Council. The 

 reason assigned was that as the item under discussion was on 

 the Estimates, and would be included in the Appropriation Bill if 

 this separate Bill was rejected, the Council would be acting under 

 coercion if they assented to it. Two days later the Appropriation 

 Bill containing the disputed item was sent to the Council, and laid 

 aside on that ground. Mr. Berry at once opened fire by declaring 

 that the Council should and must be coerced to obey the will of 

 the people as expressed by the decisions of the Assembly. With 

 significant hints of the manner in which such coercion might be 

 applied, he moved the adjournment of the Assembly until the 5th 

 of February, 1878. 



The Christmas recess was not a period of peace and good-will 

 among the men who worked the political machine in Victoria in 

 1877. Bather was it a time of dark conspiracy against the peace of 

 the community, and the daily bread of some hundreds of unsuspect- 

 ing servants of the State. To such a pitch of debasement had the 

 Assembly been reduced by the invectives of Berry and his henchmen 



