240 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



" cleared out in too much haste, others had been literally kicked 

 out, but it remained for the tail of the O'Loghlen Government to 

 be positively scraped off the Treasury benches ". 



When entrusted by the Governor with the formation of a Min- 

 istry, Mr. Service had no easy task. During the preceding two 

 years of lax leadership the old Assembly had got out of hand, while 

 the newly elected body had not been returned on any definite party 

 lines. It was not a question of counting Ministerialists and Oppo- 

 sition. The general election had resulted in a House containing 

 thirty-eight members pledged generally to constitutional principles ; 

 thirty-two who declared themselves liberals or radicals ; and fifteen 

 who professed to be independent, which being interpreted meant 

 that they could be depended on by neither of the defined sections. 

 It was hopeless for the constitutional party alone to form a Gov- 

 ernment which could sufficiently command the prompt passage of 

 necessary legislation, or check the deplorable waste of time that 

 had for so long been expended rather in personal contention than 

 in honest discussion. With the views enunciated by Mr. Service in 

 his address the community was generally in accord. He had called 

 a truce to any fresh agitations about reform, or even Protection, 

 and payment of members was safely in port. It seemed that the 

 only way to secure prompt and efficient legislation was to form a 

 combination with the radicals and agree to work together for the 

 public good. Such a course promised peace, while either of the 

 main parties alone would be heirs of political strife, and their ex- 

 istence would be continually threatened by a score of office-seekers 

 who might be able to succeed in moulding the so-called independent 

 section to their purposes. 



At first there was some natural shrinking from the idea of Mr. 

 Service allying himself with a man of Mr. Berry's flaming record, 

 but the prevalent demand for peace and progress gradually over- 

 came this, and Parliament, press and public were at length all but 

 unanimous in desiring that the experiment should be made. It was 

 a high tribute to the capacity of Mr. Service for firm leadership 

 and disinterestedly honourable administration that the constitutional 

 party had such reliance on his ability to keep the radical half 

 of his Cabinet under safe control. With something like twenty 



