THE COMMONWEALTH 335 



The six Australian Parliaments were arenas of very lively dis- 

 cussion for some months afterwards, but in the end they each 

 selected seven picked men to represent them, in each case including 

 the head of the Government and some members of his Cabinet. 

 The forty-two delegates reinforced by three from New Zealand 

 who were practically dummies met in Sydney on the 2nd of 

 March, 1891, and promptly elected Sir Henry Parkes to rule over 

 the debates. The official record of the proceedings, which extended 

 over five weeks, fills a stout folio volume of nearly 700 pages. The 

 details of the necessary legislation were dealt with by some of the 

 foremost legal authorities in Australia. Many of the speeches are 

 worthy of preservation as notable specimens of political oratory, 

 and, on the whole, the debates showed a firmer grip of the position 

 than any that had gone before. A vague sentimental abstraction 

 was being gradually transformed into something with a practical 

 basis. But with all the ability brought to bear on the question, 

 and despite the exceedingly able draft of a Commonwealth Con- 

 stitution Bill by Sir Samuel Griffith, Premier of Queensland, the 

 labours of the convention were utterly wasted. The draft Bill, 

 about which congratulatory notices had been cabled from England , 

 was actually rejected by the Legislative Assembly of New South 

 Wales. It struggled through the Victorian Parliament, with some 

 amendments, but in view of what had happened in Sydney, the 

 other Colonies had no heart to proceed. Thus a comprehensive 

 and costly effort was paralysed, and a condition of torpor once more 

 prevailed. 



So far, it would almost appear as if the discussions on this sub- 

 ject had been of the academic order. They had originated with 

 prominent politicians like Wentworth, Duffy, Parkes, Griffith, 

 Service, and other lesser lights, and had all failed at close quarters 

 on some grounds which, however carefully disguised, were really 

 the outcome of either personal rivalry or intercolonial jealousy. It 

 was evident that the only hope of success lay in the direction of 

 infusing into the discussion the influence of national sentiment. 

 The population as a whole had displayed but little interest and no 

 enthusiasm. The few thousands who attended meetings were loud 

 in cheering abstract ideas of Federation, but the meetings were not 



