The political crisis -in Australia has ended in the resumption
of office by Mr. Hughes and his old Cabinet, which has a large majority in both Houses of the Federal Parliament The Governor-General, Sir R. Munro-Ferguson, has explained that be invited Mr. Hughes to return to his post, because the Nationalist majority alone could maintain a stables Government. The Governor-General was un- questionably right. Mr. 'Hughes's mistake was to have announced that he would resign if the Poll of the People on conecription went against him, as it did by a majority of 165,009 in 'a total poll of
2,191,000 votes. The Referendum, properly applied, should not affect the fortunes of the Ministry in power. The Ministry consults the electors as to a particular measure. If the electors object to that =carfare, the Ministry must drop it and try some other method of attaining the desired end. The principle of the Referendum would be confused and discredited if the fate of a Ministry were made dependent on the acceptance 61 every measure it put before the electors.
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