The Legislative Council, or Upper House, in Cape Colony has
succeeded in forcing a Dissolution on the Government, although Dr. Jameson, the Premier, protested that he would hold out against it indefinitely. The crisis arose when Dr. Jameson lost his majority of one in the Council through Mr. Logan, who had been elected as a Progressive, trans- ferring his vote to the other side. Day after day the Council refused to vote the Appropriation Bill, but directly Dr. Jameson had yielded, £3,000,000 was voted on account by both Houses to carry on the affairs of the country till the next elections in the spring. The Opposition got rid of the Government in this way, it is understood, because they feared the introduction of a Redistribution Bill. Without redistribution, many authorities think that the vote of the re-enfranchised rebels will secure the victory of the Bond. Dr. Jameson's Government have not been very popular, as they have had to retrench heavily to pay for the expensive schemes of Sir Gordon Sprigg. The need to save has been faced courageously; but we deeply regret that Dr. Jameson should have proposed to relax the laws restrict- ing the sale of liquor to the natives. Dr. Jameson protests against the action of the Legislative Council as unconstitu- tional, and though the Council is not precluded, in the same sense as our House of Lords, from interfering in financial matters, his grievance seems to be a very real one.
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