David Syme

 ( 1827 Births ) 

The task of running the newspaper was a difficult one, and only the fact that the proprietor was willing to work 15 hours a day made success possible. The original policies of The Age included manhood suffrage, the opening of the lands for selection by the people, no compensation for the squatters, and compulsory, free and secular education. When protection was added to the program great opposition was raised. Opponents felt that these policies would greatly harm the colony. The opposition to The Age was carried even to the extent of boycotting its advertising. Various abortive amending land acts became law between 1860 and 1869, but in the latter year an act was passed which embodied most of the principles for which Syme had fought. A tremendous flow of population came into Victoria between 1850 and 1860 due to the Victorian gold rush and towards the end of the decade there was some unemployment.

Syme was a driving force for the introduction of such policies, which accompanied a great increase in economic activity. As a comparison, the neighbouring colony of New South Wales retained a policy which was practically free trade for most of the period before federation and appears to have been as steadily prosperous as Victoria. Protectionism in Victoria was bitterly opposed, and dispute led to great contests between the Victorian Legislative Assembly and the Victorian Legislative Council. The struggle went on for years, but Syme's belief that the people as a whole should rule, rather than any one section of them, was finally established, and for a long period The Age became the predominant factor in Victorian politics. In its early days there was difficulty in getting competent journalists, the best of them was G. Paton Smith who was editor for some years. After Smith left, Syme took the editorial chair until Arthur Windsor became editor in 1872C. E. Sayers, ' Windsor, Arthur Lloyd (1833–1913)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 6, MUP, 1976, p. 423. Retrieved 11 April 2010 and held the position until 1900. Possibly Syme's most able assistant was Charles Henry Pearson who began writing leaders around 1875.

Victoria's first protectionist tariff had been a very moderate one and McCulloch was not willing to increase it. Though Syme thought highly of McCulloch's ability, he opposed him and transferred his support to Graham Berry. Parliament was not stable and more than once ministries were formed consisting partly of free traders and partly of protectionists. This did not satisfy Syme and in 1877 his advocacy brought in Berry with a large majority and popularity to The Age. The Legislative Council, however, rejected Berry's tariff and fresh constitutional difficulties arose. The governor, Sir George Bowen, was placed in a difficult position, and took the unprecedented step of asking Syme's advice. Syme's reply was that the governor should act in conformity with the opinions of the law officers of the crown. This Bowen did but Syme thought the advice was bad and told the premier so. Berry then asked Syme for his advice and took it. It is evident that Syme at this time had very great influence within the colony. Constitutional difficulties continued for some time, but at last the Legislative Council was reformed, by increasing the number of eligible voters and by other changes in its constitution to make it more democratic.

Syme had supported Berry in the fight for protection and during the constitutional struggle but was not satisfied with him as an administrator. Although opposed to James Service, Syme recognised that Service had the very qualities Berry lacked. Syme therefore supported the coalition ministry formed in 1883 which did good work for three years. There was a general feeling of confidence, a tendency to over-borrow money and to spend huge sums on railways and other public works. This led to the mining and land booms which really burst in 1889, although the full effects were not realised until the bank crisis of 1893. In 1891 The Age began a series of articles alleging bad management and incompetence on the part of the railway commissioners. This led at last to an action for libel being brought against The Age by the chief commissioner, Richard Speight. Other articles attacked the civil service generally. At the first trial of the railway libel case begun on 1 June 1893 the jury disagreed, and the second trial which began on 17 April 1894 and lasted for 105 days resulted in a verdict for the defendant on nine out of the ten counts, and on the tenth count the damages were assessed at one farthing. Speight, however, was ruined and Syme had to pay his own costs which amounted to about £50,000. As an example of the power some felt was exercised by Syme at this time, the leading counsel for the plaintiff, when addressing the jury, stated that "no government could stand against The Age without being shaken to its centre".

Syme had early realised that agriculture would need development in Victoria and twice sent J. L. Dew to America to study irrigation and agricultural methods. Syme also sent Alfred Deakin to India to report on irrigation there. As a result, the development of irrigation began which after some early failures was to be successfully extended in later years. Syme also supported early closing, anti-sweatshop legislation, and old-age pensions. When the issue of Federation became important towards the end of the century it was Deakin, a journalistic protégé of Syme's, who became the leader of the movement in Victoria. The ten Victorian delegates elected to the 1897 Federal Convention were the ten on the Age 'ticket'. During the first federal parliament Syme fought for comparatively high protective duties, but his influence did not extend to any great extent beyond Victoria and he was for the time unsuccessful. In later years, however, considerable increases in duties were made. In the last years of his life Syme wrote about the faults of party government. Some of these he had drawn attention to in chapter VII of his Representative Government in England ... (London, 1881). His suggested remedies have failed, however, to obtain much support.

Syme died at his home Blythswood in Kew near Melbourne on 14 February 1908. In 1859 he had married Annabella Johnson, who survived him with five sons and two daughters. Syme is buried at Boroondara General Cemetery.