THE ASHBURTON POLITICAL REFORM ASSOCIATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1614, 20 July 1887, Page 2

THE ASHBURTON POLITICAL REFORM ASSOCIATION.

. . ..... !» • - TO THE EDITOR, v S 1 ??"" 1 * h natu ral that the term Political Jfeform Association " should stink m your Ministerial noatrils, The terra " political reform " implies that the preoent stato of things ia uDsatlflfactory, and requires amendment whereas from your point of view, political matters «r« going on smoothly, and a change Is tho last thing needed. And here permit me to remark how ; nnfortunate it is that tho' extreme dißaatisfaotion which is felt by a > large body of tho eleotors of thiß county at the proposals of cho Govern* mtnt, finds no expression m the editorial columns of either of ourjJpcal newspapers, both of which are Wtil m, their adulations of the Ministry, an<iaeem to think the continuance ia office of Bir ftobert Stout and Bir J uliua Vqgel a- matter of for greater importance than the subjection of the community to.enbrmous and unnecessary taxation. - . ,;., T . Writing of our Aehburton Pojitioai Reform Association, you say, "The very fact or its being started on the occasion of a general eleotion engenders the sub. pioion that the promoters have some lohtioal axe to grind— some party, purpow to serve. Some, people are of eaoh a ' suspicious nature that they " small a rat " ia everything. When should, or coald, such anAuuoeiation be started except on the occasion of a general election 9 Experience has shown that it is impossible to aroueepubliojintereat m political questions n this^ district except at election times. It is only when the prospect of aa election begins to Btir men's tainds, that you 'can induce them to giye 'their sertouß attention to public affairs ; and momentous as are the issues now submitted to th« country, a deplorable apathy still orevaiia. People complain, but they will not act; they will not put themselves to tha slightest inconvenience m order to assist m bringing about a better state of things. One man dosen't like to go oat on 6 cold evening; another. ig afraid lest he should " possibly offend a poeßibJe customer if he mixes himself np m. any politicaUmoveuaent,/dnd so forth. One object of tha Association will be to endeavor to awaken a steadier public spirit in.the community, and to induce the* ejectors "to make themselves better acquainted with public affaire than has hitherto been the case. If the promoters had any axe to grind, they have gone to work m a remarkably clumsy way ♦ I fancy, somehow, 41 I had an axe to grind, I should not invite tha pnblic to assist m the operation,. I should arrange the matter quietly, with aa few friends aB possible. But what did the promoters here do? We called a public meeting ; we advertised it andehouidhava advert : sed it a little more if your printers -"** would have i allowed us; welasked th« Mayor to take the ohair ; ami we moved / resolutions for forming jjhe Association and appointing a Committee t to organlia it, to which resolutions it .was competent to anybody m the Hall to speak or to move amendments We proposed several persons as the Organising Committee, whom we had reason to beltavogtroro willing to aid m forming the Association. Many others we should have liked to propose, but we refrained from doing bo as wo had not ascertained whether they would be willing to co operate. How* ever, it was open to everybody m th© Hall to suggest further names, and three were accordingly proposed and elected, to which we made not the slightest O/bjoc.tipn^'although two of the gentlemen nominated are most ardent supporters of Sir Julius Vqgol. ; ' —Then, you go on to say «' One^spoaker, (meaning myself) adversely/ criticises the administration of the i present. Government m unmeasured terms, and brings out the alleged misdoißga or shortcomings of the Stout- VogeJ Government m strong relief, while at the same tiure the more flagrant delinquencies of the preceding Government are Btudiously kept m the background—never even once alluded to.' 1 Inasmuch aB I do not consider the preceding Government were guilty of more flagrant delinquencies than the "present Government, or of any nearly bo flagrant, it is unreasonable to complain that I did not hold forth m the strain whioh you recommend, but any person entertaining the same opinion as yourself upon this particular topio was quite at liberty to enunciate them to the meeting, and had he succeeded m proving his case it would have been an additional argument m favpr of forming the Association, since if suoh a very superior Government aa the present has managed to land the colony m suoh a hideous financial quagmire as that m whioh it is now bogged, it is proof positive that our financial system is thoroughly bad. As to the Chriotchurch Association, it is not . my business to defend it. Tha Aahburton Association will be an entirely independent body. - We -adopted the title -•'Political Beform Association," because it seemed a good one ; and wo have adopted its programme m the main for a similar reason ; but the Ashburton Association will not be a branch of tho Christohurch Association^ I must, however, observe that 'you are m error m stating that it has been admitted that the Ohristehurch Association was ''started m the interest of the Atkinsonean party." Ihe " Lyttelton Times " has persistently made this assertion ; but the promoters of the Association have repeatedly denied the statement. For my own part Ido not pretend to be a politioai admirer of . Major Atkirwon, and at the only publio meeting which he ever addressed m Ashburton I mounted the platform and ceiticised his speech to bis face. I think we want new blood m the Government, I am, etc., Ghas. W. Pbrnell.