Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1887. POLITICAL PARTIES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1631, 9 August 1887, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1887. POLITICAL PARTIES.

From the days of remote antiquity it has bsen held that all things are fair m love and, war, Jand m later time the same principle has been extended to politics. As a natural result we find all kinds of clever and ingenious artifices resorted to during the advent of a general election. In this direction small bodies of electors banded together under the seductive titles of Political Reform Associations, Financial Reform Associations and othei such like names, are found extremely useful and do their party good service m a very quiet unobtrusive manner. From what we have noticed within the last few days we are inclined to yield the palm of merit for '• good service " to those organizations which have sprung into existence under the auspices of the Opposition party rather than to those inaugurated by the Government side. They seem to have a keener eye for a " bare possibility " than their opponents, if we may judge from what has taken place within the lasl fortnight. Their tactics are good and do their credit. In an electorate where the contest is expected to be close and where there is a single Ministerialist candidate and a single Oppositionist, they induce another Ministerialist to come forward, and thus by splitting votes secure an easy victory for their man. Then again, when a candidate of their own " persuasion " is threatened with opposition, which may terminate fatally, they import another Ministerialist candidate from the extreme end of the island on the ground that the other does not satisfy the better class of electors, hoping that splitting the votes will secure their man's return. On the other hand, the Government supporters' Associations seem not to see where there is a chance by preventing a walkover by the Opposition candidate of augmenting the Government majority. We have been informed of one at least, one contiguous to our own electorate, where a good supporter of the Government would have a very good chance of scoring a win.