A SWEEPING CONDEMNATION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1635, 13 August 1887, Page 3

A SWEEPING CONDEMNATION

The Rev Mr laitt of Wellington, fn the coarse of a recent sermon en "Oarrent PolltioB," oald that out political dishonesty had become such a matter of course that it is oar standing j >ke, and who is there that had not cracked his j ike at the expense of the log roller and axe-grinder ! No, we were ao loßt to all sense of political shame that there, m the oapUal of the colony, a man dared to publicly assign as the reason why he was fit to represent th» eUotora, that he was prepared m their interest, whenever there was a po'iticil swindle) going on, to be "In the Bwi.-n," Instead of that statement calling for a cry of indignation from one end of tho land to the other, it hardly called forth a ftoble protest bi cause every man who had brainc knew that it was thoroughly m harmony with, aod thoroughly consistent with, the exiet : ng atate of political life. Ah ono of <ur leading merchants told him theoiher daj r , the niau wrs foo'itjh, not h cure >c purposed thus, but because Lo gave public utterance to that which every more skilful politican eecretly deierminod. Tho aimoaphere ot political life was bo librally charged with misrepresentation, d«c>it, falsehood, and fraud, thst if a m n who was in:orrupt m hiß purposes determined upon a piblio life he needed the moral strength of a giant's soul, and all tha grace which the Almighty oou'd give him. to keep oat of the BwJm when polltioai Hwisdlero are being perpetrated. New Z aland to day wanted not smart finance™, net glib speakers, not clever politician?} who think they are serving their ounlry and their constituencies when m the game of •• grab " they can secure the largest sHco for their own town or electoral district — but men of ho or, men who are determined to be true whether they Mink or swim, men who will dare to tell the troth to those whom they would fain represent.