The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas Et Prevalebit. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1888. A ONE-SIDED AFFAIR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2020, 22 December 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas Et Prevalebit. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1888. A ONE-SIDED AFFAIR.

In that picturesque English shire 1 whose favorite toast is " All round the Wrekin" the "proud Salopians " as they are termed have an equally popular proverb which speaks of certain matters as " All on one side like a Bridgworth election." The saying had its origin m the fact, that Bridgworth was for generations a pocket borough m which contests were practically unknown, a state of things which has, however, m recent years ceased to exist, but which bids fair, it would seem, to be J reproduced m this year of grace m connection with the curious contest which is now going en at Lincoln m this Provincial district of Canterbury. That is to say if that can ' be said to te a contest m which the , fighting is all on one side. There are \ two candidates m the field— -Mi Ollivier and Mr Saunders — and the latter with characteristic energy has been for weeks , addressing the electors at various centres, and receiyipg votes of thanks and confidence, while Mb opponent, who was the first to come forward, hag so | far done nothing more than to announce his candidate with a brief sketch of his political views m the columns of the newspapers. 1 This is the queerest way of conducting '• on electoral campaign that wo have yet seen m New Zealand, and although Mr j Ollivier may perhaps fjael that m a sense he does as much honor to the electorate i by placing his services at its disposal as i the electorate will do to him if it chooses him as its member, it is quite certain j that the attitude of "you can elect me if you like tnd if you don't like you can reject me " is not at all the way which is likely to produce the first of these results. We have heard it said that the genial ex-auditor has scruples about addresing the electors till after the issue of the writ, and that he will take to the stump so soon as the Speaker's warrant has been issued, but if he leaves it till then he will have about as much chance, we should think, as if m an ordinary once- round the-couree race he gave the other horse a half-mile start. Possibly, however, Mr Ollivier thinks thift the match between himself and Mr Saunders is such au easy affair that he can afford to give his opponent any amount of lf law " (we use the tern} m the sporting sense of course), but, if so, we fancy he is reckoning without his host and that if ho intends to run the race at all he would do well to recollect the fable of the hare and the tortoise.