OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS PROMISES.

Auckland Examiner, Volume 1, Issue 2, 18 December 1856, Page 1

OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS PROMISES.

The new broom sweeps clean. Superintendent Wil-' liamson seems bent upon reversing tbe “ backward progress” system, and upon clearing out sundry offices as Hercules cleared out a certain Augean stable. Already the Board of Works have got notice to quit, and many once happy officials shake in their shoes under the disagreeable conviction of being on their last legs. All things considered, 1 cannot help allowing that Superintendent Williamson seems indisposed. for half measures and promises particularly well. In a former article 1 called attention to his promise of tijvholeale reform in the Land Regulations, and hazlwued a wish that he might keep it by such change in those Regulations as would make them equivalent to new.

That Superintendent Williamson before his election was fruitful in promises cannot be gainsayed, he having delivered himself of a numerous family of them. When “ nominated” for the Superintendency, he not only promised to make a wholesale and salutary reform in the Land Regulations but to abolish the old auction system ; to introduce a system under which any man could go to the Land Office and select a a low fixed price, and upon credit, a piece of land of average quality ; to labour hard for progress in the right direction ; to see alt" useless offices done away with ; send to the right about men who pocketed public money, but did little for it; to save all he could for the purpose of fieing expended in opening the Colony ; and to harbour no such paltry feelings as had been ascribed to him. There is, however, in the speech containing these fine promises, some sentiments which require to be explained, inasmuch as they involve nut merely contradiction in terms but in sense. Like the puzzled country lad, —Isay, one o’these here stories may be true, BUT BOTH TOGETHER CABS ME.

According to one, — “ Mr. Williamson said that he stood before the electors identified with that party which had long tried to save the Province from its present condition. He was the representative of the party who while a minority in the Provincial Council, had in so disinterested a manner taken part in public affairs.” According to the other, —- “ Mr. Williamson said that he was not a party man. He had all along deprecated the importation of Provincial party feeling into the House of Representatives, and had exerted himself to the utmost to make the twenty Representatives of Auckland a united body.” Notwithstanding that John Williamson made the speech containing these mutually hostile and altogether irreconcilable passages I think him (in unflinching, consistent, not over scrupulous, and quite thorough party man. lam compelled to think so. It i* true that in an Address recently delivered to the Provincial Council, he recommends “ united action in rendering this a prosperous country,” “ united, energetic purpose in cultivating the power, and in developing tho resources of this land of our adoption but a deprecation of party spirit so indirect as this leaves unshaken my opinion that Superintendent Williamson is a thorough party man, and a thorough party man will remain till the end of the chapter. His devotion to Constitutionalism can be no more reasonably doubted than his pro-Methodism, or his anti-Roinanism. Bartizan to the back-bone, he can no more rid himself of party feeling than a leopard can rid himself of his spots, or a she wolf of penchant to provide for her cubs. This is my conviction, To reconcile it with dur Superiuiemlent’s deliberate disclaimer,—l am not a party m an—is, of course, beyond the power even of such clever cuiitradiction reconcilers as he who in logic a great critic Profoundly skilled in analytic, Can distinguish and divide A hair ’twixt south and south-west side.

Superintendent Williamson has declared, and I am willin" to believe him, that he is not the man to be driven" from his opinions ; but when in the course of a single speech (impromptu to be sure, although do doubt faite A loiser,( he tells us he is and is not a PARTY MAN ; THAT HE STOOD BEFORE THE ELECTORS' identified with that party which had all along TRIED TO SAVE THE PROVINCE FROM ITS PRESENT CONDITION, and THAT he had all along DEPRECATED party FEELINGS; I confess inability to undei-

stand at what be is driving, or bow to interpret a double doctrine, which like a sword with double edge cuts two wavs at once. Let Superintendent Williamson be past doubting that if the people of onr Province are compelled to think him either political dolt, or political Lothario, his fine promises will avail nothing—come to nothing. Now, in the “Southern Cross,” of October 21st., appears a letter subscribed William Crush Dukly, winch letter charges upon our Superintendent the political delinquency of taking credit for a policy he had uniformly opposed, and the unspeakable weakness of setting up now as the “cheap John” of Constitutionalism and prime promoter of a cheese paring and candle end’s policy ; although while simple representative of the jieople, he had no objection to an expensive mode of earrvino- on the Government. Captain Daldy says,— ’ “ At present I shall only express my surprise at Mr. Williamson's having advanced, the claim he does for his services in the House of Representatives, as whoever will take the trouble to examine the records will find that no member introduced more provincialism into the House than he did : that he uniformly voted for Increase of Taxation, and of Salaries, and was opposed to a liberal settlement of the Land Claims.” These charges are serious. I disinter and reproduce them for no other purpose than that of putting the. people of this Province upon their guard. In relation to those who govern they can scarcely be too suspicious. Confidence, so well defined as 'suspicion asleep, should only be awarded to those who have done more than promise reforms, and not by any means to a partizan Superintendent, who when nominated to his high office, makes a speech of self-contradiction and self-confntation ; who session after session votes for Increased Taxation to meet every form of Increased Expenditure, but suddenly possessed with the ambition to become Superintendent as suddenly turns round to the cheapest-possible-Government-doctrine ; who after years of bitter hostility to everything religiously liberal, and while de facto in strict alliance with a sect least of all disposed to religious liberalism, promises unsectarian education. Although John Williamson disclaims being returned in the interest of monied men, and would pass for a Superintendent democratically ultramontane, able to carry out his own policy, and quite ready to sweep the Province clear and clean of its legislative rubbish I am unable to believe either that the poor will profit largely by his administration of affairs, or that those by whom'he is surrounded will help on the work of reform with much alacrity of spirit. My want of faith in him is consequent upon my want of faith in that party whose influence over him he disclaims, but of whom he is nothing but the tool. At a politically critical period of British history there was a power behind the throne greater than the throne itself. At this moment there is a power behind our Superintendency greater by very much than the Superintendency itself. It is a power made up of elements strangely heterogeneous. In religion it is neither Catholic, nor Methodic, but a passing strange combination of both. In politics it is no less liberal and not a whit less wonderful. Superintendent Williamson may struggle manfully for the right and pray with all his strength for the true, but this power behind will be ready to trip him up whenever he sets about reforming the state in real earnest. PUBLICOLA.