The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 424, 13 August 1880, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13.

Those charming JYP.'s have been •distinguishing themselves again. A meet-* ing of the fraternity was convened lately in Christchurch,"'to consider whether; some, stated, Assistance! 'could hot be; rendered in conducting the business of; the R.M. Court, .i One; of > tho justices l present .was Mr C. T. Ick, the twice' elected Mayor of the city. Que of Ihese ornaments <3f the judicial Bench and

mirrors of courtesy wanted to know what ho (the Mayor) was doing, there, and whether ho hadi been constituted a J.P. in the same way as the rest of then). Of course he hnd not, and we don't wonder at any amount of snobbish indignation being expended at his presence. Some of the gentlern'eh' present had been called to the Bench because they owned sheep ; others because they had dined with superintendents ; others beaause they had successfully toadied Ministers, or influenced elections • and tlje ideaof >cqm| mou fellow who owed his elevation to .the suffrages of his fellow-citizens, a lot of equally common fellows, many of whom keep shops, coming in amongst such heavy swells—why, the thing was insupportable. The' "respectability;" of;the order was" in danger, and. the •■ tone V of the whole gathering might seriously suffer ; but eyenepmmop fellows without '• respectability " or " tone " have feelings, and, strange-as the .elite may consider it, Hot only the Mayor but also the' attd the citizens felt/aggrieved at an insult Tv.hjch ,was levelled ,at them through their elected head. At the ,Council next.following thus quietly the snob '- who had insulted through him the citizens of Christchurch :~'"'-' !; *'- J '

•• I maysay'that the won't call him a gentleman—who insulted the citizens of Christchurch, through me, does not occupy such a- position ,in tlie estimation ol the citizens orinChristchiirch as*'-would' justify ihe hi taking nqticeofhim, (Hear hear.) Personally. I may say I don't care a fig for ; .what.that.person might say, as 'lie'"is .far to insignificant for me to take notice of. (Hear hear.) 'But "t "am very jealous of the honor of- the though I don't care, as. 1 have said, personalty what the person might say about me—and there was no reason why the citizens of Christchurch should, be insulted through me by the asking of a question, which was'uncalled for and offensive to the last degree. (Hear hear.) I stated at the meeting— though it did not appear ip; the reports —that I had twice received my commission as a ( Ju*ticq of jthe; Peace from* the Government on 'the ground .pf.-imy having twice ljei?ri.'selected by the citizens to fill the'highest office in the city,—-(Hear, . hear,)r-a,'position; which", will never lie "reached by the person who so unwarrantably tlie citizens. (Hearliear.) * Tlie insult to the citizens, I say gentlemen, was gratuitous and uncalled,for, and I.must say that I have"'been' very 'pleased, aiict gratjficld to find that so many gentlemen of pcsitiqnj|i th«. cityjiave called: upqn * toe "to " express their sympathy with..mc and- their cbttdeninatiqharid contepiipt of the way'ni' Which it' was .dpne> i (Hear heanc,) My.;positioir, gentlemen, has not been gained .by button tol'mg a Minister' df the 'Crown bra member . of. , ; P^rhajnent. ; . -Except from the fact that the citizens have been insulted through .me, ■■•I*may''-say it is a matter of utter indifference tp me .what; the person may say, as I have never valued the opinion of- that person in the smallest ( degree—(hear, hear)—and 11 think that I shall be backed' up in this by the 1 general opinion of the majority 6f this community.—(Applause.) , We have no doubt whatever as to the verdict of the majority of the comnihility, and -for the future perhaps tlie nominees of a Minister will think twice before f they assume airs of superiority over the elected chief magistrate of an I mpqrtant city.