FIVE PEN SKETCHES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 492, 27 April 1909, Page 9

FIVE PEN SKETCHES.

THE MEN WHO WOULD BE MAYOR. NOSES, MOUTHS, AND CHINS. (By "TVI.") Frankly, the electioneering campaign for the city mayoralty.- is unspeakably dull. It is'a kid-glove affair, drawing-room politics, in fact. Now,- why is this ? Tho aspirants to tho civic chair aro not dull men; even Mr. Bolton, who lacks humour, has some ideas which entitlo him; to a hearingy. while tho other four aro all cxpencnccd parliamentarians, past or present, who havo-appropriated, for their, own records, and tlio edification of posterity, a considerable portion, of, Hansard. Is it because thoy have disdained personalities thiit tho spico' is lacking from the •' campaign? Surely-not. It;is possible'to, hava an. invigorating contestewithout these. Is .it, then—one approaches this theory with some trepidation—that they ,all - think alike? . I really believe- that, -in .the: main, they do. Thoy . must.lf tho" city were lying _ on its back, smoking- a; fat cigar, and having the time of its life, thoy might have a hundred and , flfty_ different . ideas as to - how' every shilling of a magnificent surplus should bo, • expended, and the man with the ; most picturesque imagination and the most expressive clap-trap would, float into the Town Hall oh tho crest of an impressivo majority..;' But the city ,is not lying on. its. back,, much less smoking a fat cigar. These aro,dull times, good sirs; there is no money, and since without paint you cannot have a picture, " without money you cannot keep fine promises.At'the putset, then, our aspiring candidates are deprived t of the luxury of giving free'rein to their imaginative powers.;: Sweet-are the uses of adversity 1 The condition ,of mind of the public is such that it will swallow the. "economy" pill with its eyes shut, and tho five are all prepared to administer that pill,,with, of course, some variatiqns as to its' strength. . The doctor, for example, believes in a good strong;pill, though not without sugar. / The .other?: also have coated their pills more or less liberally with sugar. .they all kAow that the city 'is . . committed- to ; the .expenditure of certain loan moneys,' arid with one accord thoy.'advocate .that .expenditure. They: also lend, sympathetic cars to the pleadings of special districts; concerning .which most of thqm are willing ''if clected, to further by every, means in mj;. power:the .just claims,ctcj, etc." There-is-no. direct' conflict of. policy, no "challenging of administration, no sitting member to be ousted. The chair is vacant, and tho struggle is simply a race from tho scratch line. TVho will win? - It is hard to say, for with five to choose from a', great many people will vote haphazard, with; no clear reason fori their choice.' Tho position which Hlhjio men', seek to occupy is purely an administrative one, so, ■ therefore, the fitness of each for tho responsibilities;/of offico must be gauged by other weightier c<insiderations, than . mere . platform oratory. TVhat manner of men • are these five—the Hon. John Rigg,' M.L.C., Mr. T; M. TVilford, M.P., Mr. F. M. B: Fisher, . M.P., Mr. F. G. Bolton, and' Dr- Newman? TVhat is known of tliom? •; . The Honourable John, • ~ ; The Honourable John Rigg. M.L.C., is tall and slim, a study in black, white, and pinki- His clothes aro;black, always, of that' dignified ciit which conveys an impression of sedate respectability; his hair is white, ,'aiid his complexion a pale'pink. As to his personality,. let. his nose, mouth, and, chin be his testimony; Thoso who kno\v'the honour-

able gentleman will at once kdnrit that these three features' present a fairly accurate delineation of his character. There is an absence;of what one might term .facial equilibrium, "and everybody knows that, politically and temperamentally, the honouraMo gentleman is .mercurial. :.A, more, minute analysis reveals the fact that the honourable gentleman l is. studious and intellectual—note the spirit of inquiry indicated by the type of ncse—a fighter in debate —truculent underlip—and probably cynical, if the curve from tlio hasp of : the nostril to the corner of.the mouth is any guide.- As a representative of Labour, a class concerned, chiefly with a' policy of agitation- and " criticism of '.a', destructive character, tho Hon., Jolm Rigg is .in his olem'ent. ; : Undor the circumstances', ,'it is doubtful whether ho will be able to sufEoiontly. divest himself of Vtlio influence of his environment .. to.-j administer successfully, if' elected, an'office in which a broad and tolerant understanding of public affairs is a sine qua noli, .-.v "Tommy" Wilford. Many people can only .think of Mr. T. M. \\'ilford as the "Tommy"'TVilford;of a fastreceding and. soinewhatvboisterous period of that gentleman's existence.. Mr. TVilford's Christian name is at once a help and a hindrance. to _him in 'liis public .lifo.' "Tommy" Wilford is all very, l well for those people who will vote on a catch cry, whoso political opinions;' aro a. vague assortment of' platitudes, but the thinking mass of the people, whb. are apt to judge a man 'by -his deeds, arid are not, much in evidence at election meetings, aro somewhat, chary of a candidate who delights—or used to delight—in tho popular but undignified title of "Tommy." .He has .mellowed somewhat with the years, and,''although the public'-as a whole is not qUit-o sure of him, yet thoro is a growing impression that -lie has acquired: sufficient "ballast," at,any rate, to earn for himself tho , - more , appropriate , appellation ; -v of "Thomas." In a year or so he will, if ho continues to improve; be further promoted, and referred to as "Mr. TVilford." He has mado his mark as a'criminal lawyer, and,has survived the struggles of four electioneering campaigns. "Thomas", is a large man,'tall, and proportionately built, with an aggressive chin and a general air'of self-possession,

and what the Americans call "front." His noso/is smallish'and pointed, conveying ail aspect; of "pertness to his "frontispiece." Close-set lips, and a massive jaw combine to'indicate-determination of character. A. versatility of manner enables him-to meet on friendly terms every class of the community.'. ButJio is difficult to define, and at the prosent moment is carrying burdens of public-responsibility; which are quite sufficient to occupy his full time and energies. "Don" Fisher. Like Mr. TVilford, Mr. F; M. B. Fisher has a certain popular vogue, as his sobriquet implies. But ho is young, as .politicians go, impulsive, volcanic. Like Mr. TVilford, he. is popularly regarded as a coming man, 1 though neither of tnem have, in the strict 'of the. term,, "arrived" yet. Wero thoy tho only candidates in the field,

their distinctive characteristics would, • no doubt, merit a sharper contrast. Mr. Fisher is tall and well-knit, with a vigorous, per-

sonality. His facial' characteristics denote great determination and force of character, and altogether different in typo'from Mr. TVilford's ; the lines aro round, and the general aspect more open. Mr. Fisher is more venturesome than Mr. TVilford, whose facial lines are more squarely drawn, closer set,, more reticent in indications. Mr. F. C. .-Beltsn,. Mr. G. 'Bolton hopes to win the mayoral election, which isyan indication that he is of a.-sanguine disposition.' Mr; Bolton lacks humour; this ha 3 been remarked previously, but it will endure repetition. It is this lack of humour ' which ' prevents him from dispossessing-himself of the idea that lie is, par excellence, the only candidate worthy of serious consideration. He has contributed some interesting' ideas to the public oratory

of the election campaign, but he lias aired these "ideas in very , much tho same manner, 1 and with the same: peculiar impressemcnt, that! a canvasser., of'l toilet requisites. exhibits his wares, and'this hasjnot been 1 entirely overlooked by the public. He was Mayor of Eastbourne for twelv.o months; aUcl: by virtue of his offico represented that borough oh tho various local bodies charged with the administration of the charitable aid rate; -he was also elected to tho Harbour Board. That is the sum and substance of his career as a servant of the public. Ho lias done some public service, but ho is soaring a little, high on tho prosent occasion. The Doctor. Dr. A. K. Newman is energetic,, experienced in. public affairs, and is in tho happy position of being unfettered by having to rur: a business or attend to the calls of a profession. His facial.characteristics are not so well shown as those of his rivals, for the simple reason-that ho is not an easy'man to "catch" in a few lines. It may hero be remarked that none of the. sketcho's are flattering—they all accentuate'. Dr'. 'Newman is the least noisy of all tlio candidates,' And probably the most solid. -He preaches economy with sweet reasonableness. It is wholesome, for it is high time that-someone gavo

ft sharp pull on the reins, and set an example'in frugality. Every leak in the treasury, he says, should be stopped.; The others, too," have'voiced this conviction, but ono gets; the impression , that the Doctor, though lie says less, means, more than 1 hia rivals, and will dig deeper down.. There aro two different kinds of economies.in. administration. Ono is apparent, superficial; the other, is bed-rock. Economy'is not pleasant, but,, after all, it amounts only to this, that wo must stop smoking fat cigars, and go back to the pipe. It has been said ; that Dr. Newman is not progressive. The tern is a•; patter ,of interpretation. Ono may •progress in the direction of cheapening-the cost of administration, and cutting out luxwhile .strengthening and extending tlib material necessities,of a community; or one may progress in the direction of rapid expansion on borrowed money and higher rates. The Doctor prefers the former condition of progress. TVhen we have civic ailments, it'is not inappropriate that a doctor should bo called in.