TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3159, 12 August 1881, Page 2

TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 1881.

Captain Russell is a lover—a professed lover—of centralism, central administration, and central legislation. In the debate on Mr Ormond's no-confidence motion Captain Russell said, " I take this opportuuity of sayiDg that I shall vote on every occasion in favor of a Fencing Bill, a Licensing Bill, or any Bill at all which shall repeal provincial ordinances", principally with the object of destroying that hateful system of exciting provincial feelings and jealousies, which I feel is detrimental in the last degree to the welfare of this colony." When a comparison is drawn between the material prosperity of the colony under provincialism, with the vnlgar glitter of ostentation and debt which goes by the name of prosperity, now a-days, Captain Russell's remarks sound very much like inflated twaddle. And then concerning the ordinances of provincialism, which he would repeal without a moment's thought, it is evident that be forgets that those laws were made by far better men than the blantant nobodies who now unfortunately hold the position of legislators. At least this can be said of provincial legislation that it was well adapted to the then existing condition of the district to which it was intended to apply, and that it was liberal and progressive in its character. There was never any attempt made in a Provincial Council to deal with criminals as though they were wild beasts, nor was provincial legislation framed upon the model of the puritanical laws of the seventeetb century in the interests of socalled morals. Provincialism did not brutalise or desire to brutalise criminals, nor did it think to reform the erring by sending them out of prison with the marks of the lash on their backs, and in a half starved condition. Provinciaiism bad no officer to recommend the torture of iosurbordinate prisoners, and it had no highly paid, powerless, and consequently useless inspectors of lunatic asylums. Provincialism tried to do Uβ duty ; and though it might have made many mistakes it committed very few blunders. It brought the best men to the front, and allowed tbe narrowminded fools of society to sink to the level of obscurity. But a very different state of things has prevailed since provincialism was abolished. The -most of the best men that pushed the colony along the high road of prosperity are either dead, or find their happiness in living in other countries. Tbe talkers, the charlatans, the men of fads and fancies, have now come to the front, while the real common sense of the colony is pushed into the back-ground. Under provincialism the people governed themselves, and enjoyed true liberty. Under centralism the people are governed by Government clerks, the civil servants have become masters, the tendency of legielation is to cripple

public liberty. Under provincialism the great attraction toe enl-my presented to the world, was its freedom from taxation ; under centralism this country has become the most heavily taxed amongst the colonies of the British Empire.