TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3204, 5 October 1881, Page 2

TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1881.

A speech from Captain Russell is always pleasant to listen to, and invariably leaves a good impression. His address last night to the electors offered no exception to the orations t& which we have been accustomed. Smooth and polished, his speech presented little to lay hold of, and little to which objection could be taken. It had the merit—if merit it be —of being very long, and of containing almost nothing. In giving a sketch of the bills that occupied the time of the session, Captain Russell dwelt with considerable length on the Government measures that were dropped ■— " The Crown and Native Lands Rating Bill," and " The Roads Construction Bill." He supported both those measures on account of the principles they affirmed. And herein he showed how different a man he is to Mr Ormond. Uaotnin Russell thinks a good deal of principle, and if the principle is one which ho is of opinion it is desirable to affirm he would support the measure that contained it, and then he would be happy to let the whole thing drop if it suited party tactics to consign the bill tc the waete-paper bask?t. JS'ai&o '.VTrOrui-ud ; y\(h him principle mid practice mun go hand ia bnnd, and if the - ur the other is absent the measure is not worth wasting thje over. And lie is quite right. It in not toe duty o<* the House to originate new measures out of the bills introduced by the Government. But Captain RiHsell would throw the Governmeut bills to the committee of the House as he would an old pair of trousers to the children of a district school, to be patched and made wearable. The Crown and Native Lands Rating Bill was a wretched abortion ; and if it had been licked into shape in committee in the manner indicated by Captain Russell it would not have been the Government measure at all. Tbe Roads Construction Bill fell altogether short of the wants of the colony, and Captain Eussell inadvertently pointed out in the course of his address that, as public money went to those districts that possessed the greatest voting power, so the very inadequate amounts to have been placed at the disposal of the Public Works Board would have gone to anywhere else but where the money was most urgently needed. Because where money is most wanted to open up the country is in the newly settled district, the district where the population is small and consequently poorly represented in Parliament. Tbe principle of the bill was right enough, but in practice tbe measure would have been of no real value to the colony, while it would have led to a further involvement of public acsouute. The Representation Bill was opposed by Captain Russel). Thus we see that white be supported tbe Government in the measures they couid not carry, ha went against them ia that which they succeeded in passing. He opposed ihis measure .becauso it did not contain the principle of giving equal electoral lightw to the D!iti-.'<.-:■ that am cow enjoyed by the taspeyiog coiouists. To have secured an equality of po\~er between the North and South Islands he would have destroyed the electoral privileges of the whites in seven constituencies by swamping their votes by the "numerical strength of the natives. He pointed out that this principle would nothave seriously affected Hawke's Bay and Waipawa, because tbe Europeans are as seven to one of the natives ; but he overlooked tbe fact that the seventh part of an electoral roll by voting in a block would entirely control an election. We would rather be in tbe bands of our fellow-countrymen than in in the power of the Maoris. It was the recognition of the principle of men being brothers as applied to Europeans and natives in the matter of the suffrage that hurled the Grey Government from office. Captain Russell was one who very properly opposed Sir George Grey's bill to give equal electoral rights to the Maoris, but he would support such a scheme at the present day for the sake of nullifying a possible alliance between Otago and Canterbury. We are glad that he did not succeed. With respect to the trade returns of Napier, the figures quoted by Captain Russell were entirely fallacious. In the first place he apologised for having ao later returns than those for 1879,-be ought to have known that they are published quarterly iv the Gazette—but apart from his figures being stale, they only veal with direct lrrcportaand exports fig known to our local Customn, and altogether left untouched the vast imports the duties on which ate paid at Wellington and other ports.