THE COMING ELECTIONS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3240, 18 November 1881, Page 4

THE COMING ELECTIONS.

[To the Editor of the Daily Telegkaph.] Sir, —"If it does not require an adept to understand the vanity of caste now seeking parliamentary honors in the Hawke's Bay electorates," the motive of ■"our correspondent " Squint " is equally tierßi7 ,CUOUB, Whatever may be the merits oi' eraer ' ts of the gentlemen now seeking the suffrages of the electors in the three severaJ districts, I am very much mistaken if euCh letters »a that of ••Squint" will influence any elector by so 1 much as the weight of a father. What a queer way your correspond ent has of showing the " vanity of caste " in those candidates; before he has written five lines he feels the hopelessness _ of his position, and tries to extenuate his mistake (or worse) by taking exception to two of them. These are men that *' any electorate in the colony might feel proud" of, " men that have fought together on the popular side of politics," and have pulled together in (he most cordial manner." 1 should think after such an astounding statement none of your readers will fora moment doubt the obliquity of your correspondent's vision, and if in his next he Bigns himself "Bartimeus" they will consider it nearer the mark. It appears to be •' Squint's" special mission to enlighten us Napier people on matters political; it has been reserved for him to make the wonderful discovery that we " cannot tell whether to record our votes or not in the coming contest." No doubt this,' like many of the statements in his letter now under consideration, is but a figment of his fancy, the result of a too lively imagination ; in fact, the whole production is more like the " baseless fabric of a vision " than the production of a thoughtful mind. No, Sir, the object in view is too palpaple to deceive the merest tyro in politics. It is a dodge of a very small calibre to damage the present candidates for Napier in the eyea of the constituency, Mr Buchanan being "especially singled out for the writers vituperation, yet he wades through sixty lines of printed matter in your columns without one single charge against him ; he has paraded that gentleman's defeats, called him hard names, and dealt in a mass of generalities and superficial nonsense without formulating a single specific charge. Then he tells ua that " in his position as chairman of the Harbor Board he burked the breakwater scheme," and adds, "it might surprise some of your readers to hear that at the meeting recently held in Banner and Liddle't/ store he endeavored to burk the question of Mr Gjodall's visit." Now, I am no apologist for Mr Buchanan, nor am I in his confidence, but it might equally surprise some of your readers, and " Squint" in particular, to know that, so far from burking the question of Mr Gooclall's visit, Mr Buchanan has subscribed the sum of five guineas to assist bringing that gentleman to Napier. Let us have things as they are. If " Squint" or anybody else knows anything against the candidates which would render their election undesirable, by all means let us have it. I trust the good sense of the electors will treat with scorn and con- I tempt the inuendoea and vague charges of designing and interested persons, and use their own unbiased judgment in a matter of so great moment. In conclusion, I would strongly recommend " fequint" to study his quotation from Burns, and see if it is not more applicable to himself than to Mr McSweeney, and should he again be afflicted with " an itch for writiDg" 1 hope bis statement may be

more in accordance with fact, hie > selfcomplacency a little less, and his wisdom mightily increased.—l am, &c, Thos. Laws.