THE Evening Star. TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 1869.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1912, 22 June 1869, Page 2

THE Evening Star. TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 1869.

For once our morning contemporaiy, the Daily Times, has discovered something. Some ten days after date a thought has arrived at maturity. He found out yesterday that the Deputy-Superinten-dent of Otago was not the proper person to call a public meeting at the request of the Political Association, and that the deputation had no idea that they were not the “ proper persons to “ invite him” to do so. It really is wonderful what new lights result fiom hard thinking; but desperate as has been the ten days’ effort to reach a correct conclusion, some slight slips in the chain of thought seem to liha e led the writer in the Daily Times into inconsistency. Of course it may be oui obtuseness or our tendency to hasty conclusions that may be in fault, or haply language in the Daily Times is intended to convey different ideas from those which it would suggest to common mortals. We, however*, fail to seehow Captain Fraser contrived timely to enlighten the Association as to the impropriety of their request, when his view on the matter i( was not distinctly brought “ out.” We have every wish to speak respectfully of the Deputy-Superinten-dent, and would not have dragged him into this prominence again had not our contemporary built a flimsy theory concerning him and his position upon a series of contradictions of fact. But first concerning his refusal to convene the meeting. The deputies from the Political Association affirm they were neither surprised nor enlightened by Captain Fraser’s refusal one jot more than by the article in the Daily 2 ivies. They say they thought, and think still, that a meeting convened by the Superintendent of a Province would _hayi assumed the character ot a Provincial; expression of opinion. It would have shewn that the leading men were identified with the movement, and thus the proceedings would have canned a degree of Aveight with them that even a civic meeting could not exert. The endeavor to draw a parallel between the positions of the Governor of New Zealand and the Superintendent of a Province, is an amusing instance of the daring with which assertions are made by our contemporary. His words are—

The office of Mayor is not a political one, nor is it in any way connected with the Civil Service. Therefore the Mayor runs no risk of compromising either himself or his office when he takes the chair at public meetings. This is not tbe case with the Superintendent. He is not only a political officer, but he is at the same time a member of the Civil Service. His position is, in fact, exactly analogous to that k of his Excellency the Governor. No one would have any doubt as to the impropriety of the course, if his Excellency were to present himself before the public in the capacity of a Chairman at a political meeting. Ihe impropriety is only less in degree when the representative of \ ice-Royalty in the province places himself at the head of the citizens on such occasions.

Can anything be more absurd than this assumption, that an officer elected by the people of a Province stands in relation to the Governor in the same light as the latter to Heb Majesty who appointed him. The positions are antagonistic : Demos v. Regina. Next comes the assertion that the Superintendent is a member of the Civil Service. Now, assuming the latter enigmatical proposition to be true (which we deny), what necessary hindrance was that to calling a public meeting 1 But argument is out of place in dealing with an essay so utterly meaningless. We have tried in vain to discover what the writer aimed at in penning it, and the only conclusion is, that mistaken in his ideas of the nature of the office of Superintendent, he has been led to see analogies where none exist, and has for a second time indulged in a sneer at the members of the Political Association. No doubt they will contrive to survive it, and the proceedings of last night cannot fail to bring them into more prominent notice, by shewing that when men in exalted positions refuse to lead, the people have it in their power to set them aside, and act for themselves.