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The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1870.

There is something very amusing in the tone assumed by some of the upcountry papers on the Otago Hundreds Regulation Act. To read their selflaudations, it would appear that no city people are capable of understanding the cpiestion, and that it is necessary to become a veritable member of the clodocracy before the true interests of the people can be apprehended. It was only last weak that the Wcdkouaiii

Herald claimed this exclusive wisdom for the up-country papers, and condemned the city journals for taking a different view from their clodocratic contemporaries. The main argument adduced was the return of Mr Mitchei.l for the very enlightened constituency of Waikouaiti, which it was contended was a triumphant refutation of the opinions of those who differ from the Executive in their estimate of the value of that Act. We do not know that those were the actual opinions of the writer of the article, for where journals have to depend upon the support of particular classes for their success, they commonly seek to reflect the ideas of those who subscribe, instead of seeking to set them right when they err. It is, therefore, only charitable to suppose that the self-assumption and queer logic which such a style of argument involves were only little bits of flattery, intended to add to the revenue of the newspaper by rendering it popu lar with the electors of the district. The idea thus broadly hinted at is, that the agriculturists are best able to judge of the terms on which land shall be held or obtained, and that no one else understands the question. This is rather too much to swallow. If it were a question of how to manage a farm, it might be presumption for a tradesman or a literary man to offer too decided an opinion ; although there are not wanting examples of men who, not brought up to farming, were well able to point out methods of procedure with which the mere practical farmer was unacquainted. In fact, had it been left to the practical men, there would have been but little improvement upon the methods followed when ploughing was done with a crooked stick, and the ground was cropped until it became exhausted. In all humility we might be permitted to suggest that there is much danger of exhaustion of the soil in Otago at the present day. It has taken place in districts in America, in South Australia, in Victoria, in New South Wales. It is said by men competent to judge that in South Australia, bad farming is clearly riaceable to the much boasted of Hundreds system, and plenty of good reasons could be given for such a conclusion. Now, with all deference to our up-country contemporaries, we hold that it is by no means necessary for a man to know a rake from a ploughshare in order to he able to form a judgment upon the tendency of certain social or political arrangements. Their reasoning appears to be that as soon as a person undertakes to plant a few cabbages he becomes a political authority on land legislation, and when ho pronounces a dictum, all other men must hold their peace. He becomes dignified with the appellation of a settler, and the settlers in the Provincial Council told the rest of the members that they were the people who were the best judges of how the land should be disposed of. Merchants, bankers, traders, squatters, were in their eyes mere noodles, and knew nothing of the matter— nay more, the settlers seemed to think they had no right to speak about it. This is pretty much the tone of the Waikouaiti Herald in its pulf of Mr Mitchell and its condemnation ot his Honor the Superintendent. Perhaps our contemporary will excuse us in not placing the same value on Mr Mitchell's repi’esentative services as he does. Mr Mitchell has been in the Council before, and however respectable that gentleman may be, he gave no evidence of any extraordinary political wisdom. Perhaps lie may have improved during his seclusion from political life, and may enter upon his renewed duties with enlarged perceptions, although the confidence reposed in him by the electors of Waikouaiti does not necessarily place the stamp of fitness upon him. That fickle constituency has been ably represented, ► and purely on account of the superiority of the man, turned its back upon him. Our conviction is, that a far-sighted politician would not truly represent them ; and if Mr Mitchell prove an able man, ho will not long have the support of the Waikouaiti Herald or the electors of that district.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD18700302.2.9

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2128, 2 March 1870, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
780

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1870. Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2128, 2 March 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1870. Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2128, 2 March 1870, Page 2

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