The Evening Star MONDAY, MAY 9, 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2185, 9 May 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, MAY 9, 1870.

We have heard it asserted that if a man would be well thought of by others, he must be constantly showing how well he thinks of himself. We give no opinion on the dogma, but merely put it forth as a probable reason why the miners chose Mr Shepherd to represent them ; for on no other hypothesis can we account for his election. Wo have not the slightest doubt that Mr Shepherd is quite sincere in his opinion of his own transcendent talent. Every time he rises in the Council, he does it with the air of one who is inspired. Every time he speaks, he does it as one who is gifted will all knowledge. In his own eyes he appears to be a concentration of political wisdom. There are men of more experience, but he pays no deference to them—there is the Speaker, whose dictum ought to be final, but he will not bow to his ruling. He marks out courses for himself, and perseveres in them, although they lead to precisely that end which he wishes to avoid. It would not at all surprise us if his constituents should ask him

to resign, when the blunder this excessive vanity has led him into becomes known. The Bill before the Council for the readjustment of the representation proposes to alter the qualification of miners to vote. They have hitherto been looked upon as rovers, having no fixed residence, but migrating hither and thither according to their faith in the reports of the prospects of new goldfields. Their qualifications to vote, therefore, have been their miners rights. But a change has come over their relative position to otheir classes in the Province. Mining now-a-days requires something more than a pick and shovel, a billy-can and a long torn. It has assumed a settled form of industry, and those who follow it are mostly men who have local habitations and stakes in the country. It is, therefore, proposed to give to them a sort of borough or civic franchise lor the district in which they reside, as more in accordance with their changed circumstances since the time when first the right of voting was conferred upon them. Mr Shepherd seems to have thought this proposition opened the way for him to distinguish himself, and he has succeeded. He may, or he may not, have read the Bill. We do not for a moment mean to say he has not. It is not even necessary that an opinion should be expiessed as to the character of the proposed change to show he has missed his way. MiShepherd may be quite right in his opinion that a man should carry his right to vote in his pocket, and equally enjoy the privilege of voting whether he is at Marewhenua or Queenstown, or on the road between the two places : but if he hold that opinion, if the Standing Orders of the Council are adhered to, he has put it out of the power of the Council to allow the ■ miner’s franchise to remain unaltered. He had nothing to do but rest quietly until the proper time came when the motion was before the House, and then to move an amendment in accordance with his views. There was a notice on the paper by Mr Haughtox in favor of manhood suffrage that, if carried, would practically have rendered Mr Shepherd’s spasmodic effort useless. But this quiet common-sense way ef dealing with matters was not sensational enough for Mr Shepherd. He must do some great thing. So in spite of remonstrance and in spite of warning, he rushed a motion into the House, forced the Council to discuss it for two days, and finally compelled them to come to a precisely opposite conclusion to what he professedly intended. The Chief Secretary pointed out the consequences, Mr Gillies pointed out the consequences. Both advised him to postpone the discussion until the right time for action. But Mr Shepherd was not to be turned. He wanted, he said, to let the miners know who were their friends. His motion was in effect that the miners’ franchise should remain unaltered. His true policy would have been not to force an adverse vote ; for, according to the Standing Orders of the Council, a resolution once negatived cannot be again enteitained during the session. He said he considered miners a superior class to drapers’ assistants, and “ he would take care that the in- “ terests of his constituents should not “ with his consent be swept away by “ any such claptrap cry.” In fulfilment of this valorous intent, he allowed his motion to be negatived, as might have been foreseen ; so the House has virtually affirmed that the franchise of the miners shall not remain as it is—a decision to which they must abide if the letter of the Standing Orders is to be observed, and we cannot imagine that the Council will grant leave'for a motion to be brought on not to do what they have already determined shall be done. Taking it for granted for the sake of argument, that Mr Sherhekd spoke the sentiments of his constituents, they may well say, “ Save us “ from our friends,” if they are no wiser in their generation than our representative. The greater portion of two afternoons was spent in discussing this proposition by which, politically speaking, Mr Shepherd cut his own throat; so that the gratification of that honorable gentleman’s vanity has cost the Province about one hundred pounds and the miners their present franchise.