The Evening Star THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1871.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2467, 12 January 1871, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1871.

That high-sounding phrase, “ The priu- “ ciples of the Southern League,” conveys no defined meaning. The League, if it exist, had its birth in an upcountry district, and must have been conceived in the brain of some halftaught rural Demos, who conjured up imaginary evils just as Arcadians people their woods with ghosts. It is these phantoms that the Browns and Shepherds and Thomsons and Hendersons of our country towns and goldfields are condemning. There is a sort of political infatuation equally disastrous in its effects upon the human mind as religious fanaticism. Both tend to blind the reason, and to substitute mere superstition for sound doctrine. It is as impossible to reason with a political fanatic as with a religious enthusiast. He is usually one ■who fancies he is specially gifted—a, born politician. He is as loud in his denunciations of some men in power as the bigot is in condemning the clergy. If an opponent rules, it is sufficient for him that he is a Minister. Henceforth everything he says is false—everything he does is to serve himself or a class. If a man on the bigot’s side misbehaves himself, and, refusing to submit to authority, is placed under very wholesome restraint, his liberty is interfered with, and our bigot’s lungs are exercised violently in denouncing the tyranny. If a measure is passed—no matter how equitable—that does not square Avith his notions, the phantom of a inonster grieA r anee is at once raised up—our bigot will not .allcuv anyone to be a tyrant but himself. If the Southern League be the name of a reality, and not a mere project, it must be a political Adullam. There Avilil be on its roll the names of those who are discontented, those avlio are disappointed, those that are seeking political distinction at any price, those that are Avifhout political knoAvledge, and those who have political crotchets. The names of the Clutha settlers Avhose selfishness led to the General Assembly taking the regulation of Hundreds out of the hands of the Provincial Council, will be there. The names of those who hate Mr Vogel, and avlio give that as a reason for their opposition to the construction of Railways and Water Supply to the Goldfields, will be there. The name of men who advocate the residence of the Chinese, and of Mi* Shepherd, avlio opposes their coming to Otago, will be there. And amongst the Southern League Avill be those who advocate and those Who oppose free selection and deferred payments—those who wish to be squatters themselves, and those who want to ruin the squatters that are — those avlio want railroads, and those who want them not—those Avho are free traders, and those who are protectionists : in fact, every man who thinks he has something to gain by unsettling things as they are. Such a mass of inconsistency, selfishness, political ignorance, and presumption never before Ayas jumbled together as is now called upon to marshall themselves under the generalship of Mr Reid. No doubt to-night he will be prepared to deny this, and will be ready to sheAv that he has not identified himself Avith such a ragged creAv. His speech must of necessity be compounded of a dash at the General Assembly, a lecture oq the laud* laws, an essay on

Provincialism, interlarded with a little seasoning for the multitude, shewing how much more able the Provincial Council is to deal with the questions of the day than the Colonial Legislature. But the spice of his speech will be that phantom which he will raise of a Northern Avar and Northern improA rements at Southern expense. Possibly he may try to sheiv that it avoulc! have been better for the Provincial Government to make the Clutha Railway at b per cent, than the General Government at 5!. It is not sufficient to point out to him that the Legislature has taken all the care that can be taken, short of 'lmperial interference, to ensure the localisation of expenditure. Mr Reid i sees what e\ r erybody else knoAvs, that the Parliament that passed one Irav can, if they are agreed, repeal it; but since that is the case with every law, we really cannot see that this phantom evil should terrify us from accepting a good. He Avill find it very difficult to convince the mass of the electors that the stagnation Avhich his adverse action has induced has been for their good, although they may give him the credit of meaning Avell. But they will remember that it is graphically told of a pavement where no other good is, that it is made ,up of good intentions. Amongst some of the knights-errant of the Southern League are men avlio could add a few good intentions to that pavement. They have their use, Avhen they do not abuse their privileges, in eliciting definite opinions from candidates on points on Avhich they may have been reticent. To-night, no doubt, Mr Reid will be honored Avith their commendations. They will propose and second him as the only man who is fit for the Superintenclency ; and though they knoAv, and he knoAvs, that should he be elected he must, through force of circumstances, run in the A*ery groove he lias blocked up, they Avill praise the blockage as the highest wisdom. Such will be the course of the meeting, Avith perhaps a terrible castigation of the Evening Star, Avhich we promise to receive Avith due humility.