The Evening Star SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1871.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2487, 4 February 1871, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1871.

As we ventured some time' ago to predict, Mr Reid does not appear to meet witli that enthusiastic support upcountry which his fond admirers were good enough to anticipate. Public meetings are by no means to be taken as infallible tests of public opinion ; and this has been more especially found to be the ease in the goldfields townships, and indeed throughout those extensive portions of the Otago constituency whose political elements are composed of men more or less Victorian in their views, and who have sucked in the spirit of election contest with their mothers’ milk. The art of “ working “ meetings ” is thoroughly well understood, and how to make the winning look the losing cause ; and woe betide the unhappy candidate who, trusting to the “ forest of hands,” the “ vote by “ acclamation,” deems his star already risen, and relaxes for a moment those strenuous exertions which alone can give hope of securing majorities. Mr Reid’s friends are very jubilant about certain of his meetings, as reported in the local journals, and carefully summarised by the impartial Times; but we tell them very candidly they have very little to be jubilant about. Even in these flattering reports we can see a stray current of feeling setting quick the other way; and we have reliable information that the noisy demagogues who shout themselves hoarse in the cause which is truly a good cause to them, no more represent the opinions of the electors of Tuapeka and Teviot, than does the oratory of Grant and Graham give expression to the sentiments of Dunedin. The same stale claptrap over and over again. How sick of the whole thing must Mr Reid be by this time ! The same grand effect about “ the money of the South “ being spent to make railways in the u North,” bringing down the house night after night at the signal of professional claqueurs. Finding himself forced, for the sake of opposition, to adopt a construction as to the effect of particular legislation entirely inconsistent with the provisions of the Acts themselves, Mr Reid goes on from bad to worse, and seems fast developing into a genuine tub orator. Although we could not always agree with him, we could • not withhold our respect for the judgment which dictated to him to say what he might have to say in a few well-put-together sentences, and which gave a logical cohesion to his speeches which rendered them interesting, if not convincing. Above all, there ran through his utterances the ringing metail of .conviction. He seemed evidently to mean all he said, and said nothing outside his point. Now all is changed, if we are to believe the reports above alluded to. We miss the ring of truth in the noisy paragraphs of declamation which seem so much to delight our up-country .cousins i we miss too, and with regret, ■the mens conacia recti which has been the mainspring of Mr Reid’s political career up to this, to him, unhappy contest. Why did his good sense give way to the solicitation of his friends, and allow him to embark on such a wild career—and with such associates .1 He lias mounted a “ road engine ” of his own , and, like Mr Qilltes in his eariy trials, finds fie cap neither stop 1 nor turn pptil the gteam goes down. His stokers will fake care this does not happen, even if they force into the furnace all he ever held dear ip principle or consecrated in practice,