The Evening Star THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1871.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2497, 16 February 1871, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1871.

The Dunedin electors are a most liberal and tolerant people, albeit a little liable to be swayed by their feelings rather than their judgment. We attribute this to their kindly good nature, which leads them to incline to let men try what they can do in the way ot politics or Civic rule. We look upon this as rather a dangerous experiment, because bad legislation tends to very serious consequences. It is on this ground that we prefer men of proved sound education, experience, and cultivated reasoning powers, to sucking politicians of the Jago, Stout, and Fish class. We have often heard the term “ sucking “ politician ” applied to men of ability, to signify their infancy in political life, notwithstanding they had been elected because of their known fixed and definite ideas. But wc do not know that we ever heard it more pertinently applied than in the case of our late ropre.-. sentative and present Mayor, Mr H. S. Fish. What a graphic sketch has he given in the That’s to-day of the process by which he has achieved his fame ! While men like Mr Macassey have been poring over legal works, making themselves acquainted with the foundations and workings of laws, and fitting their minds by patient training ■for forming far-seeing and well-con-sidered opinions on the most difficult subjects that can engage the attention of a legislature, Mr Fish travels a much shorter road. Pitchforked into the office of Mayor, and thinking he has to make a speech at a complimentary dinner, he seeks some pabulum. By liis own confession, he knows little of the history of the Province and of the doings of its public men. He is not therefore in a position to do what he thinks the needful toadyism : so he goes to the gentleman who is to be feted, and sucks him to know what he would be pleased Mr Fish should say of him. It woidd appear that Mr Macandrew had some slight misgivings as to what answer he should make to such an extraordinary request; but at length—probably out ot pure goodnature, and certainly in the strictest reliance upon the honor ot the Mayor that the source of his information should not be revealed —he gave a few points that everybody but the Mayor knew and gave him credit for. Supposing this sucking politician ■were deceived, he had himself to blame. He need not have been a toady—he need not have committed himself to any observation open to doubt—lie need not have made a speech at all ; but, having made it, he should not have added to his folly by committing a breach of that confidence which every gentlemen reposes in the honor of smother. It would Ivjve been quite sufficient to say he hud had reuse p, to change his opinion, instead of confessing that having sucked Mr MACANdrew, the pap on which l.e fed his vanity had turned to gall, JJut then

we have other confessions of how Mr Fish’s political education has been gained.' When the good-natured people of Dunedin chose him member of the Provincial Council, he admits he had all to learn. Unfortunately he fell into bad company, and instead of sucking Adam Smith, Ricardo Malthus, Stuart Mill, the writings and speeches of Richard Codden, John Bright, or Gladstone, and applying the principles so fully and ably treated of by them to intelligent legislation for the Province, he allowed himself to be fed on the perverted and narrow prejudices of the Clutha settlers ami the Hi:jd faction. We cannot tell what his ambition was looking forward to—possibly a Secretary or Treasurership under Mr Reid. Then in order to feed his infant factiousness, and find an excuse for his ratting, he refers to a number of Blue Books and newspaper reports. He does not tell us whether he sucked these before or after the republication of his toadyism—from internal evidence we should say a/ter, and that he had been sucking somebody else’s brains or memory for information where to find the record. Electors of Dunedin, you have a serious lesson to learn from this sucking politician —and it is this : That henceforth yon must choose men on whose known ability, stability, and honor } 7 ou can rely. We feel shame and regret that such a letter as the Mayor of this City has had the folly to publish in the JJallij Times this morning, should go the round of the Colony, and be read in America and at Home. A change of opinion might be forgiven on sound political grounds ; but the picture piosented is that of a chief citizen ready to express any opinion that, may be put into his mouth, to suit the occasion ; of a man elected to a legislature without political knowledge ; of a legislator swayed by unexplained motives to change his opinion ; and hffitjy, spud most degrading, of a man so utterly regardless of the ties of honor as to endeavor to sacrifice one who had reposed confidence in him, in order tlxat he may justify his own inconsistency. Men of Dunedin, behold your Mayor, sis drawn by himself !