The Evening Star THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1872
IT is time an alteration was made in our mode of conducting political meetings in Dunedin, for at present they are taken advantage of by professional loafers to thrust themselves before the public whether they are wanted or not. The object of the meeting on Tuesday night was that our representatives of the City, Messrs Reynolds and Bathgate should give an account ot the events of the session, and the reasons for the course each had followed. They were listened to with only such ex pressions of approbation or dissent as is quite right should be tolerated if the meeting is to have the liberty of expressing an opinion. So much must be conceded by the speakers to their audience, for the object of the meeting is reciprocal; the representative says, I did so and so for certain reasons, and the cheer or the groan means you did right or you did wrong. We do not say that the matter should be allowed to rest there. Our objection to the present practice is to the manner in which questions are put. Members of Parliament, no matter what their station or what their conduct during session, have a right to be treated with the respect that is due from one man to another. It is the fault of the electors if they are not the leaders ef public opinion on the most important subjects of the day; and when they say, “ If there is anything “ left unexplained by me, I shall be “ glad to explain it if the question is “ put,” it is not the time when a speech should be inflicted, dragging out at length the views of the inquirers. Who cares what reasons Mr Grant has for certain irrelevant questions ? Who cares about Mr M'Laren’s peculiar notions of Cobb’s line of coaches at Wanganui ? Many of the questions put on Tuesday evening had just as much to do with the conduct of the representatives during the past session, as if they had inquired whether Messrs Reynolds and Bathgate had had dry or buttered toast for breakfast that morning. Then Mr Barnes thought fit to thrust his theory of water rating before the meeting, forgetting that he, John Barnes, has an opportunity as City Councillor of airing his eloquence every fortnight in the City Council Chamber. The fault at that stage of a public meeting is, that questions are extended into speeches, and answers are not taken when given. The same question was put by different interrogators over and over again to Mr Reynolds ; and much as we respect Mr Stout’s ability, we do not think he treated that gentleman fairly by not accepting his answer, that he approved mainly of the Government financial scheme, though not of all its details. There is nothing so easy as to frame a series of questions leading to self-condemnation. “Do you approve “ of the financial policy of the present “ Government ? ” A man necessarily says not altogether, because every man differs from his own party on some points. The next interrogatory is of coarse, “ Why then did you support them 1 ” The inference is, you are not worthy of trust, for you supported policy you did not approve. Yet this is manifestly unfair to a member, who had before said, “ I supported the “ Ministry because it was the best that “ could be formed.” Mr Bathgate, by his straightforward dealing Avith matters and his curt leplies, silenced cavil at once ; but everyone has not his coolness and tact. We should be glad if our contemporary would consent with ns to give only answers to questions, because the Grants, M'Larens, et id genus omae, having no other object than notoriety, might learn to cease inflicting their unwelcome oratory if they found they were merely looked on as units of the meeting. They conduct these matters better in some other colonics. In South Australia, at election meetings, when we were connected with the press there, it used to be required by the chairman that the questions to be answered were presented through him in writing by the questioners, who were thus debarred from prefacing them by speeches. We fear this regulation, if adopted, would be inconvenient to some of our democratic friends, but if it were a question requiring an answer, they would easily find some one who could read and write. It would have the advantage too of more precision than is now displayed. The member or candidate and the meeting would, perhaps, know precisely what was meant, and the chairman would have opportunity of requiring it to be made more definite if incoherant or involved. The time for oratory and comment is when resolutions are proposed and seconded. It is then quite competent for a
person to express his assent or dissent, and give his reasons. We believe such a mode of conducting a meeting would be much more consonant with the civilisation of the present age than the disorderly bear-garden fashion we have allowed ourselves to slip into, and that it would be much more acceptable to the public. It might not suit men who refuse to bow to the decision of the chairman. His task has become so difficult through the license that is now the custom amongst us, that it is almost impossible to conduct a meeting. Men persist in standing forward, notwithstanding the chairman requests them to sit down : they persist in speaking, though the people refuse to hear : and at last, when to support his ruling it is necessary to drown their voices in uproar, they stand, frantic in their gesticulations, laughing stocks though annoyances, to all present. Maoris, North American Indians, or even Australian aborigines, act with more order and decorum ] and were we to adopt a different course, we should not find so many intelligent and able men shrink from the insults that all who serve the public gratuitously have to endure.
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Evening Star, Issue 2807, 15 February 1872, Page 2
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991The Evening Star THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1872 Evening Star, Issue 2807, 15 February 1872, Page 2
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