AN EXRAORDINARY MEETING.

Evening Star, Issue 3073, 24 December 1872, Page 2

AN EXRAORDINARY MEETING.

Our Blenheim telegram on Saturday mentioned that a deputation from that town had waited upon the Premier to prefer certain charges against Mr Eyes, the sheriff of the Province. It appears from a rep rt in the Express of a public meeting held there about a fortnight ago, that Mr Eyes has been committed of some grave scandal, which has so much swayed the popular mind against him, that a petition signed by 449 residents, praying for his removal was got up for presentation to the General Government, and an iuduential committee was appointed to urge effect being given to it. Some extraordinary observations were made at the meeting referred to. The Mayor of the place is reported to have said the petition had been drawn up and signed by a large number of people. He believed there were 419 bona Jlde signatures—(slight applause)—and, taking into consideration the number of the inhabitants of this Province, he considered that a large section of the male population. There had been some talk of the ladies getting up one, hut it had been abandoned ; he believed the Committee did not encourage the plan, as they thought it better that the ladies should not appear in the case. The petition had been sent; and in order that the Government should he properly informed of what had been done, he had also written aud strongly advised the m not to commit any breach of the peace, and he was happy to say all bad been done legally and quietly; but recently a breach of the peace had occurred, and he was not quite sure that on this occasion it had not originated with the ladies ; but it was was worthy of remark that at ouce, and without consideration, men and women alike had felt insulted. There were times when the feelings were more powerful than any rules or laws—they were the feelof nature in self-defence —and on that occasion the people, with one heart and one soul, felt there, was something unclean amongst them, and that it ought to be shoved out. Mr Sinclair, another hecooeidered the General Government had tjwteq

the public of this province very badly- he might lay most contemptuously. He felt sure fr»m what he knew of the Ministry, and he know something of most of them except Mr Waterhouse, that some very unfair statements had been made to them, and some sinister influence exorcised, or they would not have treated the petition in the manner they have done. A petition, signed by between’ 400 and 500 persons, asking for enquiry into certain scandals, had been ignored, and treated with contempt. But the Government knew they were a lawabiding people. They required no supervision ; they had but two constables, and they were both gentlemen, and men who did their duty properly and without being offensive, and deservedly held the respect of town ; but they would be nowhere if we bccamc rowdy, and that was what we wore coming to. The Government had treated ns in a very off-handed way—in fact they didn’t care to be fashed. It was untrue to say that this mover,tent was got up by Mr Lyes political opponents. Was he (Mr Sinclair) a political opponent of Mr Eves ? But the people had a rh'ht to expect that a man would conduct himself respectably after being taken from obscurity. Mr r yes was a very good representative, but they also required something more than political ability m a man holding high offices. He (Mr • inclair) owed a great deal of happiness ami comfort to the kindness and industry of his wife, and he would be unworthy to stand there if, after all that, he kicked her out and took in a beastly prostitute ; such conduct would be worse than Monnonism, for that had the excuse of religious zeal, but the other was too filthy to stir up became it stauk. (Laughter and applause.) As he said before, the police were respectable men, but if the Jaw would not protect us, we should become rowdies and prote t ourselves, and Lynch law would be the end of it.