POLITICAL LEADERS.

Evening Star, Issue 3130, 1 March 1873, Page 2

POLITICAL LEADERS.

To the Eiiitor. { Bir, —I was not a little struck at the very j lame attempt which the editor of the Times , in bis leader of to-day, made to vindicate Mr Stafford's statesmanship. If anything were i wanting to show the thorough practicality of I Mr Vogel’s scheme, 1 would ask for no better | evidence than the utterances of Mr Stafford. ; It is a pretty sure evidence that the scheme i is very good and thoroughly commendable, j when a man like Mr Stafford, whose views ] are so thoroughly opposed to Mr Vogel’s, I can say so little against it. Mr Stafford is a j nice man for talking, and if people were to ! be swayed by his professions, he would be ! the statesman of New Zealand. in this i practical age, however, we are weak enough • to look for results, and I challenge any one i to poi t out anything that Mr Stafford haw : done to advance the Colony, that can at all : be compared Lo the beneficial measures which j Mr Vogel has initiated. 1 At toe end of last session Mr Stafford took ! the pet, and like a spoilt .child, stated that i he would leave the Colony, because, forsooth, ,he had no confidence in the Ministry. Ido I not s 1 e any mention of bis intention to leave the Colony in his speech at Timaru, and the fact of his trying to buy several stations ill i Canterbury lately, shows that even he, with I all his talk, has confidence in the per--1 manent prosperity of New Zealand, j Mr Stafford talks very mnedi of hi=;hminded and disinterested statesmanship, but for th'- life of mo I can’t see where lie excels those iu power in these particulars. I can seo many faults iu Mr Vogel’s Covernment; but, ou the whole. I make bold to say that it is more in accordance with the progwsive ; state of the times than any of i’s prcdecesj sors. There is an evident anxiety to not only j provide for our present, but for our future i wants, as witness the railways now iu progress and the telegraphic arran . ements made to put us in communication with other parts lof the world. Doubtless there may be defects in the arrangements In one way or another, but for myself L would much rather see attempts made which may not altogether prove successful, than for the Colony to go on at a snail’s pace without any efforts bring made to push it ahead. There is no credit in any one making no mistakes if he never attempts anything ; but a man may be clever i and judicious, and yet at the same time I many of his schemes may be slightly marred j with defects. So long, however, as they i are intended to prove beneficial, we should not withhold our meed of praise, and _ I ; believe that the railway schemes now in i progress will do a great deal of go d for Now Zealand—l am, &0., A DVAN’C'R. February 28th.