The Evening Star MONDAY, JUNE 16, 1873.

Evening Star, Issue 3220, 16 June 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, JUNE 16, 1873.

u Landlord,” said a traveller to a Western Boniface, “ what have we got for breakfast this morning?” “ Mackerel and mustard, sir! ” “ Is that all ? ” “ Thunder and lightning ! I should think there was enough mackerel there for six !” “ Oh, but I don’t like mackerel!” “ Oh, that’s all, is it S'* “Well, then, help yourself to the mustard.” Mr Stout does not like the mackerel which we served up to him some time ago. He says it has “a most ancient and fiah-like smell,” not to his taste at all It is all scaled over with adjectives, and looks ugly entirely. We must, therefore, try him with mustard. He and his friends have been cultivating mustard trees, and perhaps this may be in his line. When Mr Stout first played the part of the heavy young father at Cavepsham, ho took up in his arms the Premier of the Colony in a patronising way, and said, “That’s a good little boy—to be sure you are only a very little boy—a mere baby, in fast ; but you’ll be a man one day f and then put him down, patting him kindly on the head. We complimented that performance of Mr Stout in language which every person of a delicacy of feeling recognised as fitting to the occasion and the provocation. Now, Mr Stout complains, You are very personal and abusive, and you use ugly adjectives—l tell you again I don’t like mackerel, for they are covered with scales. I’m general political bully to the Province of Otago, and I don’t at all relish your dabbling in my peculiar line of business, If I choose to recommend myself to a certain class of people by attacking every man in an eminent station in the Colony, that is not your business. It is my craft-ray cunning—that whereby I do live, or I bear no life. If I borrow a thunderbolt, and it breaks in my prentice hand, that is my misfortune, and you need not mock.” To which we reply, “Yes, that is quite true; we called a spade a spade, and we are likely to do so now, and we never expected Mr Stout to like it.” It is not a little curious how very sensitive people are who make a practice of attacking others when the compliment is reciprocated Like other traders in human gullibility, Mr Stout is an adept in his craft, and he uses it with unswerving constancy XJjs motto

is “ Nulla vestigia retrorsum .” Never retrace a step or retract a statement: at least, and above all, never appear to do so. If you make a little mistake, or happen on some occasion to be afflicted with an obfuscated vision as bo the difference between things that are and things that are not, take care never to admit it: always put on a bold front. If you begin with brass, end with the same metal—if you were impudent at Caversham, take especial pains that your cheek may give out the true sheen at St. Kilda. Always be consistent: to swerve for an instant from this line is death to you. True to his tactics, Mr Stout insists on going back to his vomit. To any lover of ingenuous, straightforward fighting, it is just as disgusting to follow the slimy wrigglings of a prevaricator as to track the Devil by his tail. But as we promised Mr Stout entertainment if he came back, we must try and keep our promise. “ Kitty, just sweep out this dirty mess, will you? and tell Tim that Boanerges the Thunderer comes to dinner to-day, so he needn’t mind the small beer ; but bring in at once the bottled lightning, clean tumblers for two, and a corkscrew.” Before drawing the cork we may remark in a general way that all the peculiar excellencies and characteristic nimbleness of the performance at Caversham reappear in that at St. Kilda; and this, as we said above, is secundum regulcm. The performer pirouettes on one leg, warbling meanwhile the song of “ Constitutional usage,” or the “ Constitution of America as it ought to be,” or the “ Tradition of the Fathers,” and then, quick as lightning, he is down on the other leg, trilling forth “ the law and the testimony,” or “ the Constitution as it is ;” and so on all through the piece in a way quite delightful to see. Besides these little points which mark both performances, there was at St. Kilda at least one new feature to which we shall presently refer. But meantime the bottled lightning may become flat. “ Tim, draw the cork !” Here is streak the first:—“ Mr Bastings said : * It may suit some—Mr Stout, for instance —to air their legal lore at public expense, but I think we should have done with all this bunkum, and act as what we really are—a mere municipal body appointed to administer the affairs of the Province.’ ‘ Now,’ Mr Stout goes on to say, ‘I paid for the hall at Caversham myself, and that was no tax upon the country. If the electors came to listen to him, they did so at their own expense. * ” Now, can anyone doubt that the words of Mr Bastings plainly refer to the bunkum talked in the Council, and not outside? The “ we ” clearly refers to a body, and therefore could not possibly refer to the members when appearing individually before the electors. Really, although we are forbidden the use of adjectives, it is impossible to describe this without saying it is either very silly or very disingenuous. This is very stale lightning indeed: quite flat,in fact,by this time. Mr Stout, at Caversham, denied that the Constitution Act gave the Superintendent any administrative functions; a statement on which we commented in a way disagreeable to his feelings. Mark the way in which he deals with this little point at St. Kilda. “ I did not say that the Superintendent had no administrative powers.” With this compare the Daily Times's report of the Caversham speech, “ So they would clearly see that for Executive powers or administrative power of any kind, there was no provision in any part of the Constitution Act whatever. . . So far as administrative acts were concerned, the Superintendent had only two votes.” Now, either the Daily Times has misreported Mr Stout, or, —we are debarred the use of suitable adjectives ; our readers will therefore excuse us, and fill in the blank for themselves. “I say, Tim, Mr Boanerges is fond of logic sauce : squirt a streak or two over the dish, will you ? So : all right.” We showed that the position of the Superintendent was analogous to that of the President of the United States in two points, viz.— the elective character of the office, and the power of removal on misconduct; and that these points not only distinguished both offices, from her Majesty or the Governor, but went right to the essence of the question of Responsible Government, rendering it in fact a practical impossibility. The way this is now dealt with is a capital sample of the logical method of Boanerges. f l The article,” says he, “ went on to say that because the Superintendent was elected by the people, and because the President of the United States is also elected by the people, there is a close analogy between the two, and, therefore, the Superintendent and the President of the United States are alike. . . . Now, the analogy is false, &c.” This is a gem 1 Just look at it put into form ! Things which resemble each other in one point, or in two points, must exactly coincide in all points. The President of the United States and the Superintendent of New Zealand coincide in two points: election by the people, and from office; but they differ in some other points, therefore, they are not analogous. And, therefore, since chalk and cheese resemble each other in being both spelled with a 0, they must be alike in everything else. And this is logic: Mr Stout’s logic. Truly, there was once on a time “one Michael OiSSlo, a great arithmetician,” and there is now one Robert Stout, a great logician. “There is a caution/’ says Whately, “applicable to the whole; class of arguments from example; not to consider the resemblance or analogy to extend to more particulars than it does.” And, he says, it would be absurd to conclude, from the parable of the Unjust Steward, that fraud was recommended to our imitation. Now, once more, either Boanerges does not understand the nature of an analogical argument, or he was repeating another Caversham dodge, which, as we must abstain from adjectives, ourreaders must characterise for th,ejsselyes. Consis-

fcently with this passage, he immediately goes on with another of his stock stage tricks, the old one of marching, counter marching, and slaying an enemy in buckrum. With a great flourish and noise, he goes on to show that the Constitution of America and that of New Zealand are not -alike in all respects. Who said they were 1 We defy Mr Stout t© produce any such statement ? Why then is he at such pains to disprove the point 1 ? For the simple reason that he may humbug his audience True soldiers sheathe their swords for lack of argument ; but your swashbuckler and mountebank must be trueto his trade. Mr Stout is indignant at our saying that Responsible Government is a farce in this Province. We may remind him of a passage in the speech at Caversham : “ The expression of the people’s will could only be got at through their representatives, otherwise the system of representative Government might as well be abolished.” Now, we have before shown that the will of the people is, by the 4th clause of the Constitution Act, expressed in the removal, by address of the Council, of the Superintendent, and that the system of Ministries exists in England and in the General Government just because this power of removal does not exist. We repeat it is a farce, and until Mr Stout can meet this objection, which he has not yet done, it is quite fatal. Mr Stout wishes the electors to believe that he is the victim of personal feeling, and would like to shift this public controversy into the channel of a personal squabble. Poor Mr Stout ! he is in a corner; but, however we may admire this little electioneering dodge, we tell him, “ Not if we know it.” We have paid more attention to this gentleman than we think him worth, but it is of some public importance that the very peculiar and not very many tactics pursued by him should be laid bare to public contempt, lest the temporary success of such a mode of procedure may be the means of poisoning the very atmosphere of our political discussions. Mr Stout does not like the salutation with which we took leave of him on a former occasion. He does not like mackerel: what does he think of the mustard? We want to humor him in the matter of leave-taking—well, then, here is one from “ Macbeth:”— I am in blood Stepp’d in so far, that should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er: Strange things I have in head, that will to hand; Which must be acted, ere they can be scann’d. We hear that Mr Jas. Black, J. P., intends to contest the Mayoral chair this year. The Waikato paper states there is considerable building going on in Ngaruawahia, but nothing equal to the demand. It is stated that Messrs Pearce and Fraser are the successful contractors for the upper six miles of No. 5 contract Naseby sludgechannel, and Mr Dillon, of Hyde, for contract No. 6 (ten miles) of the head-race. “Hamlet” was repeated at the Queen’s Theatre on Saturday evening, and we must admit that Mr Fairclough’s impersonation of the Prince improves on repetition. The tragedy of “ Othello ” will be produced this evening. It is rumoured that the General Government have resolved to commence the system of free immigration on and after the Ist of July, and that instructions in accordance with this resolution have been forwarded to the Agent-General. There was no business of public interest transacted in the Resident Magistrate’s Court to-day, beyond the case of Wood v. Macquaid, which was a claim for Ll4, for extras in connection with a contract. Judgment was given for the defendant. Miss Aitken returned from Invercargill yesterday, where she met with a most enthusiastic reception. We understand that, previous to her departure for the Old Country, Miss Aitken will give one or two farewell entertainments, when she will be assisted by Mr Melchor Winter. At midnight on the 12th instant, Wiltshire completed his 700 th mile. The Press says he continues in very good condition, the only perceptible difference in his walking being that he appears more languid. He complains of suffering a severe headache during the day, and is more difficult to awaken as each hour of walking approaches, and his time is not quite so good as during the past fortnight. He is, however, sanguine as to his ability to complete his task. We offer no apology for again reminding our readers that Charles’s of the Franco-Prussian war will be exhibited for the last time in Dunedin this evening, when Mr Perrier, the lecturer, will take a benefit. The Diorama has attractions quite sufficient to satisfy any person who has only seen it once; but to please those who have been oftener, several novelties are announced ; and these will include a recitation by Mr Perrier, and singing by Mr Milburn and a local amateur. A Wellington correspondent telegraphs to us in reference to the Governor’s reception there on Saturday evening;-“ The crowd that turned out to welcome the Governor showed complete disorganisation. The main feature was the firemen with their torches. There were few rockets and fewer bluelights. Three or four houses along the line of route were illuminated, and the Governor at once drove to Government house, whither the crowd followed him. The Mayor proposed three cheers for him, which were well given. In Dunedin the reception would have been voted a failure ; here it is simply considered tame.” The “Octoroon” was played at the Princess’s on Saturday evening to a good house. In many respects the cast was the same as when it was last played by Messrs Geddes and Willis’s,company. Mr Douglas, as then, was M'Closky, which is one of his best impersonations ; MrCollier, Wah na-tee; Mr Musgrave, Sunny side; and Miss Willis, the planter’s daughter. On Saturday evening we had Mr Kay per substituted for Mr Hoskins, Mr M'Gowan as Pete, vice Mr Hydes, and Mrs Walter Hill as Zoe instead of Miss Colville. The acting throughout gave general satisfaction, as the principals were several times called before the curtain. To-nigVt the “Lancashire Lass will be repeated, The opponents of the “progress have often pointed to Tasmania as an evidence of the premature adoption of railways, but the croakers must now look elsewhere for a “ frightful example,” as a perusal of the Hobart Town Mercury and other Tasmanian papers show that rapid and cheap land carriage is as beneficial there as elsewhere, by giving value to land which, without it, could not be profitably tilled, and restoring that Colony to prosperity. The Western Railway shows a revenue jfor tlfpee wepks ending 2nd May of L 1,794» as compared with L 1,038 for the corresponding period of 1873. The main line railway is being vigorously proceeded with, and public meetings are being held to inquire into the practicability of establishing branch lines, In one case the landowners have had to pay rates in order to supplement the railway revenue, but they have done so cheerfully, knowing that such assistance will not be long needed, and that they largely benefit by the increased value conferred on

their properties by the railway, and the reduced cost of road maintenance. There can be no doubt, from all we [Netc Zealand Herald) learn, that several of the sub-contractors on the lines of railway in the Southern Provinces have been making attempts, more or less successful, to introduce the “truck” system among the “navvies" and laborers. Now that this is illegal, we give a clause which is inserted into all contracts entered into between the Colonial Government and Messrs Brogden and Sons ; and what holds good with the contractors-in-chief should be made to hold good with the sub-contractors. The section is No. 24 of the contract provisoes, and runs as follows ; —“ The workmen, tradesmen, and laborers of every kind employed on the works to which these conditions refer shall be paid tbeir wages in full in money of the current coin of the Colony, and no ticket or other system of payment, \>y provision, liquors, or goods, will on any pretence be allowed, nor shall the contractor or any person or persons employed by him, or in any way connected with him, establish any shop for the supply of liquors, provisions, or goods, nor shall the contractor oblige his workmen to take provisions, liquors, or goods of any kind from any person in particular. The workmen of every class shall be paid on the works, if it be possible, or in some building adjoining, and in no case shall they be paid in a public house, or other place where liquors or refreshments are sold.” The Auckland Herald publishes, without comment, the following extract from the letter of “An old New Zealand colonist presently in London” :—“There is the immigration scheme. Old Dr Featherston, with his aristocratic suites of office in the West Knd, lounging (during his office hours) on the best West End spring couch in his Turkish dressinggown and smoking-cap—presenting to the uninitiated the appearance of being the Agent-General for Turkey, rather than that of the struggling young New Zealand, whose life-blood is being drained for a different purpose. There are many things wrong in this arrangement. The office (only London one) is too costly, and should be situate in the East End of London, where all the business is done. The present office is too distant, and therefore inconvenient. Canada and America have their offices right in the heart of the shipping business. At present the intending emigrant has to run to and fro —from agent’s office to vessel and outfitters —from one end of London to another. This point would not matter so much elsewhere, but in England it makes all the difference. The clerks and parasites are too numerous ; Agent-General smokes his cigar and lounges d la Turk ; clerks talk scandal, and they all wait for the emigrant to knock at the door. This policy does not answer, when competing with other countries presenting free Imd, free passages, and short passages, together with the shameful opposition of the ‘royal* aristocratc and capitalist organs against anyone leaving the country, fearing the present slaves will thereby have to be paid and treated as men. A recognised shipping firm would have done fifty times more good with the money. By present arrangement every emigrant is likely to cost the Colony fifty pounds.” Ou Friday, the 13th inst., the Church of St. Barnabas, at Blueskin, was consecrated by the Very Rev. Dr Neville, Bishop of Dunedin. The church stands on an area of about two acres and a-half of ground, which is enclosed as a cemetery, and was consecrated at the same time. His Lordship arrived at noon, accompanied by the Ven. Archdeacon Edwards and the Rev. E. G. Penny. They were received at the entrance to the ground by the Rev. T. L. Stanley, the Church Committee, and a large congregation, including a number of visitors from Dunedin. The petition for consecration was presented by the church trustees, Messrs Pitt, Smith, and .Grant, and a procession being formed, the boundaries of the cemetery were traversed ; his Lordship, the clergy, and congregation reciting the appointed ritual. The ceremony of consecrating the church for public worship according to the form provided by the Church of England was next prescribed with. The services were read by Bishop Neville, assisted by the clergy present, and his Lordship preached an eloquent sermon from Psalm 26, v. 8. Mr A. J. Towsey, of Dunedin, conducted the musical arrangements, and accompanied the psalms and hymns on the harmonium with his accustomed taste and skill, the congregation, almost without exception, joining heartily in the singing. On several occasions we have had pleasure in drawing attention to the energy and zeal with which the building of St. Barnabas Church has been prosecuted. The result must be gratifying to everyone who has given assistance towards its completion; for we understand it is the only church in the Province that has been begun, completed for service, and consecrated within fourteen months. We need not say, being consecrated, that it is handed over to the trustees free from debt. The following particulars respecting the late seditious movement in Fiji are from a private letter published in the Melbourne Age: “ While lam waiting for your anxiously expected letter, I will dot down a few true particulars of the ‘wee bit rebellion’ which we have had here. Immediately after the murder of Burns, wife, two children, and twenty Tanna men by the Kai Colas (men of the interior), the Government scoundrels, who bad been the cause of the massacre, sent down fifty of their so-called naked soldiers under the command of Major Fitzgerald. The planters, about ten in number, who were much enraged at recent actions of these called Government, met, and, as these Fiji troops when formerly in the district did a great deal of harm, had supplied the cannibal trades with about 1,000 rounds of ammunition, and as the object of the Government was clearly to make political capital of the horrid massacre, they determined that the troops should not land. However, they found that the troops had already landed, and were on their road to Vuni lu Malo, the property of the late Mr Burns. A written document was handed to the major, informing him of the determination which had been arrived at, and warning him that his further progress would be opposed by force of arms if necessary. Not having much confidence in the bravery of the royal troops the advice was taken; after a short remonstrance, the army was countermarched and reshipped, and removed from the district. Another attempt was made to land a much large body of troops, this time in charge of the Minister for Native Affairs, and under the command of a fellow who had a short time before committed a cowardly murder in the Levuka gaol. The troops were also fresh from slaughtering 300 Natives in revenge for the death of a Fiji man. W° men were thrown alive upon the fire ; children taken by the legs and their brains knocked out and thrown writhing upon the fires Unmentionable atrocities were committed upon the dead bodies of the women, and the whole were left by the Government servants to fester in the sun.”

Mr Gillies’a Committee will meet in the Committee Rooms, adjoining the Queen’s Theatre, at half-past seven tins (evening. A public meeting wil) be held at tlie Fairfield School-house; Green Island, dn Tuesday evening, at eight o’clock, to discuss the “truck” system. Mr Gillies is announced to address the electors of Dunedin and suburbs, in the Headquarters Drill-shed, on Tuesday evening, at half-past seven o’clock. The hairless horse Caoutchouc leaves for exhibition in the country districts to-day. During his stay here he has been visited by upwards of 3,000 persons. The dates on which he will arrive in the various townships may be seen in our advertising columns.