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Evening Star, Issue 3822, 25 May 1875, Page 2

The contest for the Wairau seat in the General Assembly, rendered vacant by Mr Seymour’s departure for England, is confined to two candidates—Mr Joseph Wabd, a local man of considerable influence, and Mr W, S. Mooehocse, whom some journals persistently made out to bo “the barrister of Colonial reputation alluded to by Mr Vogel in the now celebrated speech he made to his constituents of Auckland City East the night before he left the Colony for Sydney en route for England. The campaign has been commenced by Mr Moobhouse, who, at a meeting at Blenheim, made a very able speech. He declares for secular education, and announces that he desires to get into the Assembly, not to become Attorney-General or to get a Judgeship, but to endeavor to lead the Legislature to remove, as far as possible, the restrictions upon free trade,

and so to open the ports of the Colony to commerce. Should he be elected, which we doubt, as Mr Ward has, besides large local influence, the electioneering field almost wholly to himself. Mr Moorhouse will, on the constitutional matter, find a powerful ally in the ex-Super intendent of Canterbury, who, on the political question of the hour, is reported to have expressed himself thus ; He was a favorer and supporter of no change that would uot presex-ve to tho people the self-govern-ment they possessed; of no change that would not give at least an extension of those local powers. Still he thought tliat there might he with advantage some modification in the legislative powers of the Provinces, so_ as to remove a lot of ridiculous anomalies arising from a number of bodies making laws, when they could be made by one Legislature. There was the dog tax, for instance, which in ouo Province would probably bo 2s 6d and in another 10s. _ But beyond the removal of the inconvenience arising from different legislation on the some matter by different bodies, ho would : ot favor tho doing away with tho Provinces anywhere—he would pot sanction any scheme for the displacement of the Provinces until he was shown a scheme of Government fit to replace the system that w is to he abolished. And he was not alone in those views, for they were also the views of the party with whom he was going to act. If there was not a better system offered let us keep the one we have, and not let go the substance for the shadow—not reflected xxpon the water but in reality. .