The Evening Star SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3951, 23 October 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1875.

Which is to be believed ? The Committee of Management of the Macaxdhew banquet or the ’'.Daily Times’ of to-day. Wo were about to congratulate the Committee on retiring from the position they had taken of seeking to entrap the inhabitants of the City into an expression of approval of the opposition to Provincial abolition, under cover of a token of respect to Mr MacANDkew. Wo have already expressed our disapprobation of a proceeding so crooked. Had it been plainly stated ‘‘We are in favor of the continuation of Provincialism, and intend to celebrate its defeat by giving a dinner to its chief supporters,” we should not have thought it worth our while to have opposed it, but have considered it our duty to have accorded equal respect to its proceedings, as every political party has a right to expect from tiie Press. In common with many who sincerely regard our Superintendent, we felt it a grievance amounting to tyranny, that we must either be included in the list of the supporters of Provincialism, or absent ourselves from a banquet which ought to have been one of pure welcome, in which men of all parties could unite. Straightforwardness is a part of duty, and however distateful it may be to throw a web blanket upon arrangements that might have been so universally enjoyed, there was no alternative, Jb was only right the true object and bearing of the meeting should bo disclosed, and whether our course of conduct is approved or condemned, there was no half way. His Worship the Mayor, too, was placed in a very dillieult position. The resolution and course of conduct of the Committee, as well as the known political proclivities of the promoters of the banquet, pointed to its party character, and there cannot be a moral doubt that the intention was to disseminate the impression throughout the Colony and beyond it, that Dunedin is the centre of Provincialism, and that the Province of Otago disapproves of abolition. The Mayor was asked to proclaim a public holiday, to give opportunity of welcoming Mr Macandrew, and this is the resolution : - Resolved—“ That tlie convener of this Coim mittee be instructed to take this as an instruction to write to His Worship tie Mayor of Dunedin respectfully requesting him to proclaim a holiday in honor of the return of his Honor the Superintendent of Otago to this Province from hH duties in the Assembly,”

Very harmless tliis and very proper it all was slated that should have been stated, hut the Committee had left out something that ought to have been explained. It may bo a trifle iu their eyes, but in the minds of many the omission will be associated with the process of “ artful dodging.” They know well the Mayor ought not to be a partisan, and that if they placed

before him the object of the dbmonstrfldon ns expressed in their own resolution he could not consistently comply with their views. We would therefore ask how their request comports with the following report as furnished in the •' Daily Times ’ of the Bth iust,:— a large and influential mealinir r.f gentlemen, forming tho Committee for carrying out the arrangements for the Mac Andrew Banquet, was 'held last nuht, at the Provincial Hotel, Mr James BitoWN presiding. The following, resolution was carried unanimously “ ILat, while wo admire Mr Macakduew aa a public man, we especially approve his lute action in relation to tho Abolition Bill.” The mooting was a must enthusiastic one, mid a sub-coin-niitteo of eighteen were appointed to cany out the instructions of trie General Committee.

Now, olther the proceediugfi are intended to express and endorse the resolution of the Committee or they are of a general character, from which party politics are to be excluded. Very properly his Worship declined to array one section of the citizens against another. If the Committee forgot what was duo to him, he has shown that he knew and has done what was due to himself, and lias acted worthy of the position he holds as chief citizen. Quite in character with the whole of their proceedings is the reply of the Com mittee, who will have some difficulty in reconciling the following paragraph in their explanation to his Worship, with the resolution we have quoted :

The Committee would again respectfully refer your Won-hip to tho resolution, as they feel rather surprised it should bo thought the demonstration is intended to be of a political party charset or. They have carefully avoided lea ling the public to believe anything of tho kind, and they fad to see why they ought to take the slighted notice of any broad assertions or gratuitous insinuations of the public or party Press. The two extracts speak for themselves, and need no further comment froJl 1 ÜBs We began our observations by asking"* Q u estion. The Committee in reply to the Ray one thing : our contemporary the Daily Times, with outspoken candor, says : The notion of paying some especial mark oi honor to Mr Macandrew originated with those who considered that he had served them well by fighting the battle of constitutionalism against tyranny. It was taken up with a purpose, a meaning which is but seldom shown on such occasions. Not one or two, but a very large number of the people, agreed with much energy to thank the Superintendent for his eminent services during the past session. r J hereupon his antagonists endeavor by a skilful manoeuvre to divert the occasion of the banquet from its plaiu and direct purpose into a general sort of an approval of the Mr Mac Andrew we have known so long. Naturally tli© originators of the scheme declined the somewhat audacious propo al. They had resolved to thank Mr Macandrew foi being a determined upholder of their constitutional rights, and they did not see the force of weakening the expression of their opinions by mixing up a hundred other things with their prime object. <» * -> * This will be a strictly political banquet in honor of the famous Opposition of last session in the person of one of its chief actors. The Macandrew banquet has one meaning, and one only, and no honest opponent will endeavor to sneak in under cover of hia esteem for the Superintendent during past days. We accept the interpretation the c Daily Times ’ puts upon the affair, and only regret that both the Mayor and Mr Macandrew are placed in so difficult a position by the trimming of a weak and not very scrupulous political party.