REPRESENTATION OF THE CITY.

Evening Star, Issue 3991, 9 December 1875, Page 2

REPRESENTATION OF THE CITY.

This morning a deputation from the newlyformed Anti-Centralist League, consisting of Messrs J. P. Armstrong, M.P.C., R, Kossbottom, Wm. Farnie (ot Port Chalmers), and W. Poole, waited upon the Superintendent and requested him to allow himself to be placed in nomination for the City. Mr Rossbotham, after explaining the mission of the deputation, said the League considered they ought to g«t good men, whom the citizens generally could support, and they had selected his Honor as one of those. With his Honor's name, and any two others they could attach to it, there was no question of their being returned. Should his Honor not feel in a position to give a direct reply to-day, the deputa tion thought ho might talk the matter over with bis constituents on Monday evening, and if they consented to his doing so, they (the deputation) thought they might be able to get a good representative far the Port, His Honor : It is a very flattering compliment to be paid to me, and I duly appreciate it. At the same time the thing is not new : it has been suggested repeatedly during the last month. I have considered it well, and have consulted with many of my constituents at the Port, and the result has been that it has been considered impolitic on my part to change. Of course, personally, I should be very sorry to do anything to slight those, with whom I have been connected so long. lam going to meet them on Monday ; and do not know what the upshot of that may be. I think it would be far better if you at once just hit upon somebody else. There are men quite as good as myself to be got hold of. Mr Armstrong : There is no man in the country who has so much influence with the general public as your Honor. Not only is there no doubt about your being returned, but we can carry any two men you choose to connect yourself with. His Honor : I think, Mr Armstrong, it would be a mistake to assume that.

Mr Armstrong : That is our opinion, but we may not be such acute politicians as your Honor.

His Honor : Of course, I am desirous of acting for the best in the crisis which is now before us. If it would not have been thought cowardice to withdraw at the present moment I had intended to have abstained from going to the Assembly again. It is a great sacrifice personally to any man, and especially to myself. However, I suppose there is no time to lose, I should not like to give a positive answer, although so far as I can sea at the present moment 1 should not be justified in responding in the affirmative, because I know the Port Chalmers constituency expect me to stand, and they have been taking that for granted

Mr Kossbotham remarked that if ths Port Chalmers constituency had the interest of Provincialism at heart they would consent to his Honor standing for Dunedin. His Honor : How are you to get at that ? I cannot canvass every individual in that district. They are not all residing in the Port, but are spread over a very considerable district, and there is just the possibility—and that should be considered—of a worse man getting in for there if I were out of the way. Mr Armstrong]; Your Honor should look at it in this light : the Dunedin election is coming off now, and if you were returned for Dunedin your iufluence would have great weight upon the Port Chalmers election in putting in there whom you like. Hie Honor : I don’t for a moment arrogate or assume for myself such a position; and I think uo man is entitled to do. The electors are supposed to have judgment, and I am sure they will be found exercising it. I should be sorry to suppose myself, or it to be supposed I was capable of exercising any iufluence of that sort, or of having attempted to do so.

Mr Kossbotham : If we can get the majority of the meeting on Monday— His Honor :It is too late. It won’t do for you 10 put off your arrangements ; you must have your man fixed before that. I think, upon the whole, it would be far better were you to abandon me altogether. lam sure you can get others quite as good r.s myself. The electors wdl go in for measures and not men this time, I hope. I think it highly necessary you should have an answer (now. Mr Parnib expressed the same opinion. His Honob : Then my answer now would be decidedly in the negative.