The Fielding Star. THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1884. The Elections

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 19, 24 July 1884, Page 2

The Fielding Star. THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1884. The Elections

The eventful day has passed ou which so much of the future welfare of the colony depends. On examining the list of members elected we find the names of several gentlemen who have been absent from the House for one or two Parliaments, but who have again come to the front. On the other hand several gentlemen have been compelled to "involuntary retirement " into private life. Of some of the latter we only echo the voice of public opinion when we congratulate the country on the services having been declined of such men as Mason, Dick, Fish, Green, and others of a like stamp. We would not have been averse to the return of Stevens, Sheehan, Bracken, or even Swanson, for these men have deserved well of their country; in iact, we think in some cases these men have been hardly dealt with, especially Mr Stevens, the late member for Bangitikei. Yet as a majority of the electors have decided Mr Bruce is the better man, we accept the position without reservation, and congratulate the successful candidate on his elevation. We believe that if he falls into a good set that he has many of those good qualities which develop by experience gained among tried and honorable politicians, so that ultimately his usefulness may be of great rvalue to the district which he has the honor to represent. His career will be watched with considerable interest. Of the member for Mjuiawatu, Mr Macarthur, we have little iurther to say. It now remains with him to prove to his constituents that they have formed a just estimate of his character, which is that he will not only be the best representative the Manawatu has yet returned to the House, but that he is above the average of the members of the New Parliament. The presence of Sir Julius Vogeo, Mr Ormond, Mr Richardson, Mr Wakefield, and Mr Ballance will tend to raise the tone of Parliament somewhat nearer the standard which obtained in the days of Sir Edward Stafford, Mr Weld, and other distinguished gentlemen who have departed from the arena to which their presence lent so much dignity and honor. Let us hope that the irrepressible gentlemen from the West Coast of the Middle Island will restrain that exuberance of spirits which has distinguished all members from that part of the colony in the past, and limit their speeches to the subject matter of debate rather than fall into the error of filling Hansard with a mass of useless verbiage. On " counting the heads " we find that the new members may be classed under the heads of — Old Government followers, 22 ; Opposition, 81 ; doubtful, 39 ; but as the politics of a goodly number will change when they take their seats, it is more than probable that these figures will require some modification. One thing is certain — that some of the young members who have gone in as " Independants " are determined to be on the " Government side of the House," happen what may or whoever forms the new Ministry. There are fewer Adullamites to follow Sir George Grey than in any of the Parliaments elected since the member for Auckland East posed posed as the " saviour of his country." Therefore we may assume that the real business for which members are assembled may actually be commenced early in the session, although very little real work will be done during the terms.