The Feilding Star. Published Daily. TUESDAY, OCT. 31, 1893. THE COMING ELECTION.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 105, 31 October 1893, Page 2

The Feilding Star. Published Daily. TUESDAY, OCT. 31, 1893. THE COMING ELECTION.

Without venturing to presume to dictate to the women electors as to whom they should vote for or against, we should like to point out to them that among the multitude of candidates who are now " humbly soliciting " their suffrages, there is a remarkable unanimity on one point, which is that they (the candidates) have always been in favor of female suffrage, or if they did at any time ever offer a feeble opposition thereto it was because they thought the time was " not yet ripe," for that remarkable revolution in politics. Of course now that women have won the victory, these accommodating persons are willing to acknowledge that they were in error, and to humbly acknowledge their shortsightedness and want of sense. This self-abasement is neither more nor less than an attempt to throw a glamour over the shrewd and keen witted women of New Zealand who have achieved a position for themselves by their own almost unaided exertions, which is an epoch in the history of the human race entirely without parallel. That this attempt to deceive will be successful we do not believe, but still we would be failing in our duty if we did not direct their attention to it. At election times popular cries are looked upon as permissible, and have too often proved powerful means of catching the votes of the thoughtless or ignorant. One candidate advocates protection, a .second freetrade, a third tries to snare the pious and well meaning by advocating Bible reading in schools, while a fourth wants no religion at all in any shape or form, a tifth is " a friend of the people " — this man is generally the least trustworthy of them all — and a sixth is an independent candidate whose opinions are of that beautifully adjustable character that they can be changed to suit any electorate. What these men want is to be elected. The welfare of the colony, or the well-being of their fellow colonists, are merely of secondary consideration. Of course there are honorable exceptions, men who have already deserved well of their country by their public service. What we object to is that class of self* seeking men whose only ambition is to exist for the next three years at the expense of the taxpayers, We do not mean to infer that it is not an honorable ambition on the part of a capable man to desire to serve his adopted country. On the contrary, we hold that to be the noblest hope a man can be inspired with ; but we contend that a majority of the candidates, who are now in the field, are not actuated by motives which are outirely unselfish. Take, for example, the number of Liberals, as they are pleased to designate themselves, who are offering themselves. They largely outnumber the candidates who have diS<;tare v d thernselyea as Coneervatives, or, vo sb'Wl4 Father saVj who are in opposition to the present Ministry, because the terms Liberal Cpu,seryative, as applied to political parfaes in New Zealand, have absolutely do meapjng when, in juxtaposition with the same terms in English politics. \VoJI, the reason js easy enough to find ■: these men in their selfish narrow-miuded^ets, buve discovered, ur fancied they have, that

if they build for themselves what they call a ♦• Liberal platform " they have done almost all that is necessary to secure their election. Fortunately for the other side, these people have not limited their numbers, while they are, by the way, nearly all Belfelected, so that tbe " rush for the spoils " has damaged to a great extent any claims they might otherwise have had of disinterestedness. They do recognise that the female franchise is a power they have to deal with, but With a complete apparent ignorance of its marvellous potentiality. They hope to humbug the women voters as they have humbugged and been ! humbugged themselves when men only went to the poll, but in our | opinion they are reckoning in this instance without their hostesses. Still, we would urge upou the women who have i already done so much, that they have i more yet to do. Their hardest task is still before them. The courage and the persistence they have shown in the past augurs well for what they ] can do in the future, and we fancy that their good natural instincts will help them to successfully discriminate between the true and false prophets who are now in evidence before them.