The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JUNE 9, 1902.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 437, 9 June 1902, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JUNE 9, 1902.

POLITICS IN NAPIER. The slight degree of interest that is just now Being taken in party politics i:s shown ny the small amount of attention created by the recent speech oi Captain Russell. The speech is lightly regarded even by his best friends, which is an interesting fact as indicatng the trend of public opinion.. “A dull stringing together of inconsistencies ” is the description of the speech given by the Napier Telegraph, which has in the past been an ardent supporter of Captain Russell. There being no burning questions to talk about, ,TT.d even the man in the street being with difficulty interested in politics,we are told that it became necessary for the speaker to take refuge in generalities “ The inconsistency,” slates tiie Telegraph, 11 lies in supposing that what can give unlimited power to a politician is as a political -factor “practical!) dead,” and me inaccuracy 111 assuming that a politician can possess unlimited power, or any real power at all, unless at the head of a party representing an unmistakable majority of the electors. What this sort of thing proves is not that there are no parties in the State, but that one party is so large as to he able to overshadow all the others. Whether that is a misfortune or not depends upon circumstances. Captain Russell said it was a misfortune. Then lie should have shown why it was so. If he could have done so lie would have been able to make a good and interest-

ing party speech, full not only of “ burning questions ” but of healthy criticism.” The Telegraph considers, as many others do, that the opposition behaved very badly to Gapt. Russell by refusing to follow bis lead after choosing him as leader. The friendly critic goes qii to say “It may be asked why did not Captain Russell attack and defend. If he does not approve of the Government policy he Could say so, and also say why he does not approve. So with the remnants of the one-time Opposition. If they oppose tiie Government policy he could defend them for so opposing, and explain why lie did so. Are we to assume that tlitre are no objections to the' Government policy 1 '?” Having so far criticised Captain Russell as a leader, the Napier journal goes on to refer personally to the Captain : “We have criticised him while sympathising with him. He has been shabbily treated —we are in doubt whether “ meanly would not be a more fitting adverb Ho use—by what was an Opposition berore it became torn with dissensions originating in Canterbury, and we are inclined to think that even now an undeserved loyalty to them 011 his part s one of the reasons why the speech was so uninteresting and fiat as it actually was. Those who care to try to solve this enigma for themselves may do so; we content ourselves with stating it. For the rest, we are glad to lie able to assume with confidence that shortly a long and useful political cai eer will be honored as, iE right had been done,'it should have been honored in 1897 or in 1901, and that before this month is ended we may address the member for Hawke's Bay as Sir William Russell Russell-”