THE COMING ELECTIONS.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1725, 30 August 1879, Page 2

THE COMING ELECTIONS.

To the Editor of the Globe. Sir, —Working men don’t be deceived. The time is at hand when yon will be called upon to decide who shall represent you. Look at the case before you fairly discarding all sophistry and ’’high falutin ’ about Triennial Parliaments, Ee-diatribution, and the other half-score or more of stock subjects the candidates harangue about at their meetings. Don’t be carried away by pretty talk. “ Talk’s cheap, but it takes money to buy cider” you know. I suppose we may consider our lot has been cast in jnst about as prosperous a part of this young country as there is—right here in Canterbury. Now put the thing fairly before you. Is there no connection between this superior prosperity and the men whom in years past wo have entrusted with our Parliamentary interests T I don’t wish to be presumptuous and I’m not going to say that the prosperity of Canterbury is directly and altogether the result of the honest representation we have bad, but lam ready to believe that there is a very close relationship. That these men the old standbys—have served ns well is, I mean ' to say, proved by the favourable rank we have attained industrially and commercially, i among the provinces in this colony. Had I we returned corrupt legislators do yon think ' our condition as a community would have so

prospered? Now, if thia be so, does it not Seem worse than reckless to discard our faithful servants and entrust our interests to strangers, and when, too, our old servants nre quite willing to continue to represent us. I say does such work not seem to be the very personification of stupidity ? It would be so, surely, even were tie strangers really good and true men. But is Sir George Grey entitled to be so described. Kow let us look at his acts a little I mean the way he has carried, on right under our 'ye, Jit were, for I believe «*«, maxim, "Speak of a man as you find him. Well, how do we find Sir George? Why, on the *fcnmD before an audience, he's one of the of belkera. Jalk»f a friend of the working man! Why, to hear Sir George talk one would suppose the pick and shovel days will be \° more,.direo:ly^»**« hifl election (God forbid that he should be elected), and that every working man will be made at once a landed proprietor. One would think that Sir George would carry on the affairs of the nation from pure love of the'Working man, and wouldn't take a penny by way of recompense either. Wouldn't you now ? Well, what are you going to dp about it you Orally a»k yoursetf. For d this man &r George, really is sincere, .hes a inend Indeed. Now, without going upon any hearsay about him, or any old standing charge of being a good promisor and bad Mrformer and so forth, we'll take him IxSy as we find him, for that's the test. We have found him a splended old man on the stump—better than a father to us. How is he off it ? Well there's an Americanism just fits the case. Call him a "dead beat and yonv'e described him in a woid. A political dead beat-a soft talker for votes, but quite unprincipled. I'll illustrate it from observation. It's only in a small way of course, but I think a man sincerely enlisted in the people's cause would disdain to cheat them in small matters, quite as earnestly as in large affairs. Now, we all know that Sir George at this time is not out on public business, business connected with his office of Premier, or attending to the •work of administration to attend to which the people pay him a handsome salary. We all know that. He is simply out on electioneering business, endeavoring to get a position for himself, and positions for his friends. Now he talks very loudly, as we have seen, about squandering the people's money, about the rich preying on the poor, and so forth. But what do we find him doing ? First of all he Bays to the captain of the steamer Stella (at least if he doesn't Bay it in so many words, it is done by him), «' Captain So and So, order so many tons of -coal, sufficient for a trip down to Lyttelton, to be charged, of course, to the people, and get up steam and take me down there, making due provision for »y comfort on board in the culinary department, with all etcetteras; these latter, of courae, like the coal, and indeed like your own wages, captain, as well as those of your crew, will be paid by the people." Keaohing Lyttelton, a special train (an ordinary one wouldn't answer at all—simply because, I suppose the dear people wouldn't have anything extra to pay for an ordinary), a special 3s provided, and he is carried to Christchurch. This is on Friday. On the Sunday he remembers he has a friend living at Governor's Bay whom he has a fancy to call on. It is purely a private matter, but does be go to the stablea and order and pay for a cab as one of the people? Not he. The Collector of Customs is called, and the nabob orders that the people's steam launoh, otherwise known as the Customs launoh, at Port, be got ready. More coal, &c, more billa for the dear people to pay. An order is in due courae sent (though Sunday it be), and the captain of the launoh, with the engineer and aasistant, are set to work. An officer of the Customs at Port is ordered to be on board, ««in full uniform," to await the nabob's arrival. It is nine o'clock on Sunday morning, ten, eleven, twelve, one, two, three, four, five o'clock arrives, but no Sir George. What can be the matter, says the officer, and as it grows dark he orders the crew of the launch to anchor the vessel off the wharf and go home, taking the latter course himself. It transpires next day that "it was too wet" a day for Sir George to go and see his friend. What about the four or five men kept at work all Snnday, I ask you? Why didn't this working man's friend hurry down to the telegraph office and wire to Port that he wasn't coming, and so have allowed these men to be at home with their families ; or why rather, indeed, didn't this great champion of the pocr put his hand in his pocket and pay some oabman to drive him to see his friend ? Working men, I say, don't be deceived I The old "buffer "has played it rather too steep, and now that he has vanished from our midst (again at an extra coßt to you and I) for his special' benefit why, let him rip. He's no account, take my word for it. No honest man would act as he does, no one of our old servants would, I'm sure He's too expenslve a luxury for us, so take the straight tip for it from old HAWKBTE . Lyttelton, August 29th, 1879. p.B.—ln this morning's paper I see there ia a telegram stating that the dear people are to be drawn upon again, the Hinemoa having been ordered post haste to Dunedin to carry this self-sacrificing friend of the poor up North, where we shall hear of his silvery tongue tickling the ea-s of the people at the Thames in a few days. If the Opposition don't oppose these electioneering expenses of his being charged to the taxpayers they •will never get another vote out of me. A monstrous idea, I declare.