THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1880. MR. AYERS AND THE MAYORALTY.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2054, 23 September 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1880. MR. AYERS AND THE MAYORALTY.

Our contemporary the " Star " has lashed itself into a state of fiery and virtuous indignation at the discovery of a wide-spread conspiracy in this city. The bloated and snobbish aristocracy—'consisting, apparently, of everybody who is not prepared to vote for Councillor Ayers as Mayor —have taken a vow that they will not have a hairdresser to rule over them. Says the " Star " —•' Mr. Aaron Ayers has announced himself as a candidate for the Mayoralty, and—Mr. Ayers is a hairdresser! Shade of Moses! is not this enough ?" And it is inferred that the shade of Moses, appealed to in this direct manner, will bend to the dictum of the " Star " in the affair of Mr. Aaron Ayers. Tho line of argument pursued by our contemporary to prove the existence of the conspiracy is singular, to say the least of it. The members of the said conspiracy are a peculiar set of individuals. They do not object to merchants, or auctioneers, or hatters, but their perverted intellects rise up in rebellion against a gentleman who cuts hair. They wish for an aristocrat as Mayor, and will not be contented with anybody engaged in trade. How it is that the auctioneering, tailoring, and hatting businesses are not trades, and hair cutting is, is oneof thoseminoritemsthatis hardly worth considering. It is the opinion of the conspirators, and that is enough. Tboy purposely overlook tho tranpcendent abilities of Councillor Ayers, and are determined to have none of him because he uses the scissors and sells tobacco. But the "Star" totally forgets to mention the services which Mr. Ayers has rendered to the citizens. For ourselves, we have endeavoured to discover what are the points in which this candidate has come out in a strong light. He has sat in his place in the Council, but we are not aware that his utterances have been noted for wisdom or breadth of grasp. In the discussions on all the leading questions of the day we have endeavoured to see signs of some of those scintillations of genius on the part of

Councillor Ayers which have struck our contemporary as rendering him peculiarly adapted for the Mayoralty. But on some future occasion we shall, perhaps, he enlightened on this subject, and hot coals will be heaped on the conspirators who havoboen unable to discover what is so apparent in a certain quarter. Mr. Ayers, when issuing his manifesto of numberless clauses, promised that he was prepared to revolutionise things in general. But what has Mr. Ayers done ? Was he not chairman of the Tramway committee, which allowed the tram line to run through the cabstand at the railway station, in consequence of which action all the present trouble in connection with the tramway and the cabmen has occurred ? Was he not chairman of the By-law Committee which neglected for a whole year to do anything towards putting the Building and other by-laws on a satisfactory footing ? Was he not chairman of the Water Supply Committoe (until that body became unpopular, when hu discreetly resigned), and during that time was not a very large sum squandered in useless experiments ? Has it not been his frequent practice to retire from the Council Chambor when an unpopular question was coming up for consideration, instead of remaining to give a reason for the faith that was in him, standing by his guns and doing his duty to his constituents ?

But, again, the ignorance of universal history on tho part of the objectors to Mr. Ayers is something perfectly lamentable. Do they not know that a barber, as chief adviser of the monarch, once swayed the destinies of France P Do they not know that a brewer once governed England with an iron hand ? As to the barber, we presume that the creature of Louis XI. is alluded to —a cheerful individual to whom to liken a candidate for the Mayoralty. Louis XL was, without doubt, the most execrable monarch that ever eat on the French throne. During his reign it is calculated that upwards of 4000 persons were executed, most of thorn without even a shade of a form of trial. His cruelty and rapacity were extraordinary, and he was advised by his barber ! The historical parallel mustbe pleasant reading for Cr. Ayers and the ratepayers at large. Mr. Ayers' prototype is recommended as a model barber by the " Star." " Shade of Moses," what a prototype ! And a brewer, too, ruled England with an iron hand. This historical parallel we are afraid is a little loose. The brewing interest is not in question. A brewer is not a barber, or a barber a brewer. Indeed a brewer is quite as much like a hatter or an auctioneer as like a barber. But let that pass. Closeness of argument is not one of the strong points of the "•Star." Let us, for sake of argument, admitt that a brewer bears a close resemblance to a hairdresser. Let us too burke the fact that Cromwell's family was of high extraction, and that Cromwell himself was cousin to Hampden, and related to the Earls of Essex. But what of all this ? Is Mr. Ayers to be a second Cromwell ? Is he by means of the army —who in this instance must be our volunteers—to become a military dictator and rule Christchurch with the iron hand that the " Star" so much admires. We trust not. Even if his abilities are equal to those of Cromwell we trust he will restrain himself, and, if elected, consent to curb his military genius and general ambition. Really our contemporary is doing its best to demoralise a very worthy individual. For our own part we are happy in the belief that Councillor Ayers bears no resemblance whatever to either the creature of Louis XL or to the great Protector. Wo fancy he possesses neither the criminal propensities of tho one or the ambitious abilities of the other.