THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1881. BURYING THE HATCHET.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2401, 13 December 1881, Page 2

THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1881. BURYING THE HATCHET.

The speeches of the various candidates at the official declaration of the polls, are seldom marked by much originality. Indeed, as a rule, it is pretty safe to prophecy what a man when he has been successful will say, as well as what a man who has been nnsuccessfnl will say. The former invariably declares that he is the proudest man in New Zealand : that he was infinitely astonished to find himself at the head of the poll, because he never took the slightest trouble inthematter; that nest to himself, the most large-hearted man in the world is his opponent; that he trusts all political rancour will he forthwith buried; and that his brains and all his other tissues are at the disposal of his constituency. The nnsuccessfnl man states that, although beaten, he is not discouraged; that he will again “ come up to the scratch ” at the first opportunity ; that he is rather glad than otherwise to he out of it; and that he is sura his opponent is a very fine follow who will amply satisfy all expectations made respecting him. The only particular in which the proceedings are ever varied ie in the reasons given by the unsuccessful candidate why he finds himself in only a second place. These reasons are naturally of a most diverse character, ranging from a general assertion that the votes of the electors of his way of thinking have been split, to the railing accusation that the ballot is not secret, and that persons have been afraid to vote for a man for whom they are willing to shed the last drop of blood they posses*. The general burying of the hatchet on such occasions is most commendable. Political rancour is a vastly different thing from political activity. The former, when existing in a community, is always dangerous, while the latter, on the contrary, is a necessity in all countries which intend to keep their place in the rank of nations. Political activity has luckily always characterised the Anglo-Saxon race, and to this fact may be ascribed the enormons influence in the world of English speaking peoples. But, as a rule, political rancour is not a feature which commends itself to Englishmen,

The British soldier, Napoleon declared never knew when he was beaten, and t at •was the secret of his success. That is to say, ha took a heating in a kindly spirit, but was not discouraged and in good temper prepared to reverse the order of events on tho first available opportunity. The British elector is much like the soldier whom Bonaparte so much admired. He pockets his beating with a good grace, and, when the next elections come round, he girds np his loins afresh to place at tho head of the poll the man of his choice. It is one of the most admirable features of free institutions that the beaten party know they have been fairly beaten, and consequently are quite prepared to receive the general verdict. It is not so in countries where elections are manipulated, or where freedom is so young as not to be thoroughly understood.

Looked at from this point of view, the “ sweet nothings” spoken by successful and unsuccessful candidates at official declarations of tho poll are not so ridiculous or meaningless as they at first sight might appear. They may form an unimportant side growth, but they serve to indicate that the plant is vigorous and •u good health. A CLEVER ARITHMETICIAN. The arithmetic of the “ Lyttelton Times” at election times, although peculiar, is invariably consistent. Whichever way it adds np the result, it always succeeds in making a balance in favour of the Grey party. The result of the present elections is thus snmmarised by our contemporary ; Out of a House of 91 members, 18 are declared to bo independent, 38 belong to tho Opposition, and only 35 are Ministerialists. At the elections of 1879 the same sort of arithmetic was brought into practice. At that time it was asserted by the same eminent authority that the result of the appeal to tho people was as follows, as regarded 87 out of a House of 88. Of these 87 the Greyitea numbered 45, the Hallites 40, and there were two doubtful. After all there is nothing like consistency ! And yet the Hall Ministry have been in power between two and three years ! Onr own impression is that, of the declared candidates for the present elections, 42 are Ministerialists, 35 belong to the Opposition, and 13 are independent, the Speaker making up the balance. We are very sorry to disagree with the “ Lyttelton Times,” but its forecast in 1879 does not inspire confidence.