THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1882. DR. WALLIS AND THE MAYOR OF AUCKLAND.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2675, 2 November 1882, Page 2

THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1882. DR. WALLIS AND THE MAYOR OF AUCKLAND.

Mb. Clark, who at present holds the office of Mayor of Auckland for the second eonsecntive year, has been asked by his numerous admirers to consent to stand for a third term of office. The requisition was signed by 107 gentlemen, all substantial citizens, and a Mr. Xing, when presenting the address, stated the grounds on which the request was made, which were certainly solid enough. Dr. Wallis.howover.the great Radical light—who, much to the disgust of a number of highly intelligent people who used to hang on his words with breathless attention, did not succeed in getting into the present Parliament—has written a very characteristic letter to the " New Zealand Herald" with regard to this proposed third term of office. He objects to it entirely, and for two reasons. Respecting reason No. 1, which is the action of the Mayor in connection with the application of the "Contagious Diseases Act" to Auckland we have nothing to say. The Mayor and Council have introduced the Act, and Dr. Wallis and a number of other people object to its introduction. Consequently D. Wallis has every right on this greund to say that ho is unwilling to see the Mayor any longer in office. But reason No. 2 is of quite a different complexion, and is of so curious a character that it is really is very different to follow Dr. "Wallis out in his train of thought. Mr. Clark, it appears, is a rich man, and has refused to take his honorarium as Mayor, or rather has handed it over for the formation of a Free Public Library. This is reason No. 2. Dr. Wallis argues that there are any number of men ready to take the office of Mayor, who are quite as competent to fill the post as Mr Clark, and that the office of Mayor should not become a monopoly: that Mr Clarke liberality when in office is an absolnte reason why he should not bo chosen again, because '* pecuniary liberality ia productive of evil almost as often as of good. Such liberality may act as a bribe, and corrupt the community." DrWallis'proceeds to lay down the self-evi-dent principle that in modern democracy publie offices and honors should be open to men of all classes and conditions, to rich and poor alike, and that rich men are not always our wisest and best citizens. But, he concludes that, although Mr Clark's liberality has made him popular with the "stupider section of ratepayers," yet that he (Dr Wallis) can see no difference between this liberality and the bribery and corruption describad and punished in the Corrupt Practices Prevention Act of last year ! Future Mayors, the Radical light imagines, will be discredited if they do not spend as much as Mr. Clark. They may be too poor or too high principled to bribe and corrupt the community in a popular way, and therefore they will be debarred for the highest civic effice, however fit thoy may be for it. " Are we, in Auckland," says the eloquent writer of the protest, " sinking so low that future honor and office are to be virtually bought and sold ?" suppose Radicals in general will be quite satisfied with what Dr. Waliis has done on this ocoasion. There is a fine full flavour of patriotism in his dicta which will be sure to oommend itself to a certain section of tho com manity. Mr. Clark is, apparently, a rich man, and therefore, of course, he cannot be truly patriotic in the way in which a poor man can be. If he uses tho riches he has acquired towards the benefit of his fellow citizens there is some sinister design behind. He intends by bribery and corruption to make the office of Mayor of Auckland hereditary, and to become the " tyrant" of that beautiful

city. Ho will ba the founder of a dynasty similar to that of the Fisistratido* at Athens. And bo on ad libitum. That is the sort of talk that Dr. W&llia and his. lite delight in, more pariicnlarly when they have an object to serve. Sensible people will coma to the conclusion that the action of Mr. Clark respecting the introduction of the Contagious Diseases Act is the real cause of the opposition of Dr. Wallis, but they will not be surprised that he has hashed up a little Radical bunkum, under cover of which ho thinks ha can strike his opponent more effectually. It is admitted on all sides that Mr. Clark has been a most efficient Mayor, and in his answer to the gentlemen whowish him to continue office, he states that the reason he accedes is that he has a , natural desire to eee certain lines of i action carried out to the end, in the | initiation of which he has taken part. I Amongst these are the questions of a good water supply for the city, of the formation of a Free Fublic Library and Town Hall, and of the extension of the boundaries of the city—for the suburbs of Auckland, it appears, have not formed themselves, like those of Dunedin and Christchureb, into a number of small local bodies, but have chosen the better part of joining themselves to the parent municipality. These matters have progressed a Iqng way under Mr Clark, and the two City Councils that have worked with him, and it is hard to see that there is the slightest danger in allowing them to be brought to completion under his auspices. There is noxt door to no political power attached to the office of Mayor. And then as to Mr. Clark's liberality. As above stated, ha has applied his salary towards the formation of a Free Fublic Library, and he has farther promised to give a sum to commence an Art Gallery. Are such acts as these to be thrown in a man's teeth P In what better way does Dr. Wallis imagine that wealth can be spent ?■ What is the true Radical way of disposing of a man's surplus cash ? If Dr. Wallis had taken the trouble to dire into the records of the past, he would have recognised the fact that one of the benefits of democratic institutions has ever been, that wealthy citizens have been ready to uphold all humanizing instutions to the utmost of their power. The Italian Republics were foremost in the arts in their day because of the liberality of leading citizens. The amount of money " donated" by private individuals and officials in Athens towards the general good seems almost fabulous, when we came to consider the small size of that city. Fublic men in Rome in the days of the republic were out and out more liberal than they were in later times when a despotism had been formed. Dr. Wallis' views are narrow ba the extreme; he has learnt nothing whatever from history. His Chief, at all events, knows better, and acts up to Ms belief. The munificent gift of Sir George Grey to the city of Auckland 'is fresh in the minds of our readers. Is that gift to bo looked open as an act of bribery and corruption P Sir George is a public man, and is fond of power, but no one thinks of imputing sinister motives to him. Why, then, should poor Mr Clark bo set upon for his liberality by Dr. Wallis, except that a little radical tall talk is often a convenient cover under which to hide other motives.