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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 84, 26 January 1863, Page 3

(Per favor of Editor of the Haivke's Bay Times.J

“ Veritas visit ei mora, falsa festinalione et inceriis valescunt .”— Tacit. “ Biligimus omnia vera, id est fidelia, simplicia, constantia ; vana, falsa, falleniia, odimus.” —Cic. “ I speak unto wise men ; judge ye what I say.” Paul. TO THE ELECTORS OP THE TOWN OP NAPIER. Gentlemen, —Permit me to call your close and unprejudiced attention to this letter, containing the reasons which (combined) have led me to resign the seat in the Provincial Council of Hawke’s Bay, to which some of your number lately elected me. I. Because of the unreasonable attempt at forcing a pledge upon me at the nomination. I call this conduct “unreasonable,” because (1) you well know that I (who have stood on the Napier hustings 6 or 8 times) have over resisted and refused to pledge myself to anything, even when I knew my refusal might be the very means of my losing the election. And, further, I have uniformly said —“ Never fetter any man of your choice' with pledges,” (mostly demanded in an hour of popular excitement) ; always, however, excepting the one pledge which I have ever voluntarily given (and which you should always obtain), viz., to resign whenever requested to do so by 'two-thirds of those who had voted. This pledge should be sufficient for both parties ; for I am very sure it will not be found politically or morally safe to go farther. (2.) Because, while you* wished me to pledge myself to vote for Mr. McLean as our future Superintendent, not one of you could tell mo

Mi’. McLean’s policy ; not one of you knew anything about it; therefore, I was most “ unreasonably” called upon to pledge myself for a man, of whom (politically speaking as Superintendent of our Province) I knew nothing, as against a man (our present Superintendent) of whose policy I knew something;—to pledge myself, in short, merely for a man, — not for a principle, nor for any known line of sound policy. (3.) Because many among you well knew that the most cordial good feeling (and, I may say, agreement in Maori matters generally) had ever existed between Mr. McLean and myself; and, as you all well knew, that it has been charged against me as a political crime my ever standing by and supporting the Superintendent of the Province, you might easily have coupled these facts together and reasonably have inferred—that, on Mr. McLean becoming our Superintendent and producing a suitable policy, I should most willingly and heartily have supported him also. Such, indeed, (as I have been informed) was clear enough to several electors ; —such, indeed, was the only logical deduction. 11. Because of unfair treatmen t. Not a few of you, gentlemen, have heard me say, (for I well remember saying it on two public occasions,) — that in healthy constituencies there must ever exist between the electors and elected a mutual confidential understanding of warm, close, ready, and constant support; and this most reasonably, for the elected person is but their own mouthpiece. Now many of you who recently voted against me have repeatedly and publicly acknowledged, that I have hitherto politically served you faithfully and to the best of my ability. If so, were you not fairly bound to continue to support me at this last election F And was I not fairly entitled to look forward to, and to rely on, your ready support ? Some of you who recently voted against me, (and whose continued support I had reasonably calculated on,) told me on the hustings that I had hitherto served them well; and that, excepting the present election, they had always voted for mo. Could you not then have confidence in mo for the future ? Ought you not to have both had and shewn such confidence after 4 years experience of me ? As I view it, your own words fairly considered are proof of the unfair treatment I have received at your hands. Such a mode of acting entirely unsettles all confidence in electors ; —enfeebles the man of your choice when in Council ; restrains truly honorable men from coming forward to serve you ; —and, sooner or later, must prove injurious to the Commonweal.—l might also fairly enough complain of the manner of acting adopted by some few among you at the late election—as against an opponent (myself) who never canvasses, nor condescends to use any threat, or promise, or art, or cajolery ; but, as I know very well there are some among us who believe in the hacknied phrase,—“ All's fair in love, war, and polities,”—at least, those persons have shewn their firm belief in the ‘political part of the adage by acting (shall I say dirtily acting ?) up to it, I shall be silent. Notwithstanding I greatly doubt if such conduct will bear their own close calm investigation, or give them any satisfaction when reviewing it hereafter. Pirates firing broken glass, or the Chinese stink-pots, have never been copied or supported in reasonable and civilised warfai’e ,- and Lord Dundonald’s secret of wholesale destruction, (with many others of a similar kind) was rightly disapproved of by the Government at home. 111. Because I id shed you to believe what I told you on the hustings on the day of nomination, — that I teas not desirous of a seat in the next Provincial Council. Some of you that day doubted the truthfulness of that statement of mine ; they viewed it as a mere catch-word. Such statement, however, was perfectly correct. My mind had been made up for some time, and mainly from the following grounds : —l. The experience I have had of how very little can be really effected in Provincial Councils or General Assemblies by one person, however zealous or single his aim.—2. The very great dislike I have to what is known as polical “log-rolling.”—3. The waste of time and unprofitabless of such a situation to a man constituted like myself— i.e., of one who only goes there to aid and benefit his town or province, and who never absents himself from his duty.—l. The belief that I had, that many of those old settlers—working men—with whom I had been consociated from the beginning of our Provincial Government, would not again come forward for re-election (I included Messrs. Carter and Rhodes, subsequently elected). —5. The extra amount of labour which niight fall upon me if re-elected (as an old working hand, always in his place) among so many new hands.—6. My increasing desire for quiet, and for more time for scientific studies.—7. The possibility of my ere long leaving the Province. IY. Because of the misconception, or delusion, which still existed among many of the electors. I had hoped, on and after the day of the declaration of the poll at the late election, that what 1 had boldly said on that occasion (regardless of consequences), would have wholly disabused the minds ol several of the electoi’s, as I addressed myself particularly to the thinking men among them. Such, however, (as far as I know), I am sorry to say, has not been the case. Why, it is not for mo now to say. One thing I know, that few men now in New Zealand, holding the post of town member in your Provincial Council, would have served you and the town interests (as against the country) so zealously and fearlessly as I have done ; and you must know that, in my so doing, I have made myself many enemies among the country gentlemen and runholders. As an instance, however, of the delusion which still exists among the electors, I may state, that since the polling-day, in talking with one of them who had voted against me (a respectable elector and a Scotsman), he said, —‘ ‘ But, Mr. Colenso, you pitched into the people of Burns, of whom I have myself heard you say you were an ardent admirer.” I replied, “ My good sir, 1 am (and ever must be) a great and steady admirer of Burns ; but it is just because Burns would never have joined in any sly, underhand measures that I admire him. Think you, were he here among us at this recent election, he would have joined his countrymen in any such measures? NO. Burns himself suffered from similar causes, and devoted his noblest efforts in exposing all such ; whether under the mask of religion, morality, or politics.” Burns is with me,

Scotch electors of Napier; not with you, if you own to any sinister underhanded influence, albeit you are Scotchmen. Y. Because of the unjust and absurd attempts made to unseat me. —My knowledge of human nature tells me, that such conduct would generally result in the very opposite to that of a resignation; and perhaps, under other circumstances, I would not have resigned. But when I saw that among my opponents, (even after the election was over'J, were those who seemed utterly devoid of any generous sentiment; who stopped at nothing; who clutched eagerly, as drowning men at straws —first, doubting the Be turning Officer’s right to vote—second, disputing the legality of Mr. Holder’s vote —third, denying altogether that of Mr. Anderson’s (although on the revised Boll !) —and fourthly, endeavoring by low and unworthy means to foment and increase the excitement (already too high) between myself and some of the Scotch settlers, (which excitement I had, indeed, in some measure, caused, —though not as vilely represented in the Herald paper)—when, I say, I saw all this, I thought it better to resign. Never before, however, have I had such practical proofs of the wisdom of the saying,—that “ no man should judge his own case—for I have herein seen the utter incompetency of a man to do so, although possessing a pretty clear head and some amount of legal knowledge,—aye, running to the most absurd conclusions, even against law, respecting his own case; —and another, selfishly cunning one, completely losing his hitherto cautiously measured step, overtoppling and even falsely reporting* through his dreadful excitation! and all—(under the guise of virtuous indignation at lowered nationality !!) —to bolster up himself ! 0 tempora ! 0 mores ! Qui non defendit alio culpanfe; solutos Qui captat risus hominum, famamque dioacis ; Fingere qui non visa potest, commissa taeere Qui nequit, hie nigerest, hunc tu,Romane, caveto." —Hoe. Before, however, that I conclude, (although my letter is already too long), I must not omit saying a few more words to those Electors who are from the far North—or Scotland. I say “ a few more,” because I particularly invite their close attention to what I have already written. Especially as the Scots are a people who rank veiy high as metaphysicians, close reasoners, and lovers of truth. All that I may have said, or that I am believed to have said, against you AS A PEOPLE (on the hustings, at the declaration of the Poll on the 6th Jan. inst.,) I pray you to forgive, and, if possible, forget. 1 sincerely regret SO offending any of you, and now publicly apologize. Favorably consider, I pray, the place, the circumstances, and the excitement, and the well-known fact, that only the wearer of the shoe knows how it pinches. Bear in mind that my oldest and best Provincial friends are Scotchmen (Alexander, M’Lean, Gollan, Lyon, and others, not one of whom I should willingly offend, much less wish to lose). At the same time—having said this—having thus publicly apologized to you Scotchmen, as a people , I cannot allow myself to withdraw what 1 really said on that occasion against that clique, or party among you here in Napier, who so ably (?) and indefatigably worked against me on the occasion of the recent election. Strange facts, that have since jL been made known to me ; together with the ppeskr indelible one on the Poll-book—of only ONE Scotchman having then voted for me—all these prove, how some then wrought, and something besides. And now, gentlemen electors of Napier, permit me to take my political leave of you. Those of you who have supported me I thank again, most sincerely, for all past favors ; and in more than one sense regret that we should thus have parted. Perhaps it ought not to have been so ; perhaps we ought not to have parted at this peculiar time —THIS COMING- CRISIS: but so it is. While I live I cannot but have the interests of Hawke’s Bay deeply at heart. And seeing that I have a largo stake in the prosperity of the Province ; —that I am well acquainted with the whole of it, its resources and its requirements ; —that I am among the very oldest of its settlers; —and you have but few public men ; —I should perhaps, after all, do wrong, if I were not to hold myself ready to respond to your call, should that call again come while I may continue to reside in Napier. But before such response could ever again bo honestly and cheerfully made by me, a very much better understanding must be arrived at among us. You, my constant supporters, and the electors of Napier generally, must awake from political lethargy; you must be ready and willing to do your share of the great work. There must be nothing more of a “ touch-and-go ” kind ; it must be fair play and mutual help. It has been, that confidence after recrimination has been stronger and freer than it was before; and surgeons say that a united bone is all the stronger for having been broken. Lastly, allow your old servant (who has your best interests at heart,) at parting politically to offer a word of advice : —Seek to strengthen your incoming Superintendent; reflect a bit, —choose a good useful man to the present vacancy. Consider those already elected as members of the Provincial Council; are there more than two (or three at most) of the whole of the number who from their position and knowledge &c. of the Province, are fit to be entrusted with Executive duties ? And would those three persons accept that office ? I am pretty sure two of them would not. And yet three will be required, which (as the law now is) must be chosen from the Provincial Council. See, then, you make a wise and discreet choice in selecting another member for the Town. It is just your only chance left of doing anything for yourselves, and, at the same time, strengthening your future Superintendent. And may you, and your next Superintendent and Provincial Council, act more harmoniously and usefully than you have all hitherto done. I have the honor to be, Gentlemen Electors, Your most pbdt. Servt. and well-wisher, WILLIAM COLENSO. Napier, Jan. 22, 1863.

As an instance. I may just call attention to what he has reported I said against Sir G. Grey !and of mv •• revolting explanations” concerning my dearest friend in Hawke's Bay, Captain Carter.— W, C.