The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER. MONDAY, 11th DECEMBER, 1865. THE REQUISITION TO MR McLEAN.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 6, Issue 331, 11 December 1865, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER. MONDAY, 11th DECEMBER, 1865. THE REQUISITION TO MR McLEAN.

Unable to refute the charge of misrepresentation, our local contemporary wishes for a list of persons whose names were attached to the requisition to Mr M'Lean under false impressions as to its purport. We might as reasonably ask of him a list of the few amongst the whole number of names there who understood or supposed that in appending their signature they were in effect requesting Mr M Lean to oppose Mr Colenso as candidate for the sole representation of Napier in the General Assembly. Our contemporary knows as well as we that beyond the concoctors and prime movers in that' scheme scarce any of the requisitionists had such an idea.

A careful perusal of the address itself will suffice to convince any one that the aim of those concoctors, however little to their honor, was to conceal this idea from the view of the electors, and to this end the precious document was framed after the most Jesuitical model, as under the guise of a complimentary address, to ensnare voters into a promise of" support.

These gentlemen well knew how vain would be their efforts to obtain signatures if their real design was apparent, and hence only the careful framing of the requisition, so as most effectually to conceal this design in a manner that leaves it an almost unparalleled example of Jesuitical trickery.

First—lt commences “ We, the undersigned.” Who ? Had it been a straightforward document, it would have continued “ electors of the Napier district of Hawke’s Baybut it does not, for this reason, it would have admitted a slight ray of light where obscurity was required. The “we ” in the document means individuals ; but the trap is set for Napier electors only. Second. The “ we,” as individuals, request Mr M'Lean to allow himself to be put in nomination for “ a seat in the General Assembly.” What seat ? To represent us as Napier electors ? An honest document would have said as much, but as before it is evident that such a statement would have rendered the task of trying to get signatures altogether hopeless : but as it stands in the actual document any person who had not any particular objection to Mr M‘Lean becoming a member of the Assembly might be nduced to sign bis name. Next we have three paragraphs of foreign matter, which is simply introduced to catch names, and which, in fact, was the bait that caught. These paragraphs give the whole document the appearance of being a kind of acknowledgment of the services many are willing to allow that Mr M‘Lean has rendered to the province during the period he has held the office of superintendent, and taking into consideration the fact that, unlike thoseof the original provinces, the Hawke’s Bay electors have not the opportunity of showing this feeling by re-electing him to this office, it seemed but a fitting method of conveying such a sentiment to him. In this light many of the electors regarded it, and their names were appended accordingly, without the least reference to or suspicion of the real but disguised object of its promoters.

Fourth. la the last paragraph, that which really contains the barb of the hook, the same spirit is manifest. A vote is not even alluded to, although in effect those who signed it are made to promise this in the specious terms —we engage to do all that lies in our power to secure your return but as the mere mention of Napier as the district intended, or even of recording a vote might have scared the fish it was desired to catch, all this was wisely concealed from sight. Truly the framers oftheaddresshave much to learn if they do not know how it galls an Englishman to find that he has been caught I Do they think that they have rttained the respect of those whom they seem to have gained, or that many will consider themselves bound to carry out what they had no idea of when their signatures were obtained to this document ? Compare the wording of Mr M'Deas’s acknowledgment, appended to the

document after the signatures were obtained, with that of the requisition itself, and the Jesuitism of the latter becomes more manifest. He says: “The flattering terms in which you desire that I should allow myself to be put in nomination to represent the Napier district,” &c. Of course it was quite safe to say this then, but it was not the case, and the reason is evident. In full accordance with the nature of the requisition was the secrecy employed in getting signatures to it. Few but safe men, or those it seemed might easily be swayed, were applied to in the first instance. Advantage, too, was taken of Mr (Jolenso’s absence at Wellington to get as many as possible. No notice of the affair was given to the electors in the public papers until the mischief was done, when first the fact was announced by the Herald that such a requisition was in existence and that it was numerously signed. But for a mistake or two made by the canvassing parties in asking the wrong men to sign, the whole affair might have passed over without the independent electors being in any degree aware of what was passing.

Since that time we hare carefully noted the form in which such requisitions have been written, and the means used to obtain signatures in other parts of the Colony; and we find that in all cases where no trickery is intended the object of the requisition is plainly stated. The electors are advertised of its existence, and informed where it may be seen and signed. If this had been the case with that before us, it would have been the voluntary offering of a free electoral body so far, of course, as it would be signed ; but wo fear the number of signatures attached in such a case would have been few indeed.