ELESHPOTS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 17, Issue 1062, 7 July 1871, Page 2

ELESHPOTS.

[from the NELSON EXAMINER, JUNE 24] The Independent devotes a characteristic article to the castigatiou of all who dare to differ from it, whether in New Zealand or Australia. The Canterbury Press and the Nelson Examiner represent the New Zealand Opposition, and are compared, with much originality, to Mrs Gamp and Betsy Prig, likewise to " Sisseras " (the Independent, with unwonted candour, confesses he nearly spelt it '* scissors"), who presume to " fight against the Stars in their courses." The title of " Stars," north of Cook Strait, it will be observed, appears to be a complimentary! term for Ministers. Condign punishment is dealt to us for being unconvinced by the wondrous proofs of Ministerial wisdom and goodness, which we are assured are around and about us on every side. •' Let facts speak for themselves" he cries; "confidence has revived, and a sense of security of life and property —without which all progress is impossible, is slowly but surely gaining ground. The colony awakened from its opiatic dreams is gradually recovering its rational sense, and developing its latent strength. The spade and the axe dis place the sword and the rifle, and useful public works are achieving, without shedding of blood, and at comparatively little cost, the permanent conquest of peace, and the prosperity of both races. Webb's steamers have come, and, what has hitherto been unusual, have come with punctuality." We were certainly not aware that things in Wellington already wore this cheerful aspect. It is a pity, that Mr Fitzherbert was not made aware of it, before he addressed the Wellington Provincial Council in that doleful strain a few weeks since. The improvement has not unfortunately yet made itself visible in Nelson, and from the journals of other provinces we are led to believe it is confined to Wellington, if not to the ofnse and imagination of th 6 Independent. The article, however, is addressed to those whom the Independent mysteriously calls his " Transpontine Beaders," and whom from the context, we gather, really to be his readers in what elsewhere in the same article he courteously calls " felonious Australia." Why they should be called '* Transpontine " we cannot presume to guess, except perhaps a bridge to Australia is among the projected public works, and is already discerned by the Independent with the same eye of faith which enabled him to see the fair vision, so poetically described above. In order that his " Transpontine readers" may know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, the Independent informs them, somewhat incoherently—since much of the same article is devoted to scolding our Opposition press—that " no local echo" to complaints of Ministerial doings "can be found, and Australian papers have to be hired to teach us our wrongs, and to rouse us to vengeance." Oi course the " Transpontine readers" will at once see the probability of the Argus, and their other leading papers, being " hired " for the purposes oi' an obscure party in New Zealand, which is pablo " to find a local

echo." But as the Melbourne Argus, and Hobart Town Mercury, and that other portion of the Australian press which has occasionally censured, and habitually laughs at the acts and policy of the existing Government, certainly do not stand lower in general estimation than the Wellington Independent, it is evident; that the Independent considers that papers not less respectable than his own have their price, and may be " hired." This theory of the wholesale hiring of the Australian press is evolved from the depths of the Independent's own moral consciousness. What horrible suspicions does it not suggest ? A curious passage in anotbei? article of the Independent throws some light upon this question. He gracefully taunts the poor Post with " sniffing hungrily at the fleshpots" enjoyed by the Ministerial press. What are these " fleshpots ?'* The Independent, eminently veracious, with the best opportunities of knowing, tells us that " fleshpots " do exist inaccessible to the Opposition. He licks his jaws in public, behaves gratefully to those who banquet him at the public cost, and sneers at those whose stupid honesty stands between them and "fleshpots.'* We have had occasionally glimpses of these " fleshpots" before, but they had not then been publicly exhibited by the leading Ministerial journal.