THE ELECTIONS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 505, 5 September 1857, Page 3

THE ELECTIONS.

"VVe take from the 'Nelson/Examiner' the following remarks upon, the relations of Electors and Candidates, which, though specially addressed to those of a neighbouring province, are equally applicable to ourselves, and well worthy the attention of every, elector in the colony.

Three days more, and writs for the election of New Councillors and jiew Superintendent are. to issue. Yet not the slightest breath of agitation; to ruffle the mimic sea of our local politics ; whatever may be working beneath, not a bubble of excitement rising to its serene, surface. All is apparently the intensity, of calm—the slumberous rep^ie of supreme indifference. We trust we may augur from this, at least that our Nelson folk will perform the approaching duty of choosing their best men for governors and law-makers, without frivolous and foolish excitement; with the calmness and self-possession and self-com-mand of sensible men exercising a grave trust. Still, as the suffrage is virtually universal ; as the name of any grown man in the community, and probably. of a great ;many ungrown ones, are most likely on the roll, there must be many very ignorantand many very thoughtless among our voters. It is just as well, perhaps, under a Constitution having so much of the democratic element in it as ours has, that the experiment of self-governmeut should be fully and fairly tried; that the small limitation of the right of voting prescribed by the Constitution should be disregarded, as it actually has been ; and that, under tolerably safe and favourable circumstances, the problem of democracy on a small scale should be thoroughly worked out. But, with constituencies of this nature, it may perhaps be not waste of time to reason a little upon some of the first duties of electors; especially now, before any conflicting passions are roused, or any agencies in operation [to mislead or justify the popular judgment. Now, we suppose it would be idle to expect that our electors would in any case content themselves with choosing simply the men they think wisest and best for their rulers and law-givers without reference to particular questions, or laws to be made or unmade. Perhaps this would in all cases be the wisest exercise of the power of choice alluded to, and the most successful way of working representative institutions. The prevailing notion, however, at present, is that constituents should virtually legislate for themselves by making their representatives to a considerable extent mere delegates, the echoes of their own opinions. Well, then, granting that the electors will make their choice of a representative depend upon his supporting their side of one or two particular questions; taking it for granted that it would be useless to urge them to ground their choice entirely upon more general considerations; there still remains, we believe, much room for the exercise by the electors of judgment and good sense in the choice of a particular individual from among, all those advocating their own views on the one or two their minds are made up upon. You will have a man supporting the Credit-scheme, say, or you will have a; man , opposing it. Now, how will you choose among the men who may support, or among those who may oppose it ? Men who may be on your own side of one question or two may, notwithstanding^ be improper, or not the_best men, to choose for representatives, y/h^t other qualities will you require ? In the first place, we should like to see all our electors on their guard against those who make the most professions and promises. This is the natural failing of candidates who want to get into power at any price. And it is the natural weakness of constituencies; even tolerably enlightened ones, to be led away by such-professions and promises. We would beg of you to make some simple reflections on this point. Suppose a servant or labourer came to ask you for employment. Suppose-he began to recommend himself to you by declaring he "could run the straightest furrows with a plough in the whole country;" would " back himself to reap more wheat in. a day than any man in the district;" suppose he found fault with all that your previous workmen had been doing;, swore that your banks were ;badly : built; your haystacks, not properly; thatched; promised that your fruit trees should bear; double when he had* the pruning of them ; your acres yield double the number of bushels when he had had the farming of them. Would you think all this a great recommendation of the man ? Would you jump at him as if he were a treasure? Would you not rather immediately have v Qur suspicions of him ? If you are the

John Bulls we take you for, would you not rather be inclined to< scowl upon him, thrust your hands deep into, the pockets of your corduroy small-clothes and turn on your heel disgusted? Apply the same rule to your candidates. If you find them full of promises and professsions ; abuse of every thing "that has been done by others, and boasting of all that will be done by Mem; if they tell you they will have your roads always kept.in repair— they willed p away with taxation—you shall not be pestered with rates—you shall have lands for little or nothing ; think twice before you promise them your votes. If the labourer, looking out for hire were, besides all we have said, to go on to tell you your notion of the rotation of crops in this country wa3 the best he iiad ever heard of; you had the best eye for a horse or a bullock he had ever met with; planted or cut your quicks or your fruit trees with the greatest judgment:—would you be much better inclined to him than before ? Would his flattery of you, win your favour any more than his boasts of himself? If you are the John Bulls we take you for, you would bid him hold his tongue and be off about his business. Apply the same rule to your candidates. When they wonderfully agree in opinion with you—flatter your judgment and plain sense—■compliment you on your enlightenment and freedom—be more determined still to .keep back the votes you refused before. Look" at the thing in another light. Suppose you have a pig for sale—an oval mass of solid dairy-fed fatness, the straight back just dropping down into a point at one end I for a head, with four just perceptible hoofs | only big enough to keep,the barrel-shaped mass from rolling on its side—would you have to go about fussing and begging to get a purchaser for him, as you might have to do with a gaunt shaggy scarecrow of a Maori porker, with legs as long as j rour arm and a savage snout as long as his legs! Would you not stay at home, certain you could command a sale for your pig at any time^—that he would make too good bacon not to be bid for? Now your candidate is a man with a pig to sell. He has his talent, his industry, his experience, which he wants to sell to you. The price you are to pay is the seat in the Council you give him ; the honour (if you think it so) you do him; the trust you repose in him. And do you think, if he knows, if he is conscious that his talent, his desire to serve you is really good or firstrate and genuine, that he will show himself over-anxious to get a purchaser for it ? Will he go begging and coaxing and canvassing you to get you to take his services —to get you to let him do so much good for you ? •If he does so, should you not (if you are wise) suspect that he has only the shaggy Maori scarecrow to give you in exchange for your trust, instead of the fineskinned, beautifully - shaped, well - fatted Berkshire beauty, weighing 20 score or so ? All canvassing and cajoling, professing and promising, is a degradation to the candidate and an insult to the voter. Pie that has the good article to sell, the good service to give, will not fret himself to thrust it upon you—will wait till you come and ask for it. Well, then, treating with indifference the professions, the promises., the coaxing, and canvassing cf candidates, you should choose men whose good qualities you have long known, and who are not anxious to puff ithem off to you or thrust them upon your notice. If you have found any men always in private life honest and of sound sense, true-dealing and generous and thoughtful :of the good of others, then you may expect these men to be honest and true and unselfish in public life. Think of this, and see if it is not reasonable. We do not wish you to take anything on trust, to believe us in anything which will not be found true after having been thought upon. ; Make up your minds then as to the men i you will have to serve you, coolly and by ; yourselves. Not much in pothouses over j beer or grog, "nor in noisy company, large lor small. Above all, make up your minds I thoroughly before the election days. Do ! not leave your judgment to the chance of i being muddled or warped by the excitement of crowds or of strong drink. If you are fooled or flattered, or stimulated by liquor to vote as other, people wish rather than as you yourselves wish, where is your freedom, what is the use. of calling yourselves selfgoverning, men who make the laws they obey, &c, &c. ? Listen to the bluntspeaking of a celebrated man on. this point:— " But truly, as I had to remark in the meanwhile, the liberty of not being oppressed by your fellow-man is an indispensable, yet one of the most insignificant fractional parts of human liberty. No man»oppresses

Thee, can bid thee fetch or carry, come or go, without reason shown. True, from all men thou art emancipated: but from Thyself and from the Devil' ? No man, wiser, unwiser. can make thee come or go, but thy own futilities, bewilderments, thy false appetites for Money, Windsor Georges, and such like ? No man oppresses thee, O free and independent Franchiser : but does not this stupid porter-pot oppress thee? No son of Adam can bid thee come and go ; but this absurd pot of Heavy-wet, this car. and does! Thou art the thrall,not of Cedric the Saxon, but of thy own brutal appetites, and this scoured dish of liquor. And thou pratest of thy • liberty ?' Thou entire blockhead!" Let us take to heart the reproach of the rough-tongued but warm-hearted writer, and profit by it if we can.