Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, JAN. 19, 1892. The Wellington Election.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 19 January 1892, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, JAN. 19, 1892. The Wellington Election.

— +. We congratulate Mr Bell and his committee on the excellent fight they made at the election on Friday last. To come within reach of victory by 153 votes, is surprising, considering the conditions under which the election was fought. The Government put up a nominee about whose political views not one elector paid the slightest attention to, he was not permitted to address a meeting with out one or two members of the Government bei'ig present, to either stop him from saying what he should not, or who could, should he run off | the line, put the question straight,' by an address after he had finished speaking. Wellington is evidently not yet imbued with the .radical notions of the Labour party, as the

three other large centres have returned supporters of the Government in a natural manner, but to secure such a result at the capital of the colony, it has necessitated nearly every Minister neglecting the duties of the State, so as to permit them to canvass and address public meetings to secure the election of a Labour candidate. The result, though the Premier asserted it to be a " decisive victory " is one which he must be exceedingly disappointed at ; a majority of 153 votes after all the reresources of the Government had been used to secure success, is practically a defeat. The result may act as a.^ warning, for .though the unthinking and the uninterested voters have numbered a few more than those who have a decided and important interest in the colony, the day will come when their power will be short. In politics the Government will remember that the poor they will not always have with them, as by checking capital, labour will be idle, and will therefore leave but those who are tied to the land will have to remain, and Friday's election has shown haw the votes of these will be recorded. Amuchlarger majority was expected, the Premier says 500 to 700, and asserts it was not gained because the roll had not been purged ! If any advantage was to be obtained on that account we can quite believe that the Government side were fully alive to their opportunities ; however, what blame there is attaching to the state of the roll must lie with the Government, who had the power to order its revision. It sounds a rather lame statement to make to account for the 700 majority dwindling down to 158.

The election affords another instance of the imperative necessity of the country party being properly organised, and we hold it to be a public duty of our representatives to form some such organisation at once.