Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, SEPT. 1, 1898. Parliament.

Manawatu Herald, 1 September 1898, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, SEPT. 1, 1898. Parliament.

The Evening Post, to its credit, is waging a warfare against the unruly members of Parliament, which we trust it will steadily pursue, and even go very much farther than it baa by making publio the name 3of those who do not appear to recognise the responsibilities of their position. It is quite time that the electors >nould be intimately acquainted with the actions of those who are supposed to be i-heir representatives, so that should disgrace fill upon any of the members the electors oan for the future be held answerable if wrongdoers are returned to Parliament. A candidate for parliamentary honour when canvassing, is generally on hi* bea*" behaviour and is likewise all B£aile3 and has nothing but pleasant words. He is sometimes elected on the impression he has produced and some electors can scarcely believe that thy seeming courteous gentleman of election time has become the creator of scenes and the utterer of language too strong to be repro* duced iv the columus of a newspaper. If these things b<?, it is but right that they should be known, and we can only look to the Post for this information, the olhfr Wellington paper having, apparently, not the backbone to expose a degrading sore in our chief public body. It is time that electors took the right view of this business of representation, as now they are under uo obligation to their representative, ho having ac cepted a salary, payable monthly, to look after the interests of both the colony and his particular district. He i.3 in no much better position ihp.n a head clerk in any large establishment, and thus his duty should be carried out as conscientiously and a* soberly and discreetly as the clerk's, or, the penalty for neglect should bo the same. It is well known how particular the banks are with their clerks ; how quietly, yet surely, their private actions are watched so that an estimate may be formed how far they can be entrusted wif;h the money of their employers. The electors of the colony without half as much care as bankers use in : electing their clerk?, select a member to whom is entrusted the dealings <>f hundreds. of thousands of pounds, and it thus becomes a matter of immense importance to learn whether these m°u neglect their duty and so far indulge in riotous living as to make them anything but clear judge? of what is being transacted. Thp decadenco of Parliament is openly spokpn of, and will be almost beyond remedy unless strong and swift measures are takpn to deal with those who are making cause for this assertion to go uncontradicted. If the press of the colony would but speak out and dfmand decpnt bphavionr on the pail; of members of Parliament it is certain that it could be obtained, ■>nd we thftrefore hasten to applaud the action of the Pott with the added desire that it will continue in the path it has marked out, a course which all right thinking and sober people must appreciate.