THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1874.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 299, 20 November 1874, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1874.

By an early statute, dating back to Henry V. of England,-all representatives of the peo ole were obliged to be inhabitants of the places for- which they were chosen. Although, so castiron a prohibition was manifestly inconvenient, an d was subsequently repealed during the reign of George 111., yet 'the soundness-of the principle on which the statute was .founded curi never'be abrogated. -; . In former times representatives from -county boroughs far outnumbered representatives of the mercantile interest; indeed, it might be almost said, excluded them; To .surmount an in-justice—-that became very apparent as the initiation ■ and- improvement of manufactures, caused by the exodus from the religious l wars" on-the Continent, led to the grovvth of.-large andwealthy towns—the Crown at its discretion used: to summon most flourishing of such towns - to send representatives to Parliament. We need hardly add that- all our Colonial Representative Chambers- are modelled strictly in outward form and' custom frp the English Parliament. . As; towns develop the dwellers in them also develop special characteristics—in 1 course, of time the superficial in a great measure overlaying if not entirely 6bliteraung the real. The reign of shams Bhams of dress, of custom, and above all of glib speech—become, notably conspicuous. The Country man','suddenly introduced into this (to him) novel sphere of life,- is -.awkward, slightly uncouth; easily' demolished by tbs assumed air of- importance shown by a clerk at-a bank or merchant's desk ; 'at the same time; quite ,ur.known to himself, possessing a'brain power from his freeer, • and Jess artificial life, far.greater than that possessed by the downy-lipped, precocity beside whom apparently-he is made to look so small;- : In the Colonies, where residents in the Interior must have:sbmething of an adventurerVspirit, the rule might be fairly laid down that the real brain,power of any hundred men in the country, excluding professionals, is quite on a par with that of any similar number taken at. haphazard in a town. We. exclude professionals, because brains naturally are drawn to where' they are most wanted, and where "they are: mos f - wanted they will be best ,paid. let, strangely en ughjihe bfack coats and the affectation o£ ability jn endless off-hand -sreadiness and ; general omniscience; -is:- taken -by the country rather by those who with themselves - a clannish feelino- for towns affect to lead superiority of intellect. In any crisis-r-in any want—instead of seeking his neighbor's clear-headed ad vice,.resort is at once had to the stranger in the town. Goldfield constituencies are great sinners in this reßpect are greatly given to a worshipful admir&tioD of the super6cial townsman. The individual units that go to makes up the electorates all undervalue and cry down one another. They, needlessly put away from them the privilege they have of sending to Assemblies *and- -Councils their, own men; and altntat invariably select asTepresentativeg 'men with" less in commou and with less ability than them. .

Exactly as. it is a patent trnth that black is not' white, so equally it clear that the superficial ana* popular contemporary wants of Dunedin can have nothing in common with the substantial requirements of the Provincial Interior— indeed, .must be antagonistic; yet, wherever possible, Dunedin is the source from which (.be Gfoldfields expect to derive representatives. It is forgotten that the men who.; have brought discredit on Goldfield members, as a class,- are not and never have been resident^

that tpwasand interest" are popularly supposed t6 be antagonistic to a liberal Goldfields policy, have not beeu slow (through their newspapers) to take advantage of the absurdities and vulgarities of such members to secure the.-return, in thenplace'where possible, of more polished and more malleable men, by all. Goldfields representatives„, with want of principle and driveling inability. In truth, the Goldfields of Otago have never yet, to our knowledge, sent their own men (Sir., li. "Clarke "was"'a notable exception)' to- represent their interests in the Assembly: or Provincial Council. Such men have been forthcoming for Mining, Conferences, and have shown considerable ability. One half r>f the present provincial Council, if placed in similar circumstances, could not have boasted of nearly as, much sense and work. If hurriedly called together for a fortnight's sitting —without precedent to. conduct business, without trained officials to guide debate; or even without forms by which to regulate order —the Provincial, Council would be a Pandemonium in a week. - ,

| Our best men on Goldfields them.-' ; selves are greatly to blame for this. They show a great want of personal ■"patriotism arid moral.'courage—of :the Prench statesman's spirit of daring, always daring, and yet again to dire; They perceive the evil-; for a man of any mental calibre, although possibly destitute or deficient: of ; expression, can see the emptiness of the glib representative who promises everything, while understanding nothing; or, maybe, with more depth than.usual, .effects an apparent boldness' of contradiction to a popular demand—if by any means he may gain his end.' They perceive, sand are tickled by the humbug of the adroit, and vote for a man they inwardly " despisebut;yet strangely donot. see -the disgrace:; Tet none will volunteer-to serve their district, forsooth, because some monaster sham of a so-called requisition is not put un'der-their nose. .. We would I not underrate the bitter feeling any i man has to meet and' to live down who ventures to stand up boldly and say—- " Here am I, send men " " We are acquainted with, it, in all its forms ;' and a queer conglomeration- it: is ;-r-a solid, bundle of adverse opinions;- made up~ from those who cry, with indignation—- " Who' is this fellow setting.himself to. be somebody" R from others who, in constant contact with him, have 1 long ago (as ! they- : think) 7 taken his mental measure by their own petty brain stick ;~from friends too, and wellwishers who-'have'knowri him too long and too continuously to note his real . growth and • more a "man that- has the element's of manhood in him must be prepared to sface. After all, what is it ? The approbation derived from doing -what is rigb£.ofkavingTefused-m district's need to wrap up what talent is possessed .in -a :,should- be ? sufficient to. outweigh alii minor; criticisms. Is there one. then in the district who will assert" her ,privilege and right ;■ who' will coma boldly;for-" ward, without waiting for th'eumbecile features of sliam'requisitions, and fight one good stroke, with no"uncertain or' wavering i hand, " the protection of the -Goldfields; Or are we, as a dis- . trict, to walk blindfold into the arms oft Dunedin, swearing that henceforth her' idols shall be dear to us • her schemes. shallbe as oursthat we will bo>v ourselves in her- house of Rirnmon, before her merchants from henceforth and for ever. Truly the cat will be ; belled, Olympic thunderbolts will be stayed, pastoral--tennntV will -give iwayf ■ sto pastoral:. freeholders;"'; shovel ; handles -an,d-forks-wi r ll-be ? "steamed turned into shepherds crooks, and : country will remain 'unoperied till the day comes wherr a; railway- shall ■be made at the 'people'rs: -expense to thealienated landß the absentee owners of which, with'rare magnanimity,>will allow their stewards to cut up for rental to the poor man at. £1 per acre per annum. Tor~a true representative* a man'of'many ; wo'rds is not' needed—is rather to be avoided. ' Stump oratory is not required, but a man is—to do a man's work to speak in. few but in manly words what is'in him on behalf of those he represents; above all' to' act honestly on the public stage his part not learnt poll-parrot like by political . contests, but burnt' in by bitter - experience and conviction -of truth while ;; suffering with-those whose inequalities : in'the State he may hope' to share inredressing. Certainly if Mount -Ida ' cannot return" her own representatives, :the privilege of representation should be withdrawn from her. What chance would her best men hnve'of being returned in Dunedin? - Then why should Bhe go out to hunt_for, as representatives those who, living in'Dunedin, would never be thought, fit to represent their own city. A member, we readily ad-' mit, has something more to. do than .meiely, cricket-like; incessantly chirrup his constituents' grievances. " Every member, though chosen by one particular district, when elected'and returned serves for the whole realm. For the end, of hjs coming thither isnot particular, but general ;, not barely to advantage his constituents, but the; oommon wealth." . Nevertheless, a. man at his beßt is the creature of his, , habits, and constant surroundings; A Dunedin Mount Ida representative,* with ability, would not sin against Kisconstituents by what he knowingly did, but by what he igrsnrant.lv left ; undone. _ To get a representative without ability, it will be admitted, we need hardly go to Dunedin.

We regret that the district has lost the services . of probably tlie best representative, either Provincial Council or Assembly, it has ever secured. Mr. Oliver, contemplating a short £*bseac<? ift -Europe, did not -feel justi-

fied in retaining liis seat. We- have never., known any matter requiring -attention' brought under Ms notice that has -been glected; while in the Council he has always given an honorable and consistent support to any measure or opposition that was judged to be for the good of this district. At the same time his own sinking of self in every particular was conspicuous. The district electors will hardly be .justified in pledging themselves to either of the candidates whose' addresses we publish. It is true we know all m and about Mr. Armstrong," just as well as if he was.with us a year; but Sir. Leary, on the other hand, would probably not be really known, to us in a. short lifetime.; We shall take occasion before the election to draw attention to the special objects that our members should unitedly hold in view during the remaining two sessions of the Council. ' Mr. - Oliver, we may acid, on the morning he'left, was with Mr. JReid, who told him that the Government were determined to keep the contractor up to the mark as to time for finishing the head race. Also thatj. to enable the water, to be used in the- race;as far asit" is constructed,: the Government are going to push on the making of the Burning and connections that are necessary. "We hope it will ■be so.- ■