The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1878.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 10, 30 November 1878, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1878.

The new County Council has held its first sitting, and to Mr Halcombe must be accorded the very questionable merit of being the first to throw the applo of discord into its midst, and to attempt to sow the seeds of dissension m its ranks. That he should haye had the hardihood to publicly insult a whole constituency is not a matter of surprise to us ; that he should seek with consummate presumption to dictate to an intelligent body of men, is no matter for wonder; but that he should be seconded m Ms impudent pretensions by such a man as Mr M-CA-TRTOi- and the proceedings of the Council he allowed to be interrupted by his unwarrantable and uncalledrfor haraugue, is beyond our comprehension. It is true that while .himself and his seconder were the only two who spoke m defence of the unseemly course pursued, Councillors Goweb, Sanson, ' Rockstbow, and Linton all protested against the policy of re-opening up the matter again ; but while we give those gentlemen credit for placing their convictions upon record, we have no language to convey our censure of their supiaenoss m allowing a resolution to be passed by default which was m direct conflict with their expressed opinions t We notice that the Foxton Correspondent of the Press. Agency has telegraphed to his principals that the resolution was "carried unanimously," and if that be not a deliberate invention, then wo have the paradox of four gentlemen publicly declaring that the resolution was one totally outside the province of the Council, and m the same* breath voting ! against their own utterances, If two of ' the Councillors count for anything— Councillors Sanson, and Linton— and they happen to he gentlemen upon \hc value of whose word we place a deal — we have it from their own lips that they neither voted for the resolution, nor did they m the slightest endorse the action of Mr Halcombe. We are not prepared to speak for Dr. Bocestbow, but inasmuch as Dr. Eockstow wa*J wafted into tho Council upon the tide of sympathy which placed Mr Loudon at the head of the poll,' and but for whoia be should never have sat again at tho table, we cannot imagine he would be recreant enough to snap at the hand that helped him m his necessity, With regard to the fourth gentleman, Mr Goweb, wcare prepared to believe anything. As was most aptly and truly said by Dr. Eocksteow, *' Inconsistency, thy l.iatnc is Goweb." Here we have that gentlemen a member of the Council from the first, perfectly aware of Mr Loudon's cyi«\&, perfectly aware of bis confession, perfectly aware of his re-election at the head of the poll. At a caucus meeting held to secure the return of Mr Sanson as Chairman, Mr Goweb did not think it contamination to allow his name to be put i s seconder to a resolution to bo proposed by the tabooed London. At the Council meeting, Mr Goweb, asserted.that tbe "matter had been taken out of its hands by the elector*," yet m the face of all, later on m the evening he declared that after what bad taken place he could not second a motion proposed by Councillor Loudon. What, might we ask, had wrought this wonderful change m such a short time ? Was it the scathing denunciation of Councillor H alcove? No ; tbat oould not, b ; because it was after that orator's Philippic that Councillor Goweb had expressed himself as above. Still we have this highly consistent gentleman at one moment stating that tbe electors were alone to deal with the matter, and m the next taking the law into his own bands, and repudiating tbe verdict of the electors. Neither Councillors Kebbell nor Care took part m tlie discussion, and we would fain believe that they held opinions similar to those expressed, but it ia a matter for deep regret that not one Councillor had tbe manly opnrage to protest against a proceeding which was an insult to their independence, and an outrage upon the voters of Awahou. The motion should have, been sc6uted out of the Council with the contempt it deserved, and we feel thoroughly convinced that had an amendment been brought forward to that effect, the motion would have been loft to be supported alone hy the mover and seconder. We do not for one moment wish to question the altitude oP Councillor Hat.oomde's political morality ? but: we should imagine that In the- 'plenitude of his ;-rgctihidi« lay bis greatest safeguard ,'andoat JM»g placed upon a pedestal so hij^'abpve tlie erring Loudon, be could have afforded to miltivate a little Christian charity, fori bi'arance, arid 'raagnaiiimity,- We are quite prepared to believe him when he asserts that he has never been guilty Of : *he crime of which Mr LocrDON stands fonfessed. Ho niay be a perfoet colonial counterpart of Geohoe WASHiNGTOjr m point of veracity, and if it so pleases him he may wrap the garment of im4Meui»tcttes{, acQuftd him vfttk selfish,

exclusiveness, " but he had no right to flaunt his virtue m the face of others, nor strive to organise a combination which would destroy the harmonious working of the Council, and deprive the electors of Awahou of a representative. To use Councillor H_lcomss's own logic when proposing Councillor Macabthur for the chair, the fact of a representative being placed at the head of the poll should be taken as an evidence of his ability and usefulness ; and for that reason alone Mr Lottdon's position should have been reoognised by him. We must, however, do both Mr Halcombe and Mr Macaethxtb the justice of stating that if they did not previously openly denounce Mr Lotxdon m terms similar to the resolution, they at least did nothing to show that they sympathised with him, and therefore nothing might have been expected from them. But not so Dr. Bookstbow. He traded upon the popular feeling for LotTDON, stood upon the same platform, uttered Amen to ail Loudon's prayers, aad through him and by him alone was placed second on the poll, and his miserable subterfuge at disclaiming tho connection after he had reaped the rewards, was as mean and contemptible as it was false and shallow. Tt is the fashion now to heap dirt and obliquy upon Mr Loudon, and join m the cauting cry— -r Prohpudor ; but were all tbo little peccadillos of his accusers written upon their foreheads, we imagine their- heads would require to be much too big for their bodies. If tho veil from tho heart could be torn, Or the mind could be read on the brow, There are hundreds we'd pass by with scorn Whom we're loading with high honors now.