THE The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 1879. THE COMING MEMBER.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 64, 9 August 1879, Page 2

THE The Manawatu Times.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 1879. THE COMING MEMBER.

"Wordsare things, and a drop of ink fulling like dew upon a thought, produces thut wiii«h makes thousands, perhaps millions think."

The "numbers are up," and there are three Riohmonds m the field. Mr. Halcombe published his declaration m last issue ; Mr. SiraLSOii^oes m this ; and Mr. Wa.lteb Johitoton has descended from the rail upon which he has been perched " waiting for something to turn up," and ,he has landed upon the Manawatu side of the fence. We are not aware of what has come to pass to ' cause the descent, but that it has taken place we learn from a telegram shown to us from the gentleman himself. It may have been caused by the disagreeable fact* that his chances of Wellington City have been considerably lessened within the past few days, and it may have been caused from some promised from his admirers m this constituency. We are inclined to think that the latter is the great motor, and we have come to"that conclusion after the perusal of a telegram which stated that " the Hon. Bqbebt Gampbemi had Settlement, and that Mr. Ale:? andeb McDonald, of Awahur-i, would aid him with the Maori vote." It' may be that Mr. McDonald possesses the influence reported with the Maoris, and it may be that the Great Squatter can vote away eighty settlers whose souls are not their own ; and yet withal we very much question if Mr. Walteb Johnston, will sit for Manawatu m the next Session of Parliament. Fortunately there are settlers m Manawatu who are "not serfs of the Hon. Eobebt, and fortunately their proportion to the slaves are as ten to one— men who will use their liberty of speech and their liberty of choice, unswayed by lord or landowner ; and who having a soul will dare to call it theiu own. Mr. JoHNSTON'has m the past proved a r tolerable representative for a nonresident man, and if such a member were required again would possibly serve the county as well, if not better, than most men ; but he is by no mean's the best man we could select at the present time to guard our interests. For a cpnsiderable portion of the present Parliament he did not even perform his duties m a perfunctory manner ; he steadfastly refused to intepvie^r the constituency to learn its wants', and when brought to task, contemptuously replied that he was perfectly "jack-indifferent " as to whether he would- or would not continue as representative. ' And m addition to all this, he has publicly insulted this constituency, by waiting to declare himself until all hope elsewhere was lost, The writer of this article, as an elector of ' the county, wired to Mr. Johnston the plain question — " Do you intend to stand again for Manawatu ?" — that was on yesterday week— but it did not suit that gentleman's book to answer the query then, and although an evasive reyly was returned, the question was burked, until the prospect looms m the distance of being left out m the cold, when he suddenly finds voice, and tries to " get m with his old love" again. It is therefore with sincere pleasure that we learn that two local candidates are m the field, and that they will give the electors of the upper district an opportunity of hearing their views and selecting the best man to support on next Wednesday evening.