THE Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 1879. FALSE PEOPHETS.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 66, 16 August 1879, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 1879. FALSE PEOPHETS.

" Words are things, and a drop of ink falling like dew upon a thought, produces that whiah makes thousands, pcrkaps millions think."

Otjb l?oxoniau contemporaries, the "New Zealand Times " and "KaugL tikei Advocate," are sorely exercised over the fallen for tunes of their protege, the exr-member for Manawatu; and the former loses no opportunity of chanting the praises-r---borrowed or invented— of that worthy young man. The first-jiamed journal was indeed hard up for a reference as to " karactui? " when it had recourse to our columns, and \yas content to flaunt the following extract :— My. Jolinstqn tga m the. past pro Ted a tolerable representative for a non-resident man, and if such a member were required again, Tirould possibly servo the county as well, if not better than most men ; but he is by no means tbg be.st man we could select at the present time to guard our interests. . ."■■■ We certainly do not think there is much to boast of m the foregoing, which is at best but a " compliment on crutches," and shows that the journal m question is thankful for small favors ; but just by way of placingthe truth, the whole truth, and northing but the^tEutJi". before the "public, we will repeat the cqniinuation of the opinion, which the " Times " did not quote.:— r For a considerable portion of the present Parliament he did not. even perform his duties m a perfunctory manner; he steadfastly refused to interview the con»tituen,cy to learn its >qnts, arid when brought to task, contemptuously replied that he was perfectly " Jack-indifferent as to whether he would oi! would not continue as representative. The Marton oracle— the bucolic mouthpiece of the Hon. Sir William ;— follows m the wake of the Knight's city organ, and asserts that 'Kiwi tea will vote m a solid compact mass for "the young man from "-.the city." To this we can only reply it the words of the Hibernian gentleman, who was nab to be gulled— " It's wonderful ; truly wonderful -if it be true." We dare say the settlers of Kiwitea, m 'common with nine-tenths of the present electors of Manawatu, a?e aware that there is ■" a party by the name of Johnston;" they have it on tradition that three years and a half ago "that party" wooed the s uffirages and won the rotes of the then electors, but there the identity ceases. They have heard that the man who at the hustings promised to periodically visit the district, when asked to redeem his pledge expressed a desire to be relieved from the burden of country representation which entailed such a bor.e ; and now they learn that this same Mr. Johnston is ho verin<r some where on the confines of civilisation, manoßUvrinaf for that charge which a little while ago he was so anxious to rid himself of . The " New Zealand Times " is most anxious that we should speak a word 'm favour of Mr. JoHN'STOBr. and we will to this extent— we heartily admire his very : laudable discretion m keeping away from the electors whom he; has neglected, and the people whom he has treated with - contempt. Supposing him to have the temerity to address the peonle of Falmerston, or Eeilding or Halcombe, we venture to asser.t that m a crowded building there would not be thirty electors to whom he would be known even by siwht. Personally we have not a word to say against Mr; .toTnreTOW, who is admitted on all to be eminently "respectable,"—no doubt the enticing passport to the favor of the few m this district who like to cling to the coat-tails of the aristocraev, be it shoddy or otherwise. But Mr. Johwston has two iranerfecti ons upon his political escutcheon which proves the bar sinister, to his representation of Manawatu — First of all, he is not a local m.ln; and nexfr he is a private m that rotten regiment of which the unreliable, unveracious, unprihcipled, but thoroughly vindictive; Sir "Wtltjam Eox ranks as Cantain, In its Thursday issue the "New Zealand

Ti,mes " announces that a requisition to Mr. .TnTTNaTOff had been hawked round Wellington, asldne; him to Rtand for that city, and the silly writer points nut to Manawatn. how proud it should be of a candidate about whom so much, is thought. No doubt the sorry scribbler who thus insults the intelligence of this constituency is, like the gentleman he so belauds, entirely ignorant of the progress which this district has made m the four years m which Mr. ToHTsrsTOTS" has been a strancrer to it. We are now able to cut the apron strings of those who would act the part of uusouqfht-for sponsors. We are able to think for ourselves ; we are able to chose for ourselves ; and last, we have men amongst us who are well able to act for us, m defiance of all the prognostications of False Prophets. We have now. reached that sta?e of independency when we can afford to be generous, and as Mr. Jrmwr.ois' is thought so much of m Wellington, he can be well sparpd from this constituency, m. which he is thought so little of.