A CONTRAST AND AN ANALYSIS.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 68, 23 August 1879, Page 2

A CONTRAST AND AN ANALYSIS.

The cqnstituency has now heard.* the three oaudviates who have come forward to claim the suffrages of the electors, and perhaps a criticism of their respective addresses would prove a valuable aid to the formation ef a conHi'sion as to which would be the most desirable candidate.- Those who read M". Halcombe's exposition of his views aiid those who read Mr. 'Johnston's m this issue will be struck with the si mtlarity between the tyq, .documents m three respects— in their extreme verbo: sity, the very large space !allotted to. the question of Goyernmentai maladtninistVation, and the ii v t e ,i y i small space devoted to the caJuiidaM' own ip.'O- | grammes. Touching the first, it I would seem to be the opinion, of some | candidates that , tbe: true gurige.of bo .merit of ah addross is the time bccu pied nn the delivery, and consequently more attention is directed to providing quantity than quality. Judged by such a standard, both Messrs. Halcombe and John'ston's addresses are entitled to a high range of excellence, but we very ljiiich question whether the electors view the matter iv the same light, and if tbey would* not prefer an iudes o? fiiture action "with* regard to tlie iuo'e p'o«n'neiit political questions, to atereoiyyied avid hacknied platitudes coneevui u'g ihe a {-fairs of. a defunct I'arliameni . T).cfe is atf old legal: axiom wbieh' s-\yn ihat those coming intoWnrfc shoo'd do so (villi clean hands, and certaioly the value of the advice is worthy of a liVore extended a pptteatiqn.. M r. John■s'XON was grandly eloqueut m his impeachment of the Government, and it might be well to see if the gentleman himself caff come into ' courA with clean handstand; is entirely free from that neglect- of duty abou'* which he , is so censorious upon others. The Mauawalu Bridge a-, the Lower Ferry wa'i promised when the Ministry, of which Mr. Johnston wasJa'uch a staunch supporter, waVin power, ' a Vd yet' there" is up recordiu Hansard of his ever moving m thaV.*mattei\ >, The port of Foxton has been languishing far some assistaive, but M»'. Jobnston was dumb as to •!■_ necessities. The rival portof Wanginui not only received- the- aid for which Manawatu cried m vain ; but actually while this county was despoiled of 23,000 acres to enrich tne rival, Mr. Johnston shut his : eyes and ears totheapbliaiioii./ Wbat has Mr. Johnston to say to Mr, Snelson's charge against him of losing, through his culpable negligence, Ihe £2000 promised to the de putation by the late Ministry for roads iv Fitzherbert. Mi*. Johnston was unable to obtain the boon 'himself, a deputation from Manawatu of Messrs. Linton and. M'Neil interviewed the Minister and secured the promise, and although Mr. Johnston was warned ami-reminded, by Mr.-§NBLSON that the item was not on the Estimates, and toi see that it.:wasl placed, a *\\pon the Supplementary, he failed to do his duty,, and from that day to tbis Fitzherbert has been a closed-country. These are a yecy few of the many.urgeiifc necessities which Mr. Johnston ba3 wilfully and culpably neglected. Now we ask Mr. Johnston 'or bis admirers can they point to any one benefit that he has obtained for. . this^district.,—TTpper, Jjower, or Central. Not o^e^uot afsolitary one. And this is the u\an who has the coolness to criticise the actions of his opponents. For the last two years the univerjsal^cry f roi^ one end*pf the conrfty'td'the other; had been that'we have heen virtually disfranchised and deep ware the vows of retribution recorded should he ever have the- temerity to venture atnpngst' the men .he had' duped. ,;.Tv , ell,''he isamongsfc us now, and we refar>our readers to his manner of dealing with the lost 25,000 acres when addressing the 'electors-— passes it by with a grin and a sueen. This is dbcidedlyadding ihsultLMih'jury;, and the Foxtonians exhibited a most. "Christian " forbearance m receiving tbe " explanation" with a smile. . Weare glad to see that Mr. Johnston 'has' 1 become more truthful since his last visit, for Ujjqn being a^ed, ■•%($& h& • yis^ I<he

constituency during the Eecess, be told them plumply he would not, but he said he would resign if called upon at any Lime, "Well, perhaps the first answer was given m tnenegative, as he might be of opinion that had he said the re» verse, the ejectors — frbmjpasl experi-; erice m that respectHKWPuldnpt have ! believed biu*C arid offering to resign is a pledge easily gofc rid of. "We have a dislinc' recollection of reading a letter some twelve mouths ago, m .which Mr, Johnston wrote to say thathe was willing to resigh,.and we have a distinct recollection that he was called upon to do so, but, m the meantime, he had changed his mind, and did not. We think now we. have made out as clear a c.ise against M»y Johnston of u^glec.t oF duly or malad^njhisfValion as be was shown against the Government, aud we will now carry the contrast a step further. He argues that because tbe Ministry/have been faulty m the past, they should receive no consideration m the future ; a short shrive and a long rope. being his method of dealing them iheir quietus. We argue that they, with the new. Parliament, should receive a new trial v that the duty and legislation of the new House should be prospective and not retrospective, and that its members will not be elected as the avengers of past misdeeds.. , We urge this for' the reason that a remedy will always be at hand to be put m force, and a dereliction of dutjr would be the death-wan ant of official life. Mr. Wal tee Johnston has been guilty of just as grave treachery to the interests of this district as ever tbe Gbey Ministry vrere to the country at large, and he not only asks that all his pecadilloes should be condoned, but that he be pent back with, a carte blanche to defy the constituency for another Jive years-. This is consistency and modesty combined. Electors, beware before it is too late, for we say, without the slightest fear of contradiction, and by the tacit admission of Mr. Johnston m failing to answer Mr. Dung-xn's impeachment on fhe hustings — that during the last four years this; constituency has been ■disfranchised. In conclusion, we state most distinctly that the elector from any part of the County, but more especially from -Feilding, Halcombe, or Palmerston; who will vote for Mr. Joiinßton after bis self-confessed ignorance of the district, and wilful negligence of its interests, is a traitor to the County, and not worthy of the boon of the f ranch i_e.- r, *~' r -