THE Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1880. ON THE STUMP.

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 43, 29 May 1880, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1880. ON THE STUMP.

" Words are things, and a drop of Ink falling liia dew upon a thought, produoea that which makes thousands, parhnps millions think."

Elsewhetie- we pVinif tii© ;most sa r ; -lientv.: ppmtsr of the :; pre^sessi6hai ; ; utterances of the -Hon. John Hall, : reported, it must be bprna m. tnind;, ; bygone of his red-hat supporters. It -is; sometbing more itbah a mere ; otancidejice tbat .whil^all^the minor.: ■ Tights! ph tb.e Ministerial side Have ! been set aglaWi the only- one ©f the larger luminaries Which has blazed forth . isr that of the Premier hi mself „ and certainly his reputation as an Orator anda politician has jaot been benefited, ;by, Hbhe exhibition. Th» gallant Major Atkikson did not care i to'fftce i his constituency, and so %c -has beenJ veir^eqavitMiie ntly ... laid. Ipw with an attack cf ; " .'•; the measles, the chin cough, or, the goat. [ Thei®on.;OQo^X)i^fi,.^he ; Ministerial missionary;- has been too busily engaged m his Christian . efforts . for . the suppression of theatrical and other ungodly .performances, to give an account of his stewardship. ■Messrs. and Oliver had the whole, of the Becess devoted to 'iiravißnii]t'g.pver:th..a.p^lon|^.;at^the ex- ' peiase of the cou^trj} while the time of the Native. !M[in,ister Has been absorbed m attendingj u.pen hi» bladk gats. , The Attornjey-G-enepal ' "is 'far to 6 *oid a to waste ,: BjifiL . time, and consdqiieatly while draw - ing'Kls -l^timsterial soreAy, he ha«. been diligently practising his profeti sionj/alad'muj-feißg hay whil«j the »un ■>. Ec\r. all the inf ormatipn which the t;buntry— ror, indeed,; for that matter, eyen his constituents;—---v derived from the iration of the head : of.^ ,^QY^r4ajej.t, \\ vrould have

be«n just as well for the public, and better for his own reputation, had the Hon. John followed the prudent example of his reticent colleagues, and left, the Ministerial programme to the Governor's speech. The harangue was just the sort of declaration which one should expect to hear at a parish vestrv;/-, bristling.. with facts without foundation^and assertions totally devoid of truth. One of these "latter, uttered against" the member fofi AkarbaJ ha« already broughts 'its- own -punishment th© lie courteous, but still flat and positive, has been given to it by Mr-. Montgomery. ( , Mr. Hali,, amongst other unsupported statements, accused that gentleman of preferring a claim for a brand new.court-house at Akaroa; and although the application had really been made, the mode , of th e s u p posed preferment was put m such a highly disinge-nuous-T-if not down-right untruthful manner—as to lead his hearers to the belief that the price of Mr. Montgomeut's allegiance was the erection of the building referred to, inasmuch as when the Premier alluded to- the matter he had bien speaking of jobbery, and the amount of pressure brought to bfiar upon the Ministers m return for political support. TJnfbrtun'ately for the credit of the Premier. Mr. Mont-GOMBET-has written to the Press to state that instead of log-rolling for the court-house, as ' it was irisihuatedj his demand was mad« "from nis seat m the House, and within hearing of friendi and foes. The cool and unblushing impudence of Teferring to jobbery while the notorious Auckland swindle could be hurled m his teeth, Trill show the brazen armor with which the champion of the Ministerial Benches has clotbed himself— a compact which was to embezzle hundreds of thousands of pounds to secure the perpetrators an extended lease of place and pay. But an eveu_greater instance of Mr. Hall's refreshing coolness is to be found m the delicate way m which he refers to the proposed District Railways swindle of last session. He takes great credit to himself, and great care ta inform the public; that the cost to the colony for the District Railways will not erceed £60.000--or a* most; £100,000 ; but he studiously keeps m the back-ground the very important fact that one of the bitterest fights of the past Session was over that very matter", and were it not for the determined action of the Oppo^ sition, the country would- now be com-! mitted to £4,00,000, instead of £60,000. To say the least of it, the ethics of the hon. gentleman are somewhat peculiar, »nd very much on a par with the reasoning of a burglar, who, disturbed m his depredations, prides himself upon his honesty because his nefarinus designs were frustrated. . In the elevated firmament m which Mr. Hall once twinkled, no doubt by contrast with the other old ladies with whom he was associated,, he was considered as a bright particular star, but lie certainly does not show to advantage m the Cabinet, ihe^ political' arena, or on the stump. Placed m power by treachery, retaining it by force and fra.ud, the funds of the country have been most notoriously squandered to fee the parasites whose venal votes still keep the Treasury chest at the command of tbe Hon. John Hals and his crew for the purposes of bribery and corruption.