SATURDAY, OCTOBER, 15, 1881. THE POXTON CONSTITUENCY.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 165, 15 October 1881, Page 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER, 15, 1881. THE POXTON CONSTITUENCY.

Certainly the electors of Poxton ought to be proud of the galaxy of talent and ability which is suing for their suffrages, * while popr Manawatu is left out m the cold, thoroughly neglected. Considering that the number of candidates is almost three times m excess of that for any other constituency, one is Bomewhat at a loss to know why the new electorate should have so many wooers. As journal* outside the County—

and without the slightest community of interest, except a view to monetary considerations — have undertaken to try to school or educate the electors and criticise the candidates, we think, as the oldest newspaper m the County, and the first guardian of Foxton interests, we are entitled to express an opinion, offer an advice, and place the aspiring and ambitious legislators under the microscope. In a previous article, when dealing- with one of the candidates, we stated that when a man came forward and asked his fellows to place him m the honorable position of bein-r their representative, and repose their trust m his keeping, he should be prepared to produce £ood proof that he has a claim to what he seeks, or that he has some basis upon which to rest his preference. If this be the ca.se, then, when the candidate is a local man, how much more necessary is it when an appeal is made to a constituency m which the candidate is a stranger, In that case it is doubly incumbent upon him to show that, although he can point to no local action of his to merit either gratitude or support, his reputation is a colonial one andhis public career of such a favorable nature as to outweigh private considerations. Can five out of the seven who are about t;o stump the Foxton electorate take up the gauntlet, or pass through the ordeal? Who is Wilson ? "What is ISewman ? Who ever heard of Fii.ANCJi ? What brings Iza.rd on his knees to Foxton ? But we all know what and who Bullee is. To all intents and purposes Wilson" is a Rangitikei flower which has wasted its fragrance upon the desert air for too many years, to be now transplanted to Manawatu. Rangitikei has done very well at the expense of this County already, for were it not for robbing us of Kiwitea it would have received the fate of Totara, and as an electorate be now numbered with the things that were. Not satisfied with having narrowly escaped annihilation, and preserving an existence by very questionable tactics, the ingrate seeks to further despoil its victim, and secure two representatives. It is absurd to say that Mu. Wilson is anything but a Rangitikei man. At his political birth he was wet uursed by Rangikeian.s; the only time his name h<is appeared m print was as Secretary or the -Rangitikei Racing Club and Judge of the Rangitikei Comving Club ; hi.s sympathiser?, his supporters, and his electioneering "chaperon es " all hail from the other side of River, and should tho people of Foxton set their choice upon him, they will just be cutting a stick to beat their own backs. Much as we would regret to see a Wellington man head the poll, even that result would be less disastrous than ihe return of Mr. Wilsox — if the Wellington man did nothing lob, the constituency, he would certainly do nothing auain'ST it. Couid the snme pledge be made for Mb. Wilson- ? No ; he would be essentially a Rangitikei representative, and poor Foxton would not only find herself disfranchised, but actually the means of creating a second opponent to her interests. The pretensions of Messrs Newmats' and France are so ridiculous as not to merit the waste of a line's space or a moment's consideration. The sum total of our knowledge of the former gentleman is confined to the two facts, that he is the author of the statement that the New Zealand born raje of Europeans was bound to die away on account of the veiy limited amount of lime which they had m their composition ; and secondly that he, m company with his partner, paid a visit to Te Whitt, and wrote some columns of wretched twaddle upon the event. Of Mr. France we know nothing, good, bad, or indifferent. He is certainly a a political nonentity, and we think we would not be rashiu hazarding tho opinion that he is a personal nonentity also, whose namelike that of M/r. Wrr,so> T was* heard m Foxton for the first time when mentioned as an aspirant for its representation. Mn. Iz.vitiJ has made a name m the profession of which he is a member, but hitherto his political aspirations have been rewarded by defeat. He isasuuichidentih'ed with Wellington and Wellington interests as Mr. Wilson" is with Rangitikei, and as a consequence wei'e he elected, the country interests, if not altogether neglected, would be subsidiary to those of the town. Dr. Buller would be neither a Wellington man or a Manawatu man. He would represent Dr. Buller and Dr. Buller alone. He would prove a second Moses, who would not only smash the tables of the the Ten Commandments, but he would discai'd them also, and substitute m their place, but one alone — "MAN MIND THYSELF," and nobly would he act up to it. Were he to be selected, neither Foxton, nor Wellington, nor Rangitikei would have the slightest cause to complain of his undue preference for any one of them. Once seated m the legislative saddle, the Native Office would be the goal for which his steed would be headed, and providing that were reached, the interests of his backers would give him very j little concern. The race, then, j would be narrowed down to a contest between Messrs. Rockstrow and Russell. The former has servod a short apprenticeship m the County Council, and while it must be confessed he ha» been a most active

member, and secured a tolerable share of the loaves and fishes for his riding, it is more than hinted that he has been no stranger to Dr. Bttller's motto. As a County Councillor, Dr. Rocksthow has been — when he had an axe to grind — pertinaciously persistent, but invariably inconsistent and iiis opinions and utterances upon county matters were just as shifty and reliable as the Goodwin Sands ; not that intentionally, or rather wilfully tried to mislead, but his " yes" of to-day, would lie his " no," of to-morrow; and his proposition of one meeting, would have no bitterer opponent at the next. He was most useful, however, at the Council table, *nd if ho did speak just about twice as much as he need, it must be remembered that he was paddled with a colleague who was a veritable Monk of La Trap pe, whose eloquence never even reached that of the celebrated Single-speech Singleton. It has been alleged that Mr. Russell, the seventh candidate, is not a member of any public body m the County ; but Mr. Russell is a worthy member o£ that lfttate which fights with weapons more powerful than the sword or the tongue, and it must be admitted he has done yeoman's service for the district of which he is the journalistic guardian. If a journalist does his duty to his constituents his warfare on their, behalf is never ended ; there is no prorogation, no recess and no cessation to his labors. His eye ia the " nimquam dormio," which is continually on the watch, and very of ten 'while others fire the train and receive the " kudos " from the result, tlie tedious and dangerous work of laying it has been the work of his hands. If the electors are true to their own interests they will chose between the two local candidates, men whose interests are inseparable from those of the constituency, men who have proved their sincerity m the past • not ambitious tricksters who — like the fox that got out of the well by climbing on the. goat's shoulders, and then assisted his deliverer — according to promise — by putting his thumb to his nose and scoffing at the other's simplicity, when once given the seat by the fiat of the Returning Officer, will ;snap : their figures at those upon whom they now fawn.