The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1869.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 232, 2 October 1869, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1869.

As the day appointed for the nomination of candidates for the Superintendency draws near, the interest and excitement consequent upon a contested election are naturally on the increase, and it is high time that the merits and demerits of th? various candidates were fairly and openly discusssed. We confess to being at a loss to know the reason why any opposition is offered to the present holder of the office, or what are the advantages that are expected to accrue from, his defeat. Take, for instance, the question, which, of all others, is of the highest importance to the present and future prosperity of the province — the Nelson and West Coast railway. We are not among those who think, because the matter has been warmly taken up in England, that its succi-ssful completion is absolutely ensured, but at the same time it must be allowed that the scheme looks far more hopeful than it did two years ago, even those who at that time characterised it as purely visionary being compelled to admit that there is now a possibility — we may even say a probability — of its being entered upon. Supposing this to be the case, it appears to us that the ejection from office — at the very time when (he greatest tact and most careful management will be necessary to ensure success — of ihe man who has been the prime mover in the matter, through whose instrumentality it has assumed its present shape, and who is even now engaged in correspondence on the subject, would be a most injudicious act, for this reason, that the vote of want ot confidence thus passed upon the promoter of the scheme must be inevitably attended with disastrous consequences at home, where those who are now engaged in bringing the matter before the public would begin to look with suspicion and doubt upon the success of a project which had, in the person of Mr. Curtis, received condemnation at the hands of that very community which it was expected so largely to benefit. Besides, it is impossible that there can exist in the minds of the electors the slightest doubt that the present Superintendent is, in a greater degree than either of his opponents, fitted by education and natural ability to conduct the correspondence and to carry out the negotiations that so important an undertaking must necessarily entail, so that with reference to this particular question, a change of Superintendents cannot fail to prove otherwise than a calamity to the province. Again, in Mr. Curtis we have, as our chief officer, one "who has by his acknowledged talents acquired considerable influence in the General Assembly, which influence, largely increased as it is by the fact of his being a Superintendent, may, in the event of any unforeseen emergency arising, prove of incalculable benefit to the province of which he is the head, and which would to a certain extent be lost to us by his ejection from the Superintendency. Now, let us compare Mr. Curtis with the other two candidates, Mr. Akersten and Mr. Gibbs, and we confine our remarks to these two because they alone stand any chance of success, unless — and of this the electors will do well to take heed —by splitting the votes in Nelson proper a West Coast man is allowed to slip into the Superintendent's chair, the result of which, it is scarcely necessary to remark, would be the removal of the seat of Government to Westport, and the consequent ruination — ruination the most utter and complete — of the town of Nelson and the surrounding districts. Taking these two then as Mr. Curtis' real opponents, what, we would ask, is to be gained by the election of either of them? Mr. Akersten is a gentleman for whom we entertain a great respect, as being an energetic and useful member of the community, but there all favorable criticism must cease. For some years he was in the Provincial Council, but we are not aware of his having, at any time, proved himself superior to the average run of the members of that body, or that he ever did or said anything that would justify his being elected to the high office to which he now aspires. We have before us the address he has published, but, beyond a string of general promises that he will do everything for everybody, we are unable to discover any great inducement to the electors to afford him their support. To such an extent, indeed, are these promises carried, that we are compelled to regard them with the greatest suspicion, and to set them down as a mere bidding for votes, — a bidding of the most unmistakable and transparent kind. There is one paragraph in particular, the presence of which we are inclined to attribute to a slip of the pen, but which contains the whole gist of the address. It runs thus: "I will undertake to promise my sedulous endeavors," &c, and we are disposed to think that, however in judicious it may have been to make such an assertion, it is perfectly truthful, and that the writer will undertake to promise anything. s. Of Mr. Gibbs' views little is known as yet. He has been for some time a member of the - Council, where he has rendered himself notorious as a blind and undiscerning opponent of the Government ; the leading feature, indeed, of his political character may be said to be a faculty for opposition. It mattered not what were the measures introduced, what the propositions that were made, it was sufficient for Mr. Gibbs to know that they emanated from the Superintendent to ensure his most determined -opposition.. He is a man of abundant energy, | and unlimited pelf assurance, and it is entirely ' owing to the possession of these .qualities and not from any extraordinary ability or intelli-

gence that he has made". himself known in the political world. Such is Mr. Gibbs. It may be worth while to revert to his proceedings in the last session of the Council, in order to show what are his opinions with regard to the separation of the West Coast. It will be remembered that the Superintendent in his opening speech declared his intention to oppose in his place in the Assembly any dismemberment of the province. This became the subject of discussion, and a division took place upon it, when Mr. Gibbs was one of those who disapproved of the Superintendent's intention to oppose separation, and in giving his reason for doing so, he stated that he "considered that both geographically and socially, the inhabitants of the West Coast were an entirely separate people, and were much better able to manage their own affairs." It is true that on being taken to task for his vote he attempted to explain it away by saying that it was merely because he thought the Superintendent's language unnecessarily strong that he had voted with the opposition, but how are the words spoken before the division and the explanation tendered afterwards to be reconciled ? Taking the speech and the vote together we cannot arrive at any other conclu sion than that Mr. Gibbs looks upon the dismemberment of the province with a favorable eye ; this may perhaps make him popular on the West Coast, but what will the electors on this ...side the ranges say to placing a man who holds such opinions in the Superintendent's chair ? On the whole, we are as much at a loss to imagine Avhat the electors can see in either Mr Akersten or Mr. Gibbs to render them desirable candidates for the office of Superintendent as we are to discover any sufficient reason for the existence of a wish to depose Mr. Curtis. There is no party cry, no distinct policy enunciated, and therefore the struggle must degenerate into that most objectionable of all contests — a personal one. Mr. Curtis has had the misfortune to hold office during a period of unpredecented depression, and it not unfrequently happens that those in power are in such times, when everyone is disposed to grumble, blamed for the existing state of things, although it is brought about by circumstances entirely beyond their control. This may partially account for the threatened opposition, but what we believe to be the most probable reason is that restless desire for change which has proved the curse of New Zealand. "We have seeen it in the House of Representatives carried to such an extent that a change of Ministry was looked upon as one of the customary events of the session; we had hoped that it might have been confined to the general legislature but it appears that it is now to be imported into Provincial affairs. No sooner does a government get fairly into the collar and make itself acquainted with the routine of the office, a knowledge which is not to be picked up in a few days or even in a few weeks, than it is ejected to make room for one which is not a "whit better — possibly ten times worse — but which possesses the irresistible charm of novelty. If we are correct in attributing the appearance in the field of Mr. Akersten and Mr Gibbs to this longing for something new, we •would ask the electors to pause before giving way to such an unhealthy craving and to ask themselves seriously, not only what advantage they are likely to derive from such a change as is now proposed, but whether there is not every probability that it might, if effected, prove for the worse rather than for the better. Our own firm conviction is that it would be so.