The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1870.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 31, 7 February 1870, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1870.

Our Maryborough neighbors are, for the second time within the last few months, about to pass through all the excitement of a general election. It will be remembered that, some few weeks since, on. the Council being called together, they were unable to elect a Superintendent, there not being a majority of the whole Council in favor of either of the two candidates, although there was a decided leaning in favor of Mr. Seymour, and had matters been allowed to go on as they were for another day, that gentleman would, as after events proved, haye certainly been elected. Mr. Eyes saw this, and, not liking the ugly aspect of affairs, took upon himself to prorogue the Council. At this, even Mr. Eyes' friends were dissatisfied, and a petition signed by thirteen members was forwarded to the Governor praying him to remove that gentleman from office. The General Government, however, were not of opinion ihat the action taken by him in proroguing the Couucil was sufficient to justify so severe a punishment, although they considered that it would have been more prudent and proper had he allowed the Council a longer time to make up their minds on so important a subject. Shortly afterwards a notice appeared to the effect that his Excellency had been advised to dissolve the Council, thus giving the people of the province an opportuuity of expressing their opinion on the merits of the two candidates for the Superintendency. As there is no question before the electors beyond that of who is to be Superintendent, this will be the test that will be applied to all candidates for Provincial Council honors. Eyes or Seymour ? will be the questiou put to every candidate and on his reply to it will his election depend. The merits of those offering themselves for election will not be considered, but the sole point on which they will have to satisfy the electors will be to whom they intend to give their support as Superintendent, xlnd hereiu, we may remark in passing seems to lie a very grave objection to that portion of the New Provinces Act which provides for the election of the Superintendent of the Council. The seats, we learn, are to be keealy contested in almost every district, and there is even a probability of opinions in the new Council being as evenly divided as in that which has just been dissolved, so, in order to avoid this, great exertions are being made by the friends of the rival chiefs to bring electors from all parts, particularly from Nelson where many of them reside. Representation appears to have been granted to the people on a most liberal scale, one district, the Awatere, which has but nineteen electors on the roll, being called upon to elect two members. Three candidates have already presented themselves, — Sir D. Monro, Mr. Beaumont, and Mr. P. M'Rae, the two former being supporters of Mr. Seymour ; the object of the opposite party therefore is to return Mr. M'Rae and, as Mr. Beaumont is generally considered safe, the contest will lie between him and Sir D. Monro, and from what we can learn it is likely to be a very sharp one, and to depend entirely upon the support afforded to the last named gentleman by residents in Nelson. In a fortnight's time the whole of the elections will be over, and we trust for the sake of the Province at large that, whichever side proves victorious, it will have a fair working majority, thus putting an end to the present very unsatisfactory state of things.