The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1873.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 201, 5 September 1879, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1873.

By the time our next i?sne appears the electors of the City or Nelson will have made their choice of the two representatives thpy think best fitted to legislate for the colony nnd to advocate fcheir special interests in Parliament, and as this will be our last opportunity of doing so we would say a few words with regard to each of the candidates. To begin with Mr Curtis. We do not hesitate to express the opinion based upon a close observation of his proceedings since he has been a member of the House of Representatives, that to lose his services would be a calamity to Nelson. He has been accused of not doing all that he might have done for his constituents, but he has so fully explained more thau once, and especially last night when he evidently carried the meeting with him, that the fact of greater success not having attended his endeavors was owing more to the opposition he met with from those who should have assisted him than to any want of zeal on his part, that this ground of complaint against him may be looked upon as complete disposed of. One great success he has undoubtedly achieved, and that should &o far to show that, when properly backed op, he is a man who is able to make his weight and influence felt, and to carry his point. We refer to the fact of his having by his skilful negotiations induced thfe Ministry to place on the estimates the sum of £60,000 for the railway extension, and compelled the Hou«! to recognise this line as part and par- I eel of the Public Works scheme. It is said that Mr Curtis is wanting in energy, but he i has proved that he can and will work when pushed, and in giving him either of the younger and more active candidates who are proposed as a colleague, the electors will be providing him with an incentive to action that cannot fail to produce a good effect, and thus they will secure on the one hand activity and energy, and on the other experience of the ways of the: House and of the character of those Who compose it, and consummate tnct, which will always be turned to account in the conduct of those negotiations which will yet have to be resorted to before Nelson can obtain the object of its desire, the railway to the West Coast and Canterbury. It is no slight advantage to a constituency to be represented by a man who has the ear of the House, and after thirteen years of Parliamentary life has gained the respect and esteem of the colony, and for this reason we earnestly trust that the electors will weigh well and carefully what they are are about to do before giving their votes against Mr Curtis. Mr Acton Adams was a few months ago elected by a very large majority, the principal amount of the support he obtained being accorded to him on account of his views on the education question. He also came forward as a champion of the railway, and during the short time that he sat in the House he advocated that cause manfully, and proved himself a ready debater. So far, he has done nothing to prove himself unworthy of the trust that was confided to him in February last, but on the coutrary has established his claim to a renewal of the confidence that was then placed in him. Mr Pitt is well know to every man in Nelson, where he enjoys a popularity as undoubted as it is deserved. He is not entirely new to public life having served his apprenticeship in the Provincial Council and also in the Executive, of which he was a useful member and where he displayed a considerable capacity for hard work. Of Mr Graham as a pnblic man nothing is known. He has proved himself a shrewd questioner of members and candidates addressing public meetings, and has himself spoken well during the present contest. Beyond that, however, he is unknown in a public capacity, and it, must be admitted that, at the present crisis, to entrust our interests to the keeping of a raw and inexperienced recruit in the field of politics would be injudicious in the extreme. There is, however, a yet graver objection to Mr Graham. At his meeting last night he was asked:— "lf elected will you oppose any Ministry of which Sir George Grey is a member ?" To this he replied, "It is not on account of the men that I support the present Government, but for their measures. I consider that the Premier, if only for the measures brought by him before Parliament, measures which no Ministry ever dared to bring before, deserves to be supported." Now if we have not entirely mis-read the mind of the people of Nelson, as displayed at the recent numerous public meetings, there is an unmistakable distrust of Sir George Grey, a deeply rooted feeling that it is both unsafe and unwise to retain him in power as the Premier of the colony, and vet Mr Graham would support the present Government. This in itself should be sufficient to secure for him a position at the bottom of the poll.

We are requested to call attention to an error which appeared in Mr Adams' advertisement yesterday, and to the correction made to-day. It was stated that he would speak on the right of women to the voting franchise, whereas it should have been the " rating " franchise. Mr. Graham held a meeting in the Port Public Hall last night, which was fairly attended, Mr Rowell being in the chair. The candidate received a vote of thanks. That the Nelaon people have not yet had a surfeit of election meetings was fully proved by the large crowd, including a great cumber of ladies, who assembled in the Provincial Hall last night to hear Mr Curtis' speech, a brief summary of which appears elsewhere. To-night they are to have no less than three to choose from. Mr Adams speaks at the Provincial Hall, where he will refrain from referring more than is necessary to the past, but will address himself to the politics of the future, and he will no doubt make an excellent speech. Mr Pitt invites the electors to meet him at the Theatre Royal, where he is sure to meet with a cordial reception. Mr Curtis holds a meeting at the Port Hall, and Mr Graham at the Drill Shed. The following is the resnlt of the election of two members for the Wairarapa which took place yesterday :— Beetham 803. Bunny 580,Pharazyn 519. At the Collingwood nomination the show of hands was as follows :— Gibbs 15, ArmBtrong 11, Huddleston 8. The farm house on the Mount neslington eßtate near Brightwater, was destroyed by fire early on Wednesday morning last. How the fire originated is at present a mystery, as no one was known to have been in the house since Sunday last, three days before it occurred. Among the things inside the house which were all destroyed was a bale of wool. The building wos insured in the South British for £150. A meeting of the members of the various Temperance Associations was held in the Temperance Hall last night, when Mr Bond, as District Deputy of the Good Templars, presided. Three questions put to the four candidates for Parliamentary honors, respecting the Local Option Bill, and compensation for closing public-houses, were read, as also the written replies of the candidates. A good deal of discussion ensued on the replies, the majority of the speakers considering that Messrs. Adams, Pitt, and Graham's opinions were the most favorable to the Local Option Bill. On the motion of the Rev Mr Bavin it was unanimously resolved, "That a vote of

thanks be given to the Committee of the Loyal Nelson Lodge, 1.0. G.T., for their trouble in sending the questions to the candidates, and for obtaining their replies j and that no further action be taken in the matter." All the speakers considered that whoever is elected 3hould advocate the strict closing of all public house 3on Sundays. A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the proceedings. Liquidation. — Being about to realise on my stock I have re-marked the whole at prices that ought to effect a speedy clearance. The stock is very large, which most of the Nelson people know, and one that the drawing room as well as the kitchen may be furnished from. This is an absolute clearing sale, and no reasonable offer will be refused John James, Liquidator.— Advt.