THE INVERCARGILL ROWDIES,

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 31, 5 February 1881, Page 4

THE INVERCARGILL ROWDIES,

(Christchurch Press,) The " Grey " party have exceeded themselves afc Invercargill, and taken quite a hew departure in the way of political tactics, On many previous ooensions they gave unmistakeable indications of the sort of liberty the people would enjoy under their benign auspicee, by interfering with freedom of speech, taking forcible possession of poblio meetings, and howling down everybody whoce opinion differed from theirs. On those ocensionß, however, they were generally under considerable exoitement, aod were brought together by circumstances wbich rendered a certain amount of disorder more or less excusable. After all, too, tbere wan generally an element of fiood-natured mischief at tbe bottom of their ruffianism that went far to relieve it of its worse characteristics. It would be absurd to judge the conduct of a crowded election meeting by the s'rict roles of propriety. The demonstration which took placo at Invercargill on Friday last was quite a different thing. The mob wbo assembled at the railway station to insult the unsuspecting Ministers on tbeir arrival were not brought together by any exciting cause, bat came together deliberately, probably by pre=tvrreagement, to give vent to their political feelings in the manner most natural to tbem. We are told that tbey made noisoe " like a menagerie broken loose " — *a description which, well intentioned na it may be, is, we think, rather severe upon the menagerie. The groaning, hooting, howling, and hiseiog of a pf»ck of Greyitos io full cry muet surely bo a great deal worse tban tbe natural voioe of any of the nohler beasts. Not content with making a hubbub at the railway stetion, which is stated to have been audible more than half a mile off, these exponents of "Liberal" principles mobbed the Ministers all tho way to their hotel, where they groaned for some time and threw bad eggs. The Ministers, however, reached the hotel in safety, though "hard pressed " once or twice, and no pergonal violence was actually done. Two gentlemen, old colonists of the highest character, oooupying an honorable and responsible office by the will of their fellow cithzene, as expressed by the legislature of their coun r , escape! from the streets of Invercargill without having tbeir limbs broken, their features disfigured, or even tbeir clothes torn off their backs. Well, to that extent, the affair is satisfactory to tbe public and creditable to the Liberal party ;— -but only to that extent. It ie on tbe whole, ur-queetionably, the most blackguardly business that has yet occurred in New Zealand politics. There is literally nothing to redeem its dull monotony of lowness. The occasion of the Ministera' visit to Invercargili called for no display of feeling of any kind. Tbey were not stumping the country with a view to exciting the popular mind in any direction. They can icarcely be eaid to have been travelling on political business at all. Major Atkinson, after a long spell of overwork at Wellington, is spending a lew weeks of well-earned leisure in the Middle Island, to the great satisfaction of tbe people of the Middle Islaad. Wherever he has gone be has been courteously welcomed, and has made himself liked by his frank friendliness towards everyone he met, and by tbe genuine interest he has shown in all that he saw and learnt. He has entirely avoided politics, and has moved about without any fuss, tborougly enjoying his holiday, and evidently pleased by the kindly attention that has been Bbown him as a prominent public man who bas hitherto been too much a stranger to this part of tbe oolony. His tour WRB obviously calculated to do good and to remove prejudice; and nnny people who had no liking for Major Atkinson politically, nor any knowledge of him personally, were nevertheless glad to see him on that account. In Christchurch and its neighborhood, we are hsppy to say, hii stay was altogether a pleasant one. At Dunedin, the people treated him just like any other visitor. They let him alone, except when they had an opportonity to Bbow him any civility, and if tbey bad to do any public business with him they did it like men of business, that is to say with courtesy and pood feeling. In due course he went to Invercargill, and Mr Oliver accompanied bim, naturally enough, by way of doing the honours of the district towards bis colleague and his guest. Neither of them, we suppose, ever dreamt of the possibility of their meeting with any molestation anywhere in New Zealand, and least of all in Otago. where the rites of both publio and private hospitality are usually observed most heartily. But what followed ? Arriving at their destination at night, after a long journey, the Colonial Treasurer and bis friend encountered a mob of roughs, claiming forsooth to represent the public of Invercargill, wbo assailed them as soon as they appeared with fool insults and idiotic noises expreoive of hatred and contempt, and then dogged them to their hotel, hustling tbem, groaning, and throwing bad eggs. They must have been utterly at a loss at first to guess what this extraordinary proceeding could mean ; bot we have no doubt the barber iae b who took part in it speedily cleared up all uncertainty on that point. They were the Greyites of Invercargill, expressing the views of their party after their own peculiar fashion. What strikes us most, indeed, about this disgraceful outburst of rowdyism Bnd others like it in quality, though less in degree, is the audaoity ofthe rowdies in daring to assume a representative character. An overwhelming majority of the people of New Zealand—and of the people of Inveroargill, for tbat matter — are not only quite incapable of taking part in such demonstrations themselves, but have the utmost disgust for them and for tbose wbo indulge in them. They are not public demonstrations. But that representative men who ought to know better sometimes identify themselves with theoa, we should scarcely deem it fair to call tbem party demonstrations; for the people actually concerned in them are mainly the dregs of a faction. Sir George Grey, in fact, has educated his party

down to this. He first taught the people to resort to mob law, and theee are the fruits of his too successful lessons. Greyiem has been beaten in the ballot box, ard still more signally in the Legislature; and at last it has taken to the streets. There it has gained a brilliant victory. The noise it made was audible for more than half a mile away, and the eggs it threw were as rotten as the cause they were thrown in. There ore victories, however, which are moro disastrous to the victors tban any honorable defeat; and we think tbis is decidedly one of them. A few more such victories, and no respectable person will own any connection with Grey ism. Pablic opinion, moreover, will assuredly teke such a stroug set against it, that even in the streets it will be miserably defeated, and end by being ignominiously locked up by tbe police. Society will not tolerate many repetitions of tbo Invercargill demonstration. >!tttiKAlL>i,wmimm,ini/nnttmrml!MW>HMß&