Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1881.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVII, Issue 83, 28 November 1881, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1881.

It is to be regretted that; there were cot more present in the PrcM'ncia Jisll on Saturday eveuiiig whtu Mr ilurr-'house addreis:d some fif y people. His speech was r.ct a brillia jt one, but it was that of a practical rnau possessed of c good (■hate b* common sense, and evidently uesirous of honestly doing his. beet to promote the welfare of the colony. T.'ic re were one or two matters that Were 1 kely to nulita'.e raciest him in t*ie approaching election,- principally his reported (ie>ire to t^ rages reduced to four shillings a tlcy, and his voting with the Government on the Public Revenues Bill— upon which Mr Hursthouse tendered his explanations, flatly contradicting the one. and giving good reasons for the other. Tor his remarks on these sublets we refer our readers to the report of tiis speech. Referring to the present Elate of parties io the House, Mr Hursihouse drtw a striking, but pitiable, picture cf the two lenders, and his illustration is the more forcible because unfortunately it h too tn.a. Ihe gieat weakness of MrHaH, the present Premier, is alleged to be- a partiality for picking up and arrajing himself ia the garments that have bten dropped by bis opponent* —a truly great quality this io tf-e political leader of the colony. n Ntu t while Mr Huistbouse compiaica cr his reft&n&sg to take up and force through the'lJoiHß measarfg whose authors are on the opposite side, such as the odious Representation Bill, the principles of which were condemned by Mr Hall' himself in his spetch at Leesfon prior to last session, lie uUo charges the G vernment with want of bickbote in their conduct in rpgard to their own Bills. Tbey will Deither insist Upon their being c;ni>d ncr will they resign. Tlis ia not a satisfactory etate of Uirgs co far p.a the party in power are concfrne 1, but now let us look at Mr Hurst house's Recount— family t-ue— of the other Bide. With Sir George Grc-y in the House, be fays, an cflkieutlv led Opposi ion is impossible, for ho ''can't lead and he wol'c follow," and at the same time he iuns's uron diking c. prominent part in ail that is goir;j on-, acd will make hia power fein Tbe con?:q:ience is that there is a frfsh aspirant to the position of hadcr of -he Opposition every wetk, and aolhat side cf the House v thoroughly disorganisad Air Hursthouse exaggerates a little ia regard to the number of would-ba leaders, but en tbe whole he contmes in a rough wav to give a very fair idea of tbe lamentable state of affairs which prevailed in the late House of Leprcsentatives. His satirical comments upon the dciuand made by ths consiituenei.s i« r .oug speeches from their representatives are to tbe point, and would be of grett service if they dii but produce the effect of checking tho increasing tendency to talk on the paitof the membeis, and the demand for quan-ity rathtr than quality in their speeches by the e'ectors. The man who occupies 40 yards of Hansard ia cneered, and feted, and complimented, and promised the Premiership by his comtituentswhile for htm who is couUnt to work qaieily and persevenngly in the Committees, and only to speak when he really ha 3 something to say and hao reason to hope that by saying it he will produce some effect, there is no demonstration on his return, and "not even a latrh is killed in his honor." In his views iipon the beat form of local government Mr Hursthonse ia a little hazy, but in that respect he has nearly tho whole of the i members of the late House as companion*, as must be allowed by all who took the trouble to wade ihrough the reports of that dreary debate on Mr Ormond'a no-confidence motion, All could tsar to pieces ; none could build up, and few could even suggest how n waa to be done. Judging by hi» speech and the positicn wbiclT Mr Hursthouse is generally admitted to occupy in the House and in the estimation of its members, we think that tho Motueka electors will do well to send him to Wellington again. He has done nothing to forfeit tha cotSdcnco which was so t-enerally reposed in him at the last ekctiouthathe was returned unopposed, and we hope to see him placed at the head of tbe poll on the ninth of December next.