The New-Zealander. AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, JULY 2, 1853. ELECTION OF SUPERINTENDENT.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 753, 2 July 1853, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, JULY 2, 1853. ELECTION OF SUPERINTENDENT.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou ann'et at, be thy Country’s, Thy God’s, and Truth’s.

Thursday was the day for the decision, by the actual voles of the Constituency, of the contest for the office of Superintendent of the Province of Auckland, which for more than two months—ever since Mr. William Brown entered the field as the opponent of the civilian gentleman who was previously before the Electors—has been waged with so much zeal and earnestness. The distance of some of the voting places will render it impossible that the total numbers should be accurately staled, or the successful candidate officially declared, for some days to come; but enough is known to make the issue—not only probable in the highest degree —but as certain asanything of Hie kind can be until the fact is absolutely.ascertained, that Lieutenant-Colonel Wynyard has not only been chosen, hut that he has been chosen by a majority "numerically largo, as it is im-

nwisely preponderating in the characteristics of intelligence, wealth, and indeed a those qualities which add moral weight to the mere legal validity connected with tne suffrage of every man whose name appears on the Electoral Roll. In the City, it is true, Mr. Brown stood at the head of the poll ; but, so far from feeling any disappointment at this, we really have been agreeably surprised at finding ms majority here so comparatively small as it is. His followers had vaunted in language of triumphant confidence that he would have a majority in Auckland of from two hundred and fifty to three hundred; and, although we certainly always regarded that as a very exaggerated anticipation, yet we should ha\e been in no degree astonished if his majority had been considerably larger than it is,— taking into account the great liberality of the franchise, (extending lully to Household suffrage)—the mixed character of thepopulation in a rapidly advancing commercial town —and the nature and extent of the influences brought to bear upon those who, for various reasons, might be deemed accessible through private channels, —influences of which more might be stated and proved, were it necessary, Ilian has yet been said, or at least published. In-the City, the numbers were,— Wynyard, 534: Brown, 418. But, having added to those, the votes on the North Shore—(which, however, were not half ms many as Mr. Brown has thought fit to allege),—where the bulk of the small constituency had, early in the contest, been secured for Mr. Brown—the other Returns, hitherto authenticated, present an overwhelming majority in favour of Colonel Wynyard. At the polling places for the Pensioners Settlements and the Southern Division, (the voles for which, it should be remembered, were taken co - jointly), the numbers for Colonel Wynyard amounted to 477, while those for Mr. Brown mustered only 234. And yet that there have been even so many in the minority is an observable fact, affording conclusive evidence of the falsity of the freely-circulated assertions that the Pensioners were subjected to an undue and tyrannical coercion, and that they would be afraid to record their votes in opposition to the “Military Candidate.” It is quite plain that they fell themselves at liberty to exercise their privileges according to their own choice; and, indeed, if the question of “influence” were to be fully gone into, it would, we are convinced, soon appear that no influence of any kind had been exerted on Colonel Wynyard’s side which could operate in biassing their minds as much as the influence of reckless misrepresentation on the olh er side may be bel ieved to have biassed them. They were incessantly plied with arguments derived from wholly fictitious statements of the great things Mr. Brown could and would do for them if he were Superintendent; and we need not wonder that men who have only recently come to this country, and indeed only comparatively recently become practically acquainted with the actual business matters of civil (as distinguished from military) life, shoiild not always have been able to delect the fallacies so insidiously and perseveringiy pressed upon them as truths. But in the quiet reflection and calmer inquiry for which, now that the excitement of the contest has passed over, they will have leisure and probably inclination, not a few of them will, we doubt not, discover that they had been led to anticipate from Mr. Brown benefits which it was utterly deceptive to say that lie, or any other Superintendent, could have it in his power to confer upon them ;—and they will know how to set a right value, on future occasions, on the representations of those in whom they have now more or less confided as veracious aud trustworthy guides. The total numbers polled yesterday, at those places from which the results have been heard, are reported as follows: Col. Wynyard. Mr. Brown. Auckland 554 418 North Shore I 14 Onehunga 173 70 Pa nm tire 80 50 Otahuhu 99 54 Howick 125 98 812 064 Thus it appears that Colonel Wynyard has already an ascertained majority of One Hundred and Forty-eight Votes. This is a position from which it is all but impossible that be should be dislodged ; and indeed, judging from the information which we have received from various persons likely to be well acquainted with the stale of opinion and feeling in the more distant places, we are inclined to anticipate that Im majority will be considerably increased when the returns from the Bay of Islands and other districts shall complete the aggregate numbers. A very few days, however, will set this matter finally at rest;, amj, .in the meantime, wecaii content ourselves with the assurance that we may regard Colonel Wynyard as virtually Superintendent,—the only contingency that we can conceive of as really connected with the issue being simply whether his majority shall be a little more or less. We warmly congratulate the friends of good order and of the real progress and prosperity of the Province, on ibis result, ihey have escaped a great evil, for none but the wilfully blind can fail to see that, had Mr. Brown unfortunately been elected, the distrust with which he would have been regarded in such an office as that of Superintendent by large numbers of the most enlightened and influential of the colonists, must have operated with a most injurious effect on the- general interests of the community. We have reason to think it more than likely that some who —for reasons which seemed to themselves to constitute a sort of necessity in their individual cases—gave him their support, are, notwithstanding, really gratified that he has not succeeded. It is certain, moreover, that were Colonel Wynyard a civilian —being exactly himself in all other respects and relations—many more voles would have been recorded in his favour. Many who would yield to none in their acknowledgement of his personal I

good qualities, and of the praiseworthy manner in which he discharged the duties of the Lieutenant-Governorship, yet were carried away by the idea (which, of course Mr. Brown’s party lost no opportunity 0 f urging) that the settlers should choose as their Superintendent none but a fellow-set-tler—in the strictest sense of the term, Where .we believe this objection to have been sincerely entertained, we cannot but respect it, although we think it exaggerated even in theory, and, in the present instance, in a great measure misapplied in practice. B U ( we anticipate a speedy softening down of this prejudice by the development in the Superintendency of Colonel Wynyard of the impartiality, the courtesy, the punctuality and regularity in the details of business, the unbending honour, and the zealous solicitude to promote the welfare of the Province by which his performance of the functions of the Lieutenant-Governorship were charm* terised to a degree that (as we have before repeatedly shown) called forth the highest encomiums from Mr. Brown himself. hj s election to an office held by the suffrages of the people will surely not make him less at- . lentive or zealous in watching over the interests of the Province ; and in his new relation to the people,—unconnected ascitis with the General Executive Government— we trust to find him acting, in such conformity with the liberal spirit of the New Zealand Constitution as will entitle him to the universal approbation and support of all who prefer patriotism to party . We waive, for this day at least, all examination of the comments which Mr. Brown has made on the polling, except that we feel imperatively bound to offer a remark on his egotistical address to the Electors. When he speaks of ‘‘extraordinary and un constitutional exertions used by the Commander of the Queen’s Troops in these Islands,” he more than insinuates what any reader—unless he be altogether ignoramt of the facts connected with the contest —must at once pronounce a mis-statement. . What “ exertions ” —ordinary or “ extraordinary,” constitutional or “ unconstitutional” —have been made by Colonel Wynyard? He did not offer himself as a candidate; he did not canvass privately or publicly: be was in no way cognizant of the means adopted by his Committee to secure his election. Having, incompliance with a Requisition from upwards of five hundred electors—including representatives of all classes of the constituency, who cal'cd upon him to save them from a great impending, evil —declared his willingness to undertake the duties of the Snperintendency if the electors thought fit to choose him for the office, — there his connexion .with lliecontest may truly be said to have both begun and ended. The assertion put forward by Mr. Brown can be directly contradicted by all who are competent to speak on the matter; and, now that the Election is past , it was scarcely wise in him to hazard it. The polling-day was beautifully fine, and the proceedings passed over without any serious interruption to the peaceable and goodhum on red conduct or the people generally. The arrangements were judiciously made, and presided over by the Returning officer in a manner well calculated to maintain order, as well as to afford every accommodation and facility to all parties concerned.