PUBLIC MEETING. (Concluded from our last.)

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 838, 13 August 1853, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING. (Concluded from our last.)

Mr. .Carpenter advocated the pledge, which he contended was necessary in .order that: the electors might have an efficient control over their representatives. He thought one of the most liberal clauses in the New Constitution Act was that which entitled every elector to become a candidate either for the Provincial Council or House of Representatives, or even for the office of Superintendent, and considered it to be an admission of the principle of equal political privileges. Adverting again to the pledge, as an elector he conceived without some check of this kind even universal suffrage would be more dangerous than useful to the community, and as a candidate was willing to take the same pledge himself which, as an elector, he desired from the other candidates. Mr. Fitzherbert (who was received with disapprobation) begged the electors for a patient hearing, as he should not have come forward but for the tone of disparagement in which Mr. Hart had referred to Dr. Featherston and Mr. Fox in his remarks, on the extracts from the Independent newspaper. But for the. exertions 6T tbose gentlemen they had not met there that day for the purpose for which they were now assembled. lse shpuld have been better pleased, if

Mr. Hart had given a satisfactory answer to the question as to the > fitness of the* electors to manage their waste lands, which he thought they had not received. — Mr. Hart herd cacne forward, and offered to answer the question again. Question : Was he the author of the protest ? He was. Did he still think the settlers unfit to be entrusted with the waste lands ? The protest was written two years and a half ago, and in that time the question had been more under discussion, and his opinion had changed. Mr. Fitzherbert resumed. — Now Mr. Hart had answered that question, he, (Mr. F.) would come to another pomt — that of party. He confessed he bad always acted with the liberal party, and he was not going now to desert them. When the electors found tha that party acted inconsistently they should get other men, till then that party had a right to their confidence. (Uproar). He contended the liberal party had always been consistent, that they bad always opposed nomineeism, and it was but right they should trust men who had never deceived them. Pledges were only fit for those who were guilty of inconsistencies of conduct. Who were those that took pledges ? (Uproar and laughter). If a man was intemperate he was told, " you must take Father Matthew's pledge," but it was not required from one who was not guilty of these inconsistencies. (Uproar). He, (Mr. F.j 'iVas sorry to be at variance with Mr, Brown, ("no soft sawder" from Mr. Brown) but in that particular instance he thought the pledge a work of supererogation. Of a nominee who did not refer to the wishes of the people, he thought it ri^ht to demand a pledge, as otherwise they could not trust him. That was not soft sawder. The career of a nominee was that of one who was bound band and foot, for such a one annual parliaments would be too long. He, (Mr. F.) was prepared to stand or fall with his party. With reference to the coalition about which so much had been said, he thought there was a great deal of misapprehension. He took a coalition to mean a union of opposite parties struggling for political power. Suppose for example the liberal party and the nominees had said, let us lay our heads together and see if we cannot cook up a little business, (Laughter). Suppose it had been arranged between them that four of the liberals and three of the nominees should be elected ; then he thought the electors might fairly distrust the liberal party as having combined to oppress them. On the other hand i those who had jqined together were persons whose opinions were well ktjown, and who ha-i united in a constitutional manner. He, (Mr. F.) declared he would rather lose his ovrn seat than see a nominee returned to the Council. (Uproar). He thought while he stuck to these principles no union with them could be beneficial. In only one point wa3 he favourable to the return of a nominee. He would send one of them into the Council and preserve him as a specimen of an antidtluvian race, as a specimen of a state of things that had passed away. (Laughter and hisses.) Mr. Fuzherbert concluded by declaring himself opposed to grants of public money to religious denominations, for although he felt assured no country could thrive without religion, be thought that each denomination should support itself. Mr. Kino, who was recefvod with applause sai !, he had come forward as a candidate for a soat in the Council, because he believed he might be of some use there. It would have been good taste it) all parties if they hatl' agreed to blot out the past with a sponge, if bygones had been bygones, and only one interest-had been studied, the good of the people. They — 'the people — were the source of all power, and if they could make their representatives, they should also be able to unmake them, if they betrayed their trust. Mr. Fitzherbert had asserted he would rather lose his election that see one who had been a Nominee returned to the Council. Now he (Mr. King) considered this to be a dictation and an interference with the privileges of the electors. What did Mr. Fitzherbert say in Bis address. "So strongly was he impressed with the paramount importance of returning the best men only to our first Councils, General and Provincial, that he considered any attempt whatever to bias or cloud the judgment of the electors as amounting to culpability." (Cheers). He (Mr. King) would ask, after this quotation from Mr. lutzherbert's address, whether by his reference to Nominees he bad not insulted them ? (uproar) He wished the electors to take the thought home with them and to consider it well. He had hoped and expected that no attempt would have been made unduly to bias their minds. But there was an attempt to thrust six candidates down their throats. (Yes and uproar). They were told if any one connected with Nominees were elected the opposite party would resign. He (Mr. King) cordially agreed with Mr. Fitzherbert in desiring that the best men should be returned, but wby are these six men fixed upon ? Were their addresses more liheral than those of the other candidates ? He (Mr. X.) contended his address wa; eqaallyliberal with thehs.He belonged neither to the Constitution*] norto theNominee party, and hadas much right to appear before them as any other party. Mr. King then read an extract from Lord Brougham on Faction and observed that that statesraatvfjom his experience of parties, x knevr what Faction- was. Wby did these parties not want to pledge themselves to particular principles ? (Uproar). In certaiu proceedings which had been- instituted with reference to .the Governor's proclamation of cheap land, who were at the bottom- of that ? (cries of Dorset). Mr. W. Dorset, a member of the Constitutional Association, had acted as the nominal plaintiff in that suit,;«nd. had interested himself in trying to upset the Governor's Land Regulations (cheers and uproar) Every thing had been done to thwart the Governor. He (Mr. King) must say honestly he had not the { slightest confidence in those persons calling themselves the Constitutional Association. (Uproar). Mr. Fox and. Dr. Featherston had professed their great object to have been to get Representative Institutions. He (Mr. X.) believed Sir G. Grey had worked us much or more for Representative Institutions than any man. Mr. King produced a great sensation by referring in indignant terms to a placard issued from the Independent office, which he read to the meeting, and which, he described to be a disgrace to the party from which it emanated, and an insult to the community (loud cries of shame and burn it). Mr. King concluded by stating he was no boaster, his motto was Deeds not 'Words — he advocated Education in its most extended form, and desired to see the Council liberal in voting money in support of it : he hoped

by their votes they would shew he deserved their confidence. (Cheers). Mr. Brown said he came forward as a candidate for the Genera! Assembly for Wellington, and for the Provincial Council for the Welling^ ton Country districts. It would he mock moI desty on his pnrt to say he had not a good opinion of himself; on the contrary, if they thought as well of him as he did ~of himself they would elect him as their representative. (Laughter.) He acted on one principle in public and private life — that honesty was the best policy. He was opposed to combination, and attacked every party which had merely party .objects in view. If the electors had no confidence in him, he was their servant no longpr. He had not come there to to cast sneers at any man, but to promote those Institutions, the good of which they all had at heart. He would not p 7 edge himself to any particular question, as he would not he able to decide until he had heard all the evidence; and with reference to this subject he should look upon himself if elected iv the light of a juryman going into a jury box. Mr. Lyon offerfd himself as a candidate, and believed his opinions on public questions were so well known as not to require any explanation. At the request of the general committee he had come forward to support the old liberal party. A combination had been formed and a general committee had brought six candidates forward. (Uproar.) If he should be elecied, he thought the electors would have a right to demand of him an account of his stewardship, which he should be prepared to give them at the end of every session, and if they declared they had no confidence in him, he would resign al once. Mr. Carter saidbe was about to propose a working man to the Meeting, as a candidate to represent the working classes, (Some interruption here occurred, ou which the Chairman said he believed Mr. Carter was about to propose him, and had commenced addressing the meeting from the chai<-, when Mr. Moore objected to the proceeding on the part of the chairman as irregular, and after some discussion on the motion of Capt. Rhodes, Mr. W. Dorset was called to the chair.) Mr. Fawcett then addressed the meeting as a candidate for the Provincial Council, and said he stood before them as a working man, he had also the honor of being the head of what he considered the most respectable body in the world, and alluded to his connection with the Odd Fellows. Mr. Allen said he had attended various public meetings during a period of nearly thirty-five years and he had never before witnessed such extraordinary and discreditable conduct on the part of a chairman, who had evidently been thrust into the chair to suit a purpose, and that purpose was tolerably transparent from the miserable attempt at a speech on the part of Dr. Dorset, who could only talk about the Odd Fellows, whose influence he was anxious to ensure ; in fact he had already boas'ed that he was sure of nearly 240 of their votes (considerable confusion) Mr. Allen then continued inasppech of considerable length to warn the meeting against being deceived by this "new born zeal," on the part of certain persons, for working men, which was never shown until they were driven into a corner through their refusal to take the pledge. Mr. Fitzherbert had said that the pledge was only suited to those whose conduct had been such that it was necessary to bind them ; he (Mr. A.) begged to remind Mr. Fitzherbert that the pledge of tee-to-talism was as often taken by those who were perfectly sober and abstemious as by the drunkards, and that those who did so take it, did it by way of setting an example : he would only say to Mr. Fitzherbert and his friends that if they were conscious of the purity of their motives it would be becoming of them to go and do likewise, as no honest man need be afraid of it. Mr. Allen, whose observations elicited great applause from the meeting, then denounced in general terms the coalition of certain parties to prevent the free exercise of their political privileges, and begged to thank the meeting for the patience with which they hid listened to him for so long a period at that late hour. Dr. Dorset, in reply to Mr. Allen's observations with reference to the Odd Fellows, said he believed he stated to several persons that the working man be should bring forward, be considered a fit and proper person, because having worked his way to the head of that order he would have some experience in legislation, as the Odd Fellows were accustomed to legislate on their own affairs, and it might naturally be supposed he would be supported by those of his order. The Odd Fellows present loudly disclaimed the imputa ion made against them, or any desire on their part to interfere as a body in politics, and Mr. Marriott stated that any member interfering in politics as an Odd Fellow would be liable to expulsion. Mr. Hart then moved the following resolution, seconded by Mr. John M'Beth. " That this public meeting of electors deprecates in the strongest terms any interference on the part of the private meeting, (however numerously attended) held at Barrett's Hotel, on Monday evening last, for forwarding the election of. any six men, as an interference quite uncalled lor.'' Mr. Fitzheubert attempted a feeble opposition, and the Chairman was about to put the resolution to the meeting when the drop scene of the theatre was suddenly let down by some person who evident y wished to interrupt the proceedings, and whirl] had the effect of separating the platform from the audience : the chairman, however, went forward' and put the resolution,which was carried by an overwhelming majority, and this concluded the proceedings of the meeting, which lasted upwards of seven hours.