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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5302, 23 March 1878, Page 2

In commenting upon Mr. Barton's speech yesterday, we had no desire to ignore his political opinions. It is surprising how little attention is paid to his views on the public questions of the day. Mr. Barton’s quarrel with the Judges and his committal have completely swallowed up all other matters, and for the fust time, we believe, in the history of the colony a man has been returned to Parliament to represent his own grievances. Fully twothirds of Mr, Barton's speech on Thursday night had reference to Judges, Resident Magistrates, Court officials, bailiffs, and policemen. Mr. Barton’s views are certainly not of so revolutionary a character as those held by several members of the Legislature. For instance, he sees the necessity of an Upper House, as providing a check upon hasty legislation ; for “ democratic as he was, he was old enough to know that the people sometimes went too fast.” However, he stated he would have no objection to the occasional swamping of the Legislative Council by the creation of new members when the second Chamber showed itself particularly obstructive. Still our new representative is more conservative than the present Attorney-General; for Mr. Stout would abolish the Upper House altogether, and leave the work of legislation to a single Chamber. On this point most people will prefer the opinions of Mr. Barton to those of Mr. Stout. The latter gentleman has not yet gained sufficient experience to rid him of the theoretical follies of his youth. Again,; Mr. Barton does not regard the unfortunate squatters with such abhorrence as the Premier. Sir George would clear the runholders out root and branch, and would grant no respite. Mr. Barton says that would be rather an extreme course, and with his native simplicity and innocence asks what would become of the sheepowners and their flocks? A little more knowledge, and he might have asked, if the wool-growing industry was destroyed, where the money would come from to pay the working raa i his wages on a Saturday afternoon. Fully twothirds of the money circulating in Wellington is derived from the wool on the sheep's back. There is really no reason why the squatters should be held up for special reprobation. Many of them are poor men, who have to struggle for existence, and we undertake to say that there are not a dozen squatters within the province of Wellington whose profits are above those of a lawyer in good practice. There is a vast amount of ignorance on this point, and that ignorance is taken advantage of by designing politicians. Mr. Barton stated that he knew a runholder in Hew Zealand who was able to purchase 30,000 acres of land through the profits arising from an advance of a. single penny per pound on one year’s clip. That statement is utterly ridiculous. Assuming that the fictitious runholder only paid 10s. an acre for his land, and allowing a high average clip, he must have shorn over 700,000 sheep 1 And by the utterance of such rubbish as the above, it is sought to enlighten the “ free and independent ” electors of Wellington on the chief industry of the colony.

In' addressing the electors ac me Theatre Royal, Mr. Barton coolly blamed the Atkinson Government for raising the price of land last session. Mr. Hutchison previously made a sirhilar statement. There is grogs misrepresentation on this subject, or a lamentable amount of ignorance on the part of those who might naturally be expected to know from which side of the House emanated one of the most important measures passed during the last sittings of the Assembly. It was Sir George Grey's Waste Lands Bill which doubled, the price of land in the North Island, and it was strongly opposed by the members of the late Government. We do not attribute any desire on the part of Mr. Barton to mislead his audience. He was simply utterly ignorant of what he was talking about. Mr. Barton is now in the character of a representative, and his doings in a measure reflect upon the constituency. It therefore behoves him not to circulate false statements to injure his political opponents. It was unfortunate for him he made the remark he did. He evidently believes in cheap laud. Sir George Grey and Mr. Stout believe in dear land. Mr. Barton has promised to support Sir George through thick and thin. The new member for the City must therefore, to be consistent, swallow his opinions on that greatest of all questions—the disposal of the public estate.