OUR COMMONS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1056, 8 September 1879, Page 2

OUR COMMONS.

Mr. J. IjRYC'Ej the senior member for Wanganui, ha? sat for that constituency for many years, and lias always bornu the character of being one of the most capably and most independent members of the House. As a speaker he is both fluent and forcible when properly wound up and set going. He has wavered a good deal from side to side, but on each occasion he has shown very good reasons for his action, and few would accuse him of being actuated by selfish motives. Independence of mind, and not expediency, has led him t0 divert his influence and support from ono channel to another, and though he m&y change sides he has not, so far as we ar® aware, ever been guilty of swallowing hW honest convictions for the purpose of achieving a personal end. Qf how many of our legislators can this with truth.oo said 1 Mr. Bryce does not speak frequently during a session, but when dd does address the House, his remarks are generally listened to attentively, for lie 1 5 not like many men, who, for the sake ot reeif' g their names in Hansard, get up a' l 1 opoat " with damned iteration " the arguments previously used and better appl"by other speakers. Mr. Bryco is a possessed of a vast amount of common sense, and we hail with sati'/'ft tion his return once more to tho House it Representatives. Mr. 11. Huh.stiiouse, who has o» c more been returned for Motueka, Wj. we are not mistaken, a relative of Jlajo Atkinson, of whom he has always been blind follower. He has sat in four sessions, but has never maae presence felt, and probably novel' vi do so, for the very good reason that 1 has not tho ability to accomplish that en But though he has not made a name himself'itiside the House, lie has acf ! u J f r l( a notoriety as a partisan outside, °" in °j, the part he was said to have tak° a the attempted demolition of the tmii«P arch erected in honor of Sir George Wj on the occauion of his visit to vj mouth, nearly two years ago. *° r

jlf. Har»th<in9e has received the doubtful honor of being styled the " larrikin representative." tie b bat a poor representative ef i» constituency which some years sine* returned to Parliament the late S;r David Monro, than whom a more or gentlemanly man never sat in a Colonial Parliament —» roaa whom,after being unseated on a petition to Parliament for some cause in ISCO, Sir William Fox. oat of the spitefutness of his nature toward* an opponent, refused to call to the I pper ffonse, althnngh Sir W. Stafford tried bv every legitimate m»arw t.> have that h"ti«>r done to hi* friend and an h'vrtttcman. Time works wonders, and now a respectable constituency ha.4 declined e« semi the intfniperstv apostto »«i temperance himself to Parliament. Major At Kts->»>:*» wh»i, though a political opponent, »« aro_ idad to a>:c once more iri the Home of U>-presenta-rives, is «n« <-f the forenmt men in the Colony. He i'i an able speaker. and a man. well «ersed in the art r.c manipulating tigurus and possessed of a Ur.'e ,®nmt of knowledge of Colonial i : mi*. he lacks two essential nualificattotM in a leador —tact and coolness of temper. II': first came info prominence. we beweve. in £>»:fwii<:u Mh;is:-«r in thu V»r.n .Ministry- a Minisi.i:y t>uui which there tia* never been a more powerfwt on- in the Colony—a Ministry of which many "t the brightest orn.wm-nt.-t that ev.-r rwtornrd the New Zealand Parliament were members—n. Ministry that comprised, it our memory serves ns riu'httv, 9»ch brslh.-uir Colonial politician.-* :u 'dr. Weld (:-o~ Governor of Tar-mania). the f.-vo S;r .f- un L. C. Itichard^on, Sir Wub.'rn f if/o herbert, Jlr. .fame* Edward t itsOecald (the greatest orator the Colony ever possessed), Mr. •!. C. fLichnr-nd, _Mr. JSewelt, and '"our friend the Major --a Ministry which, when the Imperial government demanded of the Co tony payment for the lar;e military forre then in New Zealand, had the courage. notwithstanding that a Maori war was f>.-jnj-waged on almost every part of the Ho; Const of the North Island, to bid the Home Government to take away her t*n thousand sotdiers, and determined that henceforth the Colony should 'maided cope with the native difficulty a Ministry of which Major Atkinson is the last memtier left in the .House of {representatives. Not to rig after the fall of this Government, Major Atkinson retired for a time from active political life. ShortHtiff.er his return to the scene of his old glory, he was offered and awp-ed a »».at in the Voget (Jovetnment, and, as our tenders are aware, remained a Minister until defeated in 1»77 by Sir George Grey. Ife was then Premier, and it was while occupying this position that he displayed hi:* great want of judgment and tact. Commencing the session of I ST*' with a large majority, the session of is~7 found fiini in- a minority and woefully beaten, flia want of firmness, the absence of alt control over his colleagues, the foohsH map net in which he was swayed by his Attorney-Generat (Mr. Whttaker), and the lamentable failure of the latter'a Native Land Bill, added to the want of enerwy in the Ministry, which cried for " potitical rest," alien.Vcl many of Major Atkinson's supporters. ,?nd he w;>,s driven from power. We ?r« not particularly imsions to see him reinstated, for tliongh we can admire Ins many -/ond fjualities. we cannot say with truth that he is a good administrator, and v>c theref-re prefer to see him in the Opposition-

Mr. T. W. Htsr.nr, one of Mirown members, we need say tittle about, Eur our readers are as well posted in His political career ad ourselves. Suffice it therefore to say that when the destruction of theProvinces waa threatened. Mr. Hia'op. although unknown to Mm p<>[:..uat w.-r,!u came boldly forward to <u> Iwvlw f' ,; r Provincial institutens. E f "_ ss-.cn, i»

IS7B, headtd tiio p"ll for V/aicaki. defeabinif the sitting member (Mr. Stew;u%t) and fvid bcuther lawyer ( Mr. » > Jfwichsr) by majoring. Ht; lia* ailivt.-red tirudy r.o the party ho w.x'- mot'c to I ;irllaliu'ivt to support, and he ha.< «videttc« «pg an aptness for political life which, gived proniidw that he will v*ent'ially attain a prominent position ni-,ej^;idta ( "r:- 1 - ol the Colony. If he had Kt__.a little mora persistency and tact ho might e«en fi,,- t v Jj.ive occiipud a forv'i'uo:.tt position amungst our politiciaiis. h»Mirally nerVOUd,. and, peril.ii ;i. lirtth' d;th'U:ri-. i-.f never '/etd mv i.id Se?.-* in Parii.vnien-. >inr.u he fei-dd inipelh-'d from a -v , 0 "" v lio SO ; but when he on hid m.-r.rle apealw welU he dtii oe\ tho o 1 the no-ennlidtT.ce I idt ?dt Etislop is still and h.'.d yf i usefulness before i im. it ho v, d.' CO use himself into a .«;ue of tr.t- p- I->-"*.l activity. He id endowed with a i' -' :- ,: voice, and can,, w hen he Itk<.•••, inaUf "• telling speech. Mr.' S. El. tlie merivl er for this district, cannoi: he c..-nw p'l"::-; spenker. and «•:« i'-o''t.> fl '" r r -' of an oiM-ti r. ff<- ' f«d v. ; mend'er bii.:.y b- i ;-i d io ! ■ ■' ; ' ' [■ , can do a i;rcat am -iti". <>• - ll he id heft Ut.dt r ei no.! ■ f restraint. He, h-id i w-:i ;-t Mf - •: <•■ Carl i.inien t f 1 r ti.> ; d I ." . unlike J'Cr. p. lie is.u- ; t'-c t.iao} i. >• - taken an active pnrn in ti\e l>»»i pi! or.-. • t the town, and has in niany tespocts proved himself a useful member of various pittite bodies. He has prosed that tie can be thorouirhly trusted by hid party, consistency has marked hid past conduct tn the House 06 Representatives. Mr. Jotts PvtUM'K lad within tho rust, few years cmo to the front: in Parliament. "When he wad tirst t h ered to tlm ilwuso of Representatives ».»nw t'e.* years since, he was comparatively an unknown man. the cnty reputation he then possessed being that of a trenchant writer in re smalt evening paper in Wanganui, of which he wad and id the proprietor-. but the electors of Rangiuket admired- the consistent manner in wUu.h hu advocated various measures. ;\r.<i knew they could trust him. On the rutirement of Sir Wi'iiata f'ox for a tim» from Parliamentary li e., preparatory to a trip to the Old Conn.ry. Mr. P-atlance w:is elected to till the He entered Parlian e ,iu» nov ice. bar. in the seven or ei°,ht years th.i.t have intervened what strides he had made ! John l>a!lan>;e r the almost unknown journalist of seven years ago, is now one of the foremost politicians in the Colony. He is a good speaker, his speech being just sufficiently tinged with the " brogue" to indicate the land of his nativity. He possesses a targe capacity for f.gttres, and handles them as adroitly as any member -«f Parliament, while his power of seeing clearly throux'U a specious argument is scarcely evrelied by that of any other rnarv t" the Hfi.-v. |(e was, ad everyone knows, f r " time Colonial Tre:;suiT" in f.h.e ;>r -onr '.r.u; stry. but retired. "IV'I"; •. • " tiie Pn-T.-ier. ! ' ' r . . riirticidars nl* v ' I, v t .' " rris reto'ei" ••• •• e- ' 1 : '' weurtcncvi T ; . »• '• '' * (• have tcudoi ■■ • : ■. • rthour. ti'.e iieh .i' et •" r '• ■ vlovernnient, wlii.'h !■■' ' ,11!'! I.ii.e presell;: . : i . i-;' . Hidhuice ren'siued hnn- to h-. r - , iuv. fo raise !•>.•« v- : •• >n ;-. - e ids 1 ■ ; ' - ' ;_o- ' •:•. ; ; i '' - r t , K-jkuu-J. ?. '■ 'V V. " the Go! ■ry r.w V : ,:t.'.ry :-.f. V--6>>s, is nut a r for .-i.rj ever been personally popular, while the spiteful and irritable nature of the ae-

fcatod csndidsto decs not tend to place him in a favorable light before any body cf electors.

Mr. P. EI. J. Reeves, who has again | bc«ti returned a.s ono of the memherj for Or->y Valley, had only ncupted a a rat in Parliament for a short time, having been returned to fill the vacancy occasioned by the retirement of Mr. Kennedy, after a brief - but not briliian: political career. Mr. Reeves h a tnati poastsied vf an ordinary amount of ability, added to an amount of comm-m sense, but he cannot re desisnate»l a very bridiant politician. At tfu: same f.n. • l.c has v r l'-iie*.el- j '-d (.•piniotia upon the many great questions ♦ t* iritcoti with n E.tir , amorii-.r. of* ability o> vc "ttcntnee to . them. Mr. W". 11. Lr.vi.v is a man who na.-i not hitherto 'been known to the world of politics, and has not, 30 far as wc are aware, ever hef«»ru taken a prominent part in at.v political m'>vement. lie id not an orator, but he i* rich alike in worldly poaaessi"tu and t-omm.-n senae, and may mii-.e a t;;.«fttl member < f Parliament, [ft i- a man of intelligence, and one "ho. having declared in fr.vor-'f liberal reforms, can be shor».rtgh!y trnsred to assi.-t in the ••arryiti'.' out of fheie measures. He ciders ut.'-n his rofir.icat career a.3 a thoroughly independent member, ref«3tn« to acknow-i-d.'e ths leadership of any man. Mr. Wjf.r.t.ur !lrT-.'it:.so.v r who has been ieturr,.:d Mr. I..;vtn'.-i colleague Jut Wellington City, attho-.i--h for the first time entering tiie Hot:-e of llef»resenta-nv--s. i t ?.y n-. meani tirw to p'.lirical life, i'or mativ year:- ha proprietor and editor of" the Chronicle, and occupied a prominent p'jattivn in the W eliinu'totv Provincial Counct!, in whichJie v-as a bitter opponent of th.e lali'ied r-roprietora arid advocate of the settlement of people upon t!;e land. Since hb residence in the Kmpire City, he has been twice etected a.i Mayor, a position which he occupies at present. He is a man «>f souje .-.mount of abdir.y, and can speak with cond'lerable force, a fore • not diminished by hts strong Scotch accent. He will prove ati acquisition to the House in many respents, and was nndonbtedly, on the score of abitity. the eligible of all the candidates for Wellington. He is essentially a working nan'j representative, for it was the support of the working classes, with whom he is very popular, that secured hitu the second seat for Wellington. .His victory over the old merober(Mr. Hunter), » ho has represented W%dlit:gtou for nine wars, was a great triomph, for, in addi-*;-.n to beinsi a comparatively recent resident in the Empire city, he is a poor man, while Mr. Hunter k one of the oldest and one of the richeat residents in Wellington.