The Patea Mail. Established 1875. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1882. SIR JULIUS VOGEL'S VISIT.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 974, 20 December 1882, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1882. SIR JULIUS VOGEL'S VISIT .

Of all our public men in this colony there are very few whose presence individually among ns is felt to he a matter of considerable importance, or whose total absence from' ns would be felt ns a loss which could not well be supplied. \Ve have numerous colonists from whom collectively a good average might be struck, of character, capacity, ami energy, though but few individuals able to influence powerfully the public action of (he country. Of these few, however, undoubtedly, Bir Julius Vogel is one; just as bis old opponent, Sir George? Grey, undoubtedly is another. Sir Julius, after an absence of six years, is now again on a visit.to the colony ; .we, are inclined fo tbinlc, that it is for a purpose. He has indeed given out that he is only travelling here as agent for the Australasian Electric Light Company, and that is probably trim —and probably also not the whole troth. Jeremy Bentham somewhere says that “ a man may have his hand full of troth, and only open his little finger.” Sir Julins we believe to be jnst a person of that sort. Like Alladin, he may have lamps to sell, and, like Alladin also, he may be qnite willing again to inspect underground the Government Treasury. What if the ex-A gent-General were at the present moment feeling his way among the public journals and pnblic men as to his chances of again occupying a most prominent position in public affairs ? We believe it to be more than possible, and, for our own part, we shall be happy at once to accede to what we presume to be his wish, and add our little contribution to the general stock of ideas on the subject. On the whole, then, we should like to see Sir Julius re-entering the political world of New Zealand. Not, indeed, that be is a model statesman, or indeed always a safe guide. He proved himself long ago too extravagant and too crochety a politician for that; but, with all his faults, he had ideas of his own and was a statesman, which is more than can be correctly said of almost any of our pnblic men. Plenty of them might get into office, if only lucky, as rapidly as he did, but how many of them, having gained the Premiership, wouldkeep it with dignity, and show genuine constructive statesmanship, in not merely devising schemes for the advantage of his country, but also in carrying them into effect with anything like his capacity ? It is not merely for the Public Works and Immigration Policy of 1870 that we have mainly to thank Sir Julius Vogel, hut to him belongs the credit of abolishing the nine provinces when they became transparent shams, useless for good, powerful for expense and corruption. Nor was this the only service ho rendered to the State. In some of his schemes he was ever in advance of the present condition of pnblic intelligence, though clearly in the right. His proposals for establishing factories for making sugar from beetroot, for founding a system of regular mercantile traffic with (he South Sen Islands, and for conservation of onr

native forests, were all matters in which he was in advance of his time, though none of his opponents even could assert that his plans, with regard to these matters were either useless or impracticable. It is quite true that Sir Julius Vogel was on extravagant Premier, and a still more extravagant Agent-General, and that if he' were to return to official political life now, he would need for the welfare of the colony to be associated with men possessing that caution and prudence in which ho is manifestly wanting. It is quite true that he probably could not, and would not have attempted the work accomplished by politicians less brilliant but safer than himself, after he had. left New Zealand. Such men as Dr Pollen, the Hon. George McLean, Mr Bryce, Major Atkinson, Sir Wm, Fox, and above all Sir John Hall, did as good service as his by settling the colony, as he did by unsettling it previously. And we see the benefit of the combined effort in the increased wealth and prosperity, which, in spite of 'all the croakers may say to the contrary, clearly marks our present condition. The colony owes an immense amount—far too much—for a good deal has been spent in extravagances. But for all that, New Zealand can far more easily bear its very big debt now than it could boar its very little one a dozen years back. Should Sir Julius Vogel therefore wish again to embark on the tiouhled waves of public life here, we can only wish him bon voyage , and hope he will arrive safely at the desired haven, even though it may be necessary for the detectives in plain clothes who are engaged on the public Press to watch him as soon as he comes into port.