The Standard AND PEOPLES ADVOCATE. (PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY.) FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1876.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 440, 29 December 1876, Page 2

The Standard AND PEOPLES ADVOCATE. (PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY.)

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1876.

° We filial! Reli to no man justice or right: We shall deny t o no man just ice or right: We shall defer to no man jnatice or right.”

We are glad to gee that the new form of local government is causing a little , stir among the people, and that• aS * opportunities present themselves, a ' perceptibly progressive amount of interest is demonstrated. Although the meeting at Ormond was sparsely attended on Wednesday evening last-, a groat desire was manifested, for a |. more intimate acquaintance with the of government which has ■’ superseded provincialism as it has existed since Representative Institutions have had a place in the colony. ■ The question which nearly concerns ■ us all, in a more or less degree, is, who are the best men to elect to bring ty the complicated machinery, involved t' in all the laws set before us, into motion ? All are pretty well decided as to the desirability of localising the powers compassed by elective franchise and government; and there can . be no question that, for Ridings like those on the East Coast, the. new system has pre-eminent advantages over the old. These we shall endeavor to illustrate from time to time, as occasions require of us to do so. In the meantime, there is a paramount duty devolving upon us and the ratepayers, alike —namely, that of putting the right men in the right place. We know the situation is a difficult one. Tb<. duties, too, are onerous; and the ateadv, determined, and persistent ap- ; plication necessary to study the prin-

eiplesof the various Acts, is of itself sufficient to make thoughtful men pause, ere they commit themselves by entering upon a course, the correct estimateof which they have imperfectly ascertained. It is not in us to say which are the best men among the candidates, but we have much pleasure in indicating the good ones. Granted, they are all good, honorable men ; still, “ Order is Heaven's first law, and thiaconfeet, Some are, and must be, greater than the rest.” Judging of men by their antecedents, based upon experience and practical knowledge, we incline to those who are already in harness, as amongst the candidates up for election. Mr Ferris’s address appears today, and is characteristic of the man. Plain, unvarnished, and straightforward, it conveys, in few words, nearly all that is required of a candidate to s«y, though not all that is required of a candidate to know ; but that much would go beyond the limits of a written address. This knowledge is, we opine, the secret of Mr Ferris’s advantages over his opponents, and we shall be much mistaken if he be not placed at the head of the poll. Of Mr Berry’s good, practical, common sense, every ratepayer has had a sample during his connection with the Road Board; and is, beyond doubt, the kind of man required in an assembly of local men whose business knowledge .would tend largely to decrease the expenses of management. Mr Tutchen having withdrawn, there remain Messrs Caulton, Hurrey, and Buchanan, against all of whom nothing worse can be said than that they, Mr Caulton excepted, are untried men ; and it is a question worth their consideration, whether their services would not be of more value in the new Road Board district than .in the County Council. Vie cannot avoid deprecating the want of public spirit evinced in the candidates allowing themselves to be dragged forward (if we inay use the term inoffensively) for election. Indifference to public obligation is not part of our creed ; therefore, we think it would have been a good sign if the candidates had met the ratepayers face to face, or, otherwise, addressed them on the several questions, so deeply affecting their interests.