South Canterbury Times, TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 1881.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2562, 7 June 1881, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 1881.

Whio arc the Middle Party?, what arc their principles ? and who k their leader ? are questions which even those versed in colonial politics would find it difficult to answer. As a coherent body the Slid die party has no existence. It has no voice, or what is still worse, there arc a number of voices singing to different music. In one respect, and in one only, there is some tangibility about the Muddle Party, and that is, that its members neither believe in Sir George Grey nor the Ministry. Beyond that there is contusion. Now, it will require more unity and concentration ol principles to make a successful attack on the

Ministerial position.- ‘.The fact of the rasp ter is. thenj is po 500 m,.‘for a. ■Middle Party IICn ’ ihas there crop bd&p; i \ Sir George Grey has been dcpdse|,;rff That mjioh -stands Out iu relief The by hate and fear, has done ifsNvork. We believe that Mr Macandrew- and Mr Montgomery would be the hist to turn their backs 011 their former leader‘Sb lofig as there was,„ a,...prospect pG,an , .united Opposition* oh the old lines. In his address 'at Port ’ Chalmers, Mr Macandrew quict!y sh.cjyed Sir George, and Mr Montgomery at Akaroa distinctly stated that he believed no considerable body would follow the member for the Thames. The Press of the ' colony, too, is fast ignoring the ex-Governor. Those papers which continue to favor him could bo counted oil the fingers of one hand. It is a curious fact that the dailies of Auckland and Dunedin arc, without exception, opposed to Sir George Grey. The case was different two or three years ago. Mr Ormond’s name hks. *becu of late the most freely mentioned .as the leader of a Middle' Party, Mr Ormond has always been given to lip Liberalism. But ho is-a Tory of the Tories. Ho is a land monopolist of the . most pronounced stamp. As Superintendent of Hawke’s Bay ho encouraged the acquisition of large holdings, and he did not forgot himself. The agriculturist Had not the slightest chance of obtaining an acre from the Provincial Government. The few farmers who have got a footing in Hawke’s Bay wore forced to buy their land second hand, the first purchasers making an enormous profit. The Province, one of the finest in New Zealand, was cut up into large sheep walks and sold at a tithe of the actual value. To ensure cheap labor, a few hundred Scandinavians were enticed from Europe, and settled on the edge of- the Seventy-Mile Bush, a most inhospitable region, where it was impossible to make a living from the soil. 'Fortunately for them, for the first few years they were enabled to gain a livelihood by working on the railroad which is to connect Wellington with Hawke’s Bay. The expenditure has been stopped, and the Scandinavians are now petitioning the Canadian Government to assist them out of the wilderness. They have had enough of New Zealand. To sum up, every acre of good land iu Hawke’s Bay had been grabbed by Mr Ormond and his friends. People were silent, for a system of terrorism was. established in the Piovincc, and that terrorism is in force to the present day. The man who has been the chief instrument in the disgraceful land transactions of Ha wire’s Bay is certainly not the person to lead the Liberal party of Now Zealand. Better, a thousand times better, that Mr Hall and his colleagues .should remain in power. The sham Liberalism of Mr Ormond shopM bo repulsive to all who know the history of his public life.

Our attention has Leon directed to Mr Ormond by a summary of Mr Whitaker's speech which appeared iii yesterday's issue. The member for Waipa is better acquainted with the doings of the ox-Supcrintcndent of Hawke’s Bay than most people in the South. Mr Whitaker is reported to have said that if Mr Ormond and his party got into power they would endeavor to further selfish ends by repealing direct taxation and rcimposing the; tea and sugar duties. Sir Hall, in his speech at Lceston, pointed out several inconsistencies in Mr Ormond’s views daring the past two years. So it appears evident that the Ministerial party look upon him asi .dangerous. May be, they have put him forward as the bugbear who is to replace Grey. That would ho quite in accordance with the tactics of the present Government. As the “ Lyttelton Times ” said the other day, Ministers desire to shine by contrast. They would certainly shine by contrast with Ormond.