The Southland Times. SATURDAY, OCT. 8, 1864.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 56, 8 October 1864, Page 2

The Southland Times. SATURDAY, OCT. 8, 1864.

The meeting which filled the Theatre Royal last night, for the purpose of listening to an exposition of the political views of Mr. Taelton, was one of the most orderly it has heen our good fortune for some time to attend. Mr. Tarlton received a very fair hearing, and secured a favorable verdict from the crowd present. And yet we do not look on the expression of the feeling of the meeting as satisfactory, because we believe it to be founded on a wrong conception of facts. Mr. Tabltojt very clearly expressed his sentiments on the principal questions which have for some time past engrossed public attention, and. we are bound to say that on some points w;e coincide with him — as, for. instance,, on the Education .Ordinance, and, with some modifications, his ideas oh the land question. . On the question of' the , manner in which : ■ the. railway contracts have been carried out, and more especially on the construction of 'certain 'portions of the A\- southern line, it would have been better

— more modest — if, Mr. Tablton had not expressed so positive an opinion in that place. ; The meeting was scarcely called together tp discuss the ability or honesty ofthe railway, engineers, on whom in this matter the blame,- if any, -would naturally' rest. It may, or may not, be true that gross blunders, have, been made in-throwing away the best earth on the Bluff railway, and making the embankments of the worst kind which was available, but all such statements must be taken cumgrano salis, for it must be remembered that Mr. Tarn/ton does not speak 9,9 a professional man, and ' his opinion must be supposed to be diametrically •- opposite to that of the gentleman t.o whom has been entrusted the supervision of these works. The same remark applies, in a. less degree, to the Northern line. We have no direct evidence to show that the line as laid down is such a lamentable failure as Mr. Tarlton would lead us to believe. So far as we have had an opportunity of judging, and we have taken some trouble to make ourselves acquainted with the facts, we do not see that there is any such failure as Mr. Tarlton intimates. .Unless he alluded to these railway works in order to prepare the public' for some decisive action on his part,, should he secure his seat in the Council, his words had better have been unspoken. We were prepared to hear the Southland Press treated to some hard words from Mr. Tarlton's lips, but we do not think he . strengthened his cause by accusing us of slander, in certain remarks we felt called upon to make upon the conduct of the Superintendent in reference to his Executive Councils. Here Mr. Tarlton was altogether wrong, for whatever he may say to the contrary, the later sessions of the Provincial Council afford conclusive evidence that what we said was nothing but the truth. The fact that the Superintendent habitually acts without advice, that is, that he follows his own devices in every matter of any moment, is patent to the community, and it is useless for Mr. Tarlton to deny it. It is a matter of surprise to us that Mr. Tjßi/ro>- should stiate definitely that he knew of no case in which Br. MENZIKS had made a Government appointment without the advice and consent of his Executive Council. Perhaps it will assist his memory if we mention the name of Mr. Dundas. It can scarcely be that he is in ignorance of the particulars of that appointment. It is a matter of regret that a closer system of questioning was not adopted by the meeting. A few well-put enquiries would have elicited facts calculated to influence very considerably the temper of the electors. As it was, tke admission was drawn from Mr. Tarlton that he was instrumental to the issuing ofthe : ' Greenbacks," but not to the extent it was usually supposed that the Government intended to have used them. Mr. Tarlton denies that any order was given by the consent of Government for the engraver's plate purchased in Dunedin ; but surely such a denial is altogether childish. Mr. Beaven was despatched to Dunedin to get the necessary work done, it not being thought advisable to entrust local workmen with the secret. It is useless for Mr. Tarlton to say that too great fuss was made about this proposed issue of Treasury notes, but to us it appears that too strong language could scarcely have been used in speaking against an act which was illegal to begin with, and which was contrary to the ordinary dictates of reason and good faith. " Probably the proposers of this scheme were not aware of the gravity of the ofFence they contemplated, and a merciful judgment may find them guilty only of intense childishness, but they none the less showed that they were not fit to be trusted with the management of public affairs. Of the reasons why Mr. Tarlton has continued in office nothing, or next to nothing, transpired. He says that the Superintendent asked him whether he was prepared to refuse him his advice at a moment of such great difficulty to the Province, and Mr. Tarlton replied that, under the circumstances, he could not refuse. This, we must simply say, is " humbug. " Under the circumstances, that is, Dr. Menzies refusing to give pledges that he would act in a constitutional manner, and taking into account the despotic conduct which had led to the necessity of such a pledge being required, there was nothing left for Mr. Tarlton, if he wished to be manly and independent, but resignation. He mistook the meaning of the term, and practised christian resignation by remaining in office, and pocketing his salary, well content to be a sham executive officer, provided that by so doing he obtained his share of loaves and fishes. We have said that Mr. Tarlton can talk, but we have done him a grievous wrong in not stating that he knows also how to hold his tongue. It was better to be silent on this little Treasury business, for which Mr. Tarlton is aware as well aa ourselves that he is altogether unfitted. On the subject of loans Mr. Tarltost said nothing, nor do we think there was any occasion, his antiquated notions having been so plainly expressed in his published address. After hearing Mr. Tarlton's speech last night, we came away with the impression that, however good his intentions may have been, he has done nothing for the benefit of the Province whilst in the Council. If he has, his modesty must have compelled him to ignore it. He seems to us to have opposed a great many measures, but unsuccessfully, and there is no record of his having initiated anything for the good of the community. He promises well for the future ; but a member of so long standing, and of such pretensions,'should be" able to point to the past: as a record of his usefulness, and that Mr. Tarlton cannot do. . ■ . '■ i It seems probable -that this gentleman will be returned ; a fluent tongue goes a long way in securing a vote, andthe public are prone to judge a man by his own

standard. We have, howeyer, done our duty in warning them against electing as their representative one whose only merit lies in a faculty for talking.

Throughout . the whole course^ of the present contest going on in America, it ■•■haß"" been ''-a'*-"taisk* : 'b'f- -the* u?fcm"'6st"'difficul'^' to arrive at the true., positions of affairs; 7 from the many conflicting' reports which come to hand; These conflicting reports are the more remarkable: because almost the -whole of the intelligence, which reaches- the outside world', finds its wayj through northern, organs. : notoriously anxious for the .preservation of the TJnion, and ready' to sacrifice truth if only they can present to view a picture of Federal successes. The fact is, these successes have been so trifling in comparison, with the meahs taken to attain them, • that it has been found impossible to write always of victories achieved, whilst the demand for men and money to put down the so called rebellion continued without, any abatement. To throw an air of probability over the statements furnished to JSTorthern journals, it was necessary to admit a moderate share, of reverses to the Federal arms, lest readers might learn to doubt the truth of the intelligence altogether. The consequence has been a vast jumble of fact and fiction,_ one paper calling that a victory which another designates either as a partial failure or a defeat. The latest news from America which we publish in another column, and which comes to us via California, is ofthe usual conflicting nature, but a careful perusal and comparison of the various items points to advantages on the side of the Confederates. The report of the capture of Atalanta by the Federals is uncoivfirmed, which means that it was not taken at all; and judging from the fact that G-eneral Hood has supplemented its ga,rrison by a large body of troops, it is unlikely that it will fall into the hands of the Federals. General Sherman is described as" having defeated the combined forces of Johnson and Hood, who retreated within the fortifications of Atalanta ; but the truth is, Johnson left Atalanta only for the purpose of strengthening Hooi>'s corps, OH its march to the relief of Atalanta. Had this combination not taken place, Hood ran the risk of sustaining, a disastrous defeat at the . hands of Sheeman. The junction being effected, the combined forces entered Atalanta, and then Sherman takes his revenge for his non-success in preventing the relief of the city, by the destruction of about thirty miles of railway used by the Confederates in transporting stores. This act would of itself show that the Federals were worsted, for they would certainly not tear up the rails in a line of country which they had any chance of holding. We next come to two invasions on the part of the Confederates, G-eneral Ewell entering Maryland, and Lee, at the head of M'Causland's' division, marching into Pennsylvania, where he captured and burnt Federal property to the value of a million dollars. The account of Ewell's expedition is very difficult of comprehension. He is in the first place reported to have been easily beaten, and 300 waggons of plunder taken from him, but afterwards is said to have been reinforced by 40,000 men, to have driven back the Federals, "threatened Harper's Ferry," and there the report leaves him, so that his defeat is to all intents and purposes a victory. There is nothing definite about the fall of Petersburg ; G-eant is said to have succeeded in destroying its principal fortification, but he certainly had not succeeded in capturing the place, for the latest intelligence is to the effect that, considering it " the key to Kiehmond, he " intends obtaining possession " — if he can, might have been added with propriety. The last paragraph speaks of a battle in the vicinity of Vicksburg, when the Federals, after some severe fighting, were compelled to give way. The details of this action are not given, neither K is it spoken of in connection with any strategic movement, so that we are unable to judge of its importance. Enough has been said to show that the Confederates are in no worse position than they were reported to be on the arrival of the previous mail. They have succeeded inrelieving Atalanta. They have made two successful and extensive raids into Federal territory. They still hold Petersburg, and the usual bombardment of Fort Sumter and Charleston continues without any visible effect. All this we are enabled to glean from Northern sources, though considerable care has been taken to throw a veil over the real position of affairs. Doubtless the same movements spoken of by Southern authorities would make the Confederate cause appear still more hopeful.