MR. CHALMERS EXPOSITION.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 60, 18 October 1864, Page 3

MR. CHALMERS EXPOSITION.

(Prom the Southland Times, Oct. 15.) The manner in which Mr. Chalmees acquitted himself at the theatre, on Wednesday night, must be very gratifying to his supporters. It was expected by many that the hearing accorded to him would not be of so satisfactory a character as that given to other candidates for the representation of Invercargill. Fortunately all such anticipations proved without foundation, and those who were present had the pleasure of listening, without interruption, to an explanation which, it not all that could be desired, -enlightened the public on some points previously not very well understood, and served to place the past political conduct of the speaker in a more favorable light than it had before occupied. It was desirable, and reasonable, that Mr. Chalmees should at some length address himself to the consideration of the past and present difficulties of the Province. His actions have at various times been severely criticised, and he was right in seizing the opportunity to justify himself to the electors ; but we came away with the idea that lie left his work incomplete, and that it would have been better had he shown more fully what were his intentions for the future, aud whether he' was prepared with the outline of any scheme which might tend to remove the depression existing at the present time. It must be admitted that the Provincial Council will have a very limited power in dealing with the financial position, as nothing less than Acts of Assembly can place the Loan Question on an intelligible basis ; but the Council will have, by resolution or otherwise, to indicate its opinion, and a man of Mr. Chalmers' well-known ability cannot fail to have given a large share of attention to the matter. In this omission he seems to have followed in the footsteps of the gentleman who addressed the electors a few nights before. There is not the same excuse in Mr. Chalmers' case, for we give him credit for having the talent to devise some scheme, but we cannot with truth say the same of Mr. Taeltox, and therefore it was natural that he should be silent. Mr. Chalmers adopted the regular programme which has been drawn out for these election meetings. He acknowledged that the Education Ordinance required revising, and that the taxation clause pressed heavily on a portion of our settlers. He was not prepared to' vote for its absolute repeal, as he considered that its principles were sound. He said that it had been anxiously expected and well received when first it became law. Here we differ from him. The fact is, people were rather careless than otherwise at the time of its passing. There was an acknowledged want of the means of education, and. they accepted this measure without having sufliciently considered its provisions, and did not awake from their lethargy until they found themselves heavily assessed. Then they remonstrated, and we much doubt whether any Ordinance of a similar tendency will meet with general approval, no matter how carefully the assessment may be made. the Eoads Ordinance Mr. Ciialmeks considers good in principle, but confesses it to be in advance of the time. We believe that whatever are the faults of the present Act much of the blame which is thrown upon it should in justice be awarded to those who have had the laving out and making the roads. The Ordinance never contemplated the wasteful expenditure of money which has taken place in Southland. Mr. Chalmers said that road-making in a young settlement is nothing more than " experimenting," but it should not be so in the hands of thoroughly qualified professional men. However bad the Eoads Ordinance may be, it is not by the faultiness of its provisions that we must account for such blunders and failures as the North Road baulk-way, but by the incapacity and negligence of the servants of the Government. We are not defending this Ordinance, which is bad enough, but merely showing that our wretched roads and want of roads are attributable in some measure to other causes. There is one portion of Mr. Chalmees' speech which will be read with much interest; it is where he alludes to the statement made by Mr. Taelton about him a few nights previously. Our own i impression at the time that statement was made was that Mr. Taelton was not confining himself strictly to the truth, and that he abstained from speaking more openly in order that he might produce'; an erroneous impression on the minds of his audience to the injury of. Mr. Chalmees, but we were scarcely prepared to hear that what he said contained only the very smallest portion of truth— a portion so small that it is scarcely appreciable. Coming from a candidate who, throughout his address, was harping on the theme of his own honesty and disinterestedness, all this i look's very pitiful indeed: We arecom'pelleditq believe; \Mr. Ciullmebs* version iof v'tbel^^^^cipraserit 1 ; tallies ivitE circumstances known py the outside

public, and it was. moreover corroborated—by Mr Galdee, who hap-; pened- to. be in the body of the meeting, a witness who would by no means be inclined to favor Mi\ Chalmees in this affair. It was very bad taste, of Mr.; Taelton to attack an absent opponent in the manner he did ; but, now_ we know that his accusation was false, his conduct appears most despicable, and we hope theelectors will bear in mind his choice sentences about "truthful, thoughtful, and honest men." On the Land question Mr. Chalmees holds the same views as almost every intelligent person in the Province. He considers that raising the price has done Southland real injury. We have had on many occasions to differ from Mr. Chalmers on political matters, but rarely when broad principles were concerned ; and when we take into consideration the great need there is at the present time for men of some power and ability in the Council— how ill the Province can afford to lose the services of any sueh — we must say that we earnestly hope that Mr. Chalmees will be returned. On the great question of the powers of the Superintendent, he holds opinions identical with those we have so often expressed in this journal, and we believe he will honestly adhere to them — perhaps with greater tenacity than those who are fond of parading their own honor, their truth, and their trustworthiness.