The Southland Times. MONDAY, NOV. 7, 1864.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 69, 7 November 1864, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, NOV. 7, 1864.

It : will afford great pleasure to a .large ■majority of the constituency of Invercar-' gi11 ... to know that Mr. „..', Calider. has. consented to become one,, of the candidates for their suffrages at the ensuing .election. .Tlie Soutliland Wews, > in its issue of Saturday, took occasion to "make some very uncalled for remarks on j M>. Gald'eu's conduct. It is a ground; of complaint with the News that Mr. Cai.der has not come forward sooner, and reference is made to a letter .which' appeared some time since in this journal, in which he said that at that time he had no intention of standing, hut that he might alter his determination should it become apparent that there was a general wish for him to occupy a seat •in the Council. Nothing could ; .be plainer and more straightforward. We can find in Mr. Cai/der's letter nothing which would lead US to suppose that at the timfe he wrote it he had any intention of coming forward, and therefore (there, being, no. other evidence than that furnished by the letter), the statement that " Mr. Calder " must have been as fully cognisant" of his " own intentions a month hack as he is ■' now," is nothing less thxn a gratuitous insult. A very stupid and useless insult, moreover, for it cannot affect the issue in Hie slightest degree. Mr. Calder "grace- " fully, publicly, and definitively " intends fcO Offer hi nself tor election, aud nothing that the News contains, or is likely fco contain, will persuide the electors not to return him. Our contemporary says, " there was a time when we should have cordially supported Mr. Ca. 1, deb's candidature if it .had been openly and frankly announced," evidently insinuating that now the matter is on a different footing, and that Mr. Carder is no longer worthy of the patronage of the Newt. The only show of reason for this withdrawal of support is that Mr. Calder. has waited uutil "the last moment," but it is hardly just to bring such a charge, when it was ,on the 4th inst.mt that Mr. Calder announced his intention, or permitted it to be announced, and the 17th will be the day of nomination. There is plenty of time in the interim for any one, even the Editor of the News, to ai'rive at a conclusion as to Mr. Cat/der's fitness for the Council Chamber. We hope to see him at the head of the poll, and shall continue so to hope, unless some much stronger counter-charm to his eligibility IS prOduced thair the fact that he only allowed the electors a fortnight to make \\p their minds — when it is well known that their minds were made up long ago. But though our contemporary shelves Mr. Calder in such an unceremonious manner, he still hopes that there will be a little interest t.iken in the Invereargill election. v But here," he says, "we trust, that even at the List hour, a stand will be made, and so ue battle fought on political principle." We should like to know what our contemporiry means Has he got any political opinions, or is he moved, like a dog- vane, by every passing breath ? This, surely, is no time for covering one's sentiments in a cloud of grandiloquent genera lines. The people are called on to say whether they are content that the Government of the Province shall be carried on in the old style — that ij, wiih Dr. Menz es as autocrat, and no Executive, or an Executive as his submissive followers — or whether there shall henceforth be a new order of things, in which the Superintendent shall occupy his legitimate position, as exemplified in the other Provinces. That is the question ol' questions, the test by which the various candidates should stand or fall. Ttie fact is, our contemporary is rather faint-hearted. He is not quite certain which side will win, and is afraid to commit himself definitely to either. Should a Council be elected which will replace the present Superintendent in ofliee, the News would wish to have the power gracefully to adopt the old regime. Should the members prefer, on the contrary, to elect another Superintendent — one willing to govern constitutionally — it would be pleisant to be able to endorse their views without the risk of bring accused of fickleness or inconsistency. One day, therefore, the glories of a constitutional Government are enlarged on, and the next the difficulties of denning the relative positions of Superintendent and Council are ma ie tae subjectmatter of a homily. If tae electors are of opinion that wuife is white, well and good ; but if, on the other hand, they appear to think that under some circum.stances it may be black, the News is diffident in showing them th.it it is probable they are mistaken. It is to this cause that we attribute the censure of Mr. Calder. Latterly our contemporary has sided, in a shuiniug way, with the liberal party ; there is, however, a chance that the present Superintendent may again be called, to office, and it was expedient to equalise matters by a show oi' regard to his interests. The announcement of Mr. Calder, who has consistently opposed the Superintendent in his efforts to retain every vestige of power in his own hands, furnished the requisite opportunity to administer the t sop, and accordingly, the News throws cold water on his candidature, by accusing him of gross disrespect and dishonesty to the electors in not having declared his intention at an earlier date, Granted that Mr. Calder ia a very good man to have in the Council, on account of his thorough business habits aud the heavy atake he possesses in the Province, aud granted that his past action in the Council has been in accordance with the wishes -of a large majority of his constituents, how absurd does it appear to object to him because he did not think fit to declare; his intention of standing again, until fourtten days before ; the day i ole eleofciom' Wo havo^pevhaps, wasted too much apace in exposing our eon-' . temporary's fashion, of trifling with

the interests, of the' ErovmcM ! It ls^ertain that Mtv^Calder knows what is|the " etiquette of a profession erf 'lionon"jppb& as well as the\ Editor "of : the Southland News, who does not scruple, without a shadow of reason, to accuse him of unworthy dodgingl It is gratifying to us to know that, one more is added'to the list of 'those who are determined at all Hazards to put a stop to the "little game," of which Southland has been made the victim for the last four years. There are now six candidates for: InvG'rcargill, VIZ. .'• — Dr. Menzies, and Messrs. C alder, Dayies, Maodonald, Taelto^, and OiiALMERS ; and. only four out of the number can he returned. Dr. Menzies has a good many supporters in the town, principally .-bound -to him by the tie of home associations or personal predilection, and it may be that he will be successful.; but supposing him to be returned, who out of the other five are to make up. .the requisite list of members ? There is but one black shee,) amongst the number, and that is the present " honest, thoughtful trustworthy " Provincial Treasurer, Mr. Tarltobt, the gentleman who slandered Mr. Chalmers behind, his back ,- who in conjunction with the Superintendent, devised the Southland "shinplaster," and thereby made the Province the laughing-stock of New Zealand ; whose advanced political creed sees nothing but ruin and dishonor in borrowing money for the public service, no matter how reproductive the works on which it is proposed to employ it ; who has not scrupled to cling fast to the office of treasurer, and pocket the emoluments i arising therefrom, when it is notorious i that he is in no way qualified to discharge the duties efficiently. Whatever the i electors do, let them* draft out this disgrace to the flock, and leave him to pick up a living elsewhere than in the comfortable quarters he has so long occupied at the public expense.