The Southland Times. FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 1872.

Southland Times, Issue 1551, 15 March 1872, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 1872.

Tuebe is a story told of the wife of a Lord Provost of Aberdeen, who accomp.inied her husbiind to LonOon, wKera lie had gone to attend to aome civic business. Impressed with a dua sense of her exalted position, derived partly no doubt from her reception on public occasions by the good citizens of Aberdeen, she ia said to have replied to a friend, who soon after her arrival asked her whether she had been to the opera, " Hoots, no ! What for should the like of me be gicu. to tho opera, just to create a confusion f" The worthy lady's consideration for the comfort of the Londoners certainly did her credit — though her anxiety was needles?. '. With a like praiseworthy desire for the welfare of his constituents, Mr Calder declines to mi-et them publicly, for the present at least, lest the expression of his views should draw down on their heads the wrath of au offended Government. The motive is so goo I, that wa feel it would be almost ungracious in us to examine too closely the reasoning which has led him to this determination. Otic cannot help wondering how far similar prudeut considerations may have affected the qu.tlity of his utterances in the Assembly, where the results of plain speaking would no doubt be as serious as they can pos.>ibly bo here. It would probably afford but little relief to his rainJ wore we to say that for our own part we are willing to run the risk. .For, as h<j might justly reply, we do not know what he is going to say, while he probably does, and must therefore be brfCte-r able than we can be to estimate the consequeuces. Still, we cannot but regret that, holding these views, he has already said so much. For one who desires to avoid giviug offence to the Ministry, it seems scarcely prudent to declare in a public document that they are capable of resenting the criticisms of a representative in the way he describes. A heavier charge indeed

could hardly be brought against any Gr )vernin- > nt, or a specific statement rn.idf vv'tich would imply greater political turpitude and un fitness for the tru^t they hold; so that we fear the misch'ef, if any, id already done, and that if the favors of the Govern meut are only to be conferred on condition of our member's maintaining a judicious silence when he cannot conscientiously approve, we have little indeed to hope for now. There is, however, one chance for us yet, and that lies in a contingency which Mr Caldek seems to have overlooked. Tt is quite possible that his views, should he decide ultimat'ly on giving them utter nice, may not meet \ with the complete approval and sympathy from the constituency which he seems to count on as a matter of course. In that case, things would be greatly simplified. Should he find himself seriously at variance with a majority of I electors, he would probably be requested to resign his seat; and by complying, he would put an end to the double anomaly of a conscientious representative, as we believe him to be, occupying a position in which he is afraid to speak his mind for fear of damaging the interests of his district, and of an important conI stituency kept in ignorance of facts known apparently to himself, but of the importance of which they have no means of judging, except from his own statement that the discussion of them might prove in the highest degree detrimental to their interests. The Executive, reassured by the choice of his successor, would have no scruple in dispensing their benefits with a liberal hand, and the consequent prosperity would reward him, in common with the rest of us, for the ■sacrifice he might be held to have made. Oq the other hand, should his arguments be couvincing, and his sentiments receive the approval of the electors, the responsibility would at once be transferred from his shoulders to theirs of whatever bad results might en«ue from venturing so far to assert their right of private judgment in a free country, as to impugn the policy of the Government — an act of audacity to which wo hope they would be four.d equal, on good reasons shown. It has been suggested that Mr Cai/deb may perhaps be anxious to defer his public appearance until Mr Dillon Bell has met tho electors of Mataura. As there is a clear advantage in having the speech of an opponent to serve as a text on which to expatiate, especially after the speaker himself has retired from the field, while one's own weak points remain unassailable, because not pre viously disclosed, we can scarcely imagine thafc this consideration can have escaped a man of Mr Calder's well-known intelligence — though we hardly think he can have remembered it when writing his unfortunate letter. In hi-> present extraordinary position we fear he has little mercy to expecfc at the hauds of a practised rhetorician like the member for MatauM, should he happen to be first in the field. The boldest course now would be the safest — to come forward and state his views like a man. Should there be anything in them, as no doubt there may be after all, he is very well able to make his meaning clear enough. Honestly formed opinions, openly expressed and consistently maintained, always command respect, even where they fail to convince.