A MAYORAL CHAIN AND DEMOCRACY ESQUIRE.

Southland Times, Issue 18816, 8 May 1920, Page 2

A MAYORAL CHAIN AND DEMOCRACY ESQUIRE.

To the Editor. Sir, —The proposal to present a mayoral chain, and I suppose, robes of office to our chief eitiaen seems to be meeting' with the usual fate of all progressive ideas at the hands of the majority of bur town councillors. Reading your account of the debate on the question one finds that Councillor John Uatfaeson was seen “striking the table to emphasise his dissent” on the ■score that a mayoral chain was undemocratic ; it appears to me that the only thing be was emphasising was tost parochialism which is the besetting sin of most of the members of our town council. In to-day’s issue of your paper I find that this same gentleman approves of the appellation “esquire” as applied to the Mayor only—to the exclusion of other city fathers. This, I suppose, he will logically defend because he is democratic. If dear honest John will kindly tell me what democracy really means and particularly if he will disco* the relationship ’twixt it and * inconsistency, I ph «u promise to vote for him when he aspires to the chief citiaenohip of Invercargill.—l am, etc., S FIDO. May 7, 1920.