The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1879.

Temuka Leader, Issue 192, 6 November 1879, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1879.

Who was the father of the rats ? This is a question which everyjiolitician is ready to ask. Who first showed the cloven hoof in the camp ? Who first danced to the tune of wheel about ? We unhesitatingly reply, a Dunedin daily centeinporary. Only six or seven months back the Grey Government, and particularly Sir George Grey, its Premier, appeared to this revolving light, as an angel from heaven. It was like a contemporary a little farmer north, who deemed it a great blessing to New Zealand to have such a precious jewel adorning its House of Representatives. Often as we had marked the eccentricities of tills educator of the people, it had never entered our minds that it could so suddenly, so coquettishly, and so disgustingly turn upon its own discharge, and, like xlie Israeiitish soldier, cover it with its own paddle, out of its sight. When our eyes first caught the words in print, wiiich pictured the model statesman (that it had formerly taught us to revere) as a helpless embicile, that was ruining the country, we looked again to see tliat it was not ourTimaru monstrosity that we were handling. Not so, however; it was nothing l«ss than a full fledged daily, preaching blasphemy to a puritanic community. (LLxxld it be possible, we thought witli ourselves, that this Bible in schools advocate, could be guilty of such horrid treachexy, could debase itself to such mean, contemptible double dealing to please a few shareholders, who had for some reason or other taki H umbrage at the high minded Premier. What a pitiable sight to see a journal who at one time was looked upon as a credit to the press of New Zealand, prostituting itself to please a small cotery of political adventurers. Hero the ratting began, to the everlasting disgrace of our southern neighbors. Like every evil habit the temptation to indulge in, it grows stronger, the oftener it is looked at and parlied with ; from a commencement in Otago in the South it continued to travel northward until it proved a most malignant and fatal disease, in Auckland in the north. Calmly contemplating the whole proceedings, thus begun by a member of the fourth estate, and culminating with the humiliating spectacle of a set of traitors to the .cauae of freedom, acting as spies, to betray those who had disclosed to them the' secrets of their heart, we cannot but stand appalled at the sight. To see men who had filled places of honor, if not wilh satifaetion to their country, at least to themselves, stooping so low in the moral scale, fox the sake of pleasing a selfish grasping constituency, who have, year by year, drained the Middle Island of its wealth, and winked at land jobbery and savage robbery, we cannot but cry shame on them. Our sense of right compels us to say they ought, one and all, to be shunned and Jbrauded, ns unworthy tiie > ountenance or respect of upright men, or to sit with them as law makes of a coxxutry which mxist henceforth blush for very shame, whenever their name is mentioned. However the party to whom they have leagued themselves by this dastardly conduct may try to explain away the enormity of their guilt, there is no explaining aw'ay the fact that they sat and took •* sweet ” council with the unsuspecting victims, which they meantime sold for their thirty pieces of silver. Like the father of that fraternity they could sham a species of sincerity that by their dissimulation they might be able to escape detection. When the history of our country is written. It is to be hoped this episode will not be lost sight of. During the late election, and for long before, certain ogotlists kept up a railing against the late Government, and particularly Sir George Grey, who, for years, was their idea of what a statesman should be. Their conduct disgusted every right-think-ing man in these parts ; but viewing it as cause and effect, they allowed it to pass over, until the mercenary mouthpiece, to which we referred, made an outburst which shocked the modesty of the most profligate amongst .us. From that day to this, the whole tenor of their discourse has been to detract from the character of the man xvho was in principle and education, honour and honest, faithfulness and fidelity obliged to stand at arm’slength from their filthy breath. To cry down Sir George Grey, the man whom they previously sc much desired to honour, only betrays a fickleness which proves that so far as.principle is concerned, they are as unstable as water. The man who can so easily throxv overboard an old friend is not a man to be trusted in any way ; indeed hi business such a man is not safe to deal with, he would betray his nearest and dearest friend, when his bump of ambition or self-esteem is up. The spectacle that was exhibited to the world die other day by our New Zealand statesmen will lower us in the estimation of all honorable men throughout the civilised world. Here wo have a strong party pledged to the people to support a principle, and support one another in their efforts to check the infhxenca of wealth, so often in times past made xxse of to keep back the-settlement of the country, meeting day by day and renewing their pledges to stand or fall together. Yet in the face of these solemn protestations, bargaining with the enemy for the betrayal of tfie garrison. When such perfidy takes place in military life the traitor is immediately visited with the penalty of the law’, and his memory is held in execration ever after. But in New Zealand politics, men xvho in a former period of their political career have been foremost in pointing out the faults of others, now, when the time comes to deal with such, instead of repudiating they augment them, axxd prove that, as we have stated over and over again, they are not free from being bespattered with filth themselves. Such men, however they nvxy dissemble, alxvays come out in their true colours after a time. Subtle, full of intrigue, ever ready to use the moat crafty cunning when they are pxxt to the test—with such we have no part, to such we xvill not pander. The Government driven from office by the basest treachexy, had the good of tbs country at heart. Sir George Grey, in particular, Inn proved his sincerity of purpose by sacrificing everything for the good of his follow settlers, and, in order to satisfy the unjust clamour that he was ambitions for power, he yielded that power to any one whom his colleagues rivyiyo m their loader. Compared " ” 1 ’""'isors, and es- ’ ■ • - -fed

comes out of the contest with glory and honour, as against perfidy and mean decdt which must redound to his honour, and be handed clown to posterity, as a proof that there is at least one man in New Zealand who can act consistent!/ as a statesman. With the Hal Government we have nothing in common. We cannot sacctice an old and faithful servant, and take up with passing political adventurers, whose history will not stand the test of a like examination. We cannot and will not one day pour into the ear of a frier.d fulsome flattery that the member for Geraldine would stoop to, and the next day turn round and heap abuse upon the same individual because he would hut grant us a favor that he judges us unworthy of. All that our member has done ever since he entered the present Parliament has been to heap abuse in the most scurrilous manner upon the man who, in former days, ho chose to honor. Away with such hypocrisy and contemptible shuffling. We will at once and for all say we never saw cause for believing him, or trusting him. His conduct has been of the most .shifty character ; even up to this very moment it will not stand the smallest scrutiny. Take, for instance, the way he opposed the bringing in of the Comity Council Act some four years ago. Calling a meeting together for the very purpose of passing resolutions which he himself framed for the severance of the county, which, but for him would have been in full operation from that day, and all in order that he might serve Timaru. Compare that proceeding with his conduct in the House during the present session, wl en he gave notice that he would oppose the very petition wh ch he himself encouraged to be presented to the House. Such inexplicable conduct corap'ds us to repeat that we have jig confidence in him as a politician. Apart from that we will say nothing against him, but as a public man we ever have condemned him. His whole history as such is not creditable, and we must say the last phase adds to the pile of unpleasant recollections, and we fear it is not in his nature to he just, honest, consistent, or generous. Wherever we find an individual capable of turning round and abusing one which he formerly professed to love, we set it down as a proof that man can never be trusted.

Of the Hall Government it is needless to write. It has got into office by dishonest means, and its reign cannot be prosperous or good. A show of liberality may lull to sleep the suspicions of the unwary. That they are Liberals we do not believe. Mr Rolleston lias changed so often from party to party, that we do not know what will turn up next. Fond of popularity, with all his show of firmness he strives to keep well with any community who may be ready to cry him down —as instance his opposition toTiraaru some time back. Compare it with his cautious abstaining from saying or doing anything that will cause them offence. He is a good honest-hearted fellow, but weak as a politician. Wo are pleased to find that our recommendation of years ago is acted upon, and that lie is at length appointed Minister for Education. The attitude taken by up the Grey partyis creditable to their judgment, and is quite a contrast with what would have b en the state of affairs bad the Hall party been in Opposition. The way Sir George is conducting himself shows at once his good breeding. His honor and reputation is more to him than place and power. Long may he be spared to enjoy the calm which a quiet conscience bestows upon those who do that which is right with a pure motive. The time wiil come when retribution will overtake the treacherous cowards who forsook their general in the face of the foe.

The first 300 feet of the Tiinaru breakwater is about completed, and the work seems to have been carried out in a very substantial manner, and the way the shingle is accumulating at the south side leaves no room for doubting the permanancy of the work so far. There is yet, however, a great problem to solve, and the question of the travelling shingle is as far off from being settled as ever, and the question as to when the shipping of the port will be able to load and discharge alongside the wharf, is still a question as far off from settlement as ever. It is quite evident that ocean - going vessels would never be safe to moor alongside of a straight wall, however far it reached into the sea. It must therefore take some considerable time before a curve can be made to allow shipping to lie sheltered from an ocean swell, which often does so much damage to the shipping at Timaru. We, howoier, wish our Timaru friends all success in this undertaking. It, no doubt, would have been a wiser procedure to have spent this £IOO,OOO at Milford, where every £I,OOO would have secured more and more a safe retreat. But the determination of the settlers in Timaru to spend the money, was a natural thing. All the wiseacres of Hew Zealand would not have been able to convince them that they were doing wrong. The Milford Board must, therefore, paddle its own canoe. Why the plans, &c., for thefMilford works have not been forwarded to the the local Board we cannot understand. It is to be feared that the Hall-Rolleston Government will not deal so liberally wtth us as the Grey Government would. hav6 done. The Auckland compact will ruin the Middle Island’s prospects.