The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1880.

Temuka Leader, 18 May 1880, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1880.

The speech delivered by Mr Montgomery, in ihe Town Hall of that township on 'Thursday last, is the most candid and honest stateiiignt of facts V

Ihot has yet been gieen to the public fe the scheming and intrigues of the Hall party. It fully bears us out in all that we have stated concerning the party. Hr Montgomery condemns the Auckland rats in unmeasured terms for their treachery, and justly says such conduct ought to be held up to scorn and contempt. lie also corroborates our statement that Government are not stopping public works for want of funds. We sai 1 that they have two inidiona oo hand, out Mr Montgomery says thr e millions. If that lie true, why is the Ministry stop) iug all w.irks and overtaxing the people? The amount pledged to the Auckland and West Coast memb rs exceeds £140,000. Tiiis tempt a" tion was too strong for Messrs Wood and Masters, and their conduct is more excusable than Mr Hall’s and his parly, who could barter away the public funds for such selfish purposes, and such conduct on the part of our rulers totally unfils them for holding such offices as shou’d only be entrusted to honourable hen. \Ve have said over and over again that Mr Montgomery’s deliverances show more the mind and feelings of a true statesman than any other that has come before the public, Sir Geo, Grey excepted. There is a spirit of fair play breather! throughout the whole address, and evid nee of the speaker being a true Libera', and not a wolf m sheep’s clothing. His quaint hits at Mr Whittaker, the great North Island laud juggler, was a happy idea, well merited by that over-reaching, clever lawyer. His remarks on Major Atkinson, too. confirm all that we have stated about his unsuitablen.ess as a financier. The first speech of that gentleman under Vogel's Government we applauded ■but each .succeeding deliverance confirms us more and more that it was not his own production. The contrast with his iate eogi'ations is so great thatwe must, decline giving him credit for the authorship .if the first. Regarding his r marks upon the Premier we could almost be jubilant, seeing that they bear us out in every statement we have made .’bout that gentleman. More than once we have said he is a deep political dissembler. Mr Montgomery - ays he is all this —and more. He even says that Mr Hall has no sympathy with the people’s wishes when they demand proper representation. Like the Governor, he thinks the three R’s should be the equipment of every working man. Mark the following words from Mr Hall's speech : “ The rights of the people is to be well governed, but not to oxer ise political power.” If any reader should fancy we are wronging Mr Hall by a fictitious quotation, let him look up his speech, and he will see we are right; Mr Hall ana his necromamery crew are rank Ti r'es, but, unlike the English Tories, they are afraid to profess their doctrines. The explanation of the district railway manoeuvre is also w 11 brolught out, and substa? tiates what we have said about the selfishness-of that great project. L"t it never be forgotten that some of these lines pas s through the Premier’s lands. *• Heathfcote drainage again.” The old saying, what appears in the flesh is bred in the bone, never bad a better exempli Real ion than in the selfish dealings of this political wizard from the banks of the Rakaia River. How long the people ia Netv Zealand will tolerate such Insolence’as was uttered in the speech from which we have quotedi concerning the rights of the people, we are not ab.e to say, but if we know the working classes rightly' they' will speedily drive him from bis high position to herd with his equals. Space will rot allow us going further into the matter at present. Mr Montgomery’s spee- h is too long to be inserted in our columns, but w e would advise all who have the time to study it carefully, as it can be found in the LytTeton Tunes of the 15th instant The Assembly is about to meet. We would again advise every elector to register his vote, and be ready to return libera] members for next Parliament, which (unless the present Premier swallow s his promises) will come off after next sitting.