OUR MEMBER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 284, 31 August 1880, Page 2

OUR MEMBER.

TO THE EDITOR. Sik. —The castigation the member for Gemldine received at your hands on Saturday last was richly desorved, and the opinion expressed by you that, in the event of another eleotiou should Mr Wakefield again present hiois-df he would be ignominiously defeated, is endorsed by a large number of electors ; as a matter of fact it is openly stated in

Geraldine, by those who have hitherto j given him thik support, that they will vote against him in future. That the district Mr Wakefield represents has been sadly neglected is only too patent to those who have watched the proceedings in the House this session. The wants of the district, it would appear, are too insignificant to be worth the smallest attention of our member—his great aoilities.no doubt, being reserved for something better. How the electors were bo easily guile 1 into electing him is—and has always been —a mystery to me and many others. He proved himself to be a politic*! traitor to his party a few years ago, and there are not wanting signs that he will prove himself a traitor to the district he was elected to represent. When a man persists ingiviug his support to a Government that will not attend to at least some of the wants of his district, then he ceases to command the respect and confidence of those he represents. That is exactly what our member is doing, and consequently he has lost the confidence of the electors. The Hall Government (who, by the way, has not the confidence of thecountry,thougli they have what Mr Pyke termed, a majority of servile followers in the House) are losiQg ground daily ; so much so. that a portion of the Press, hitherto warm supporters of the Government, have found themselves—in the interest of truth—compelled to admit that the Hall Government is wanting in business qualifications, and blames them, in pretty severe terms, fcr the unnecessary length of the session—there being next to nothing to show for their labors. That the Ministry have bungled nearly everything they have taken in hand is only too evident, and, as a con sequence, they have suffered two defeats within the last week, viz., the Beer Tax Bill

and the Finaucial Arrangements Bill; and the odds ara that if the session extends over another week, so disgusted are the members becoming at the numerous blunders made, that the Government will itself be defeated. In conclusion, Sir, I think it is obviously the duty of the electors of Gerald;ne to be up and doing, to show outmember that Ins actions hnve been closely looked into, the result of which is that he has most shamefully abused the trust placed in him ; in fact has been weighed and found wanting.—l am, etc., VERITAS. Geraldine, Aug. 30,1880.