The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1881.

Temuka Leader, Issue 704, 1 December 1881, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1881.

To-Morrow, the first act will be performed in the political play, cnt tied “Who’s to Win?” u two-act comedy, under the distinguished patronage and favor of His Excellency the Governor and the Ministry of the country. The e'ectoisof (lie Geraldine district will be the audience, the Resident Magistrate’s Courthouse, Temuka, the stage, and Messrs Wakefield, P-istleth waite, Hayhurst, arid Leach, the actors. A formal prologue, prior to the play commencing, will be read by the conductor, afur which the four actors’ friends will nominate them so that they may take part in the great play. Unfortunately, however, for the keeping of ihe audience in good humor, through the passing of the Corrupt Practices Prevention Act during the last session, no orchestra will be present, so that the whole of the play will be gone through in a very “ t ut-and-diied ” sort of manner. Indeed, we hardly know whether any applause, whatsoever, will even be allowed. No programmes of the comedy having been issued, we are at a loss as to which one of, the dramatis persona will be awarded ihe honor of first addressing the multitude. It is presumed. howe'er, that Mr Wakefield will be tiis first to appear, who will have, a wreath of laurel around his manly brow, indicative of having been the people’s favorite in times past. This wreath he will take off in the most graceful manner 1 possible and lay on the ballot-box for the disposal of the electors fur a period of 1 three years. He will then make an oration, in imitation of Mark Antony, in those d.ulcet tones through which he has earned his Ne c Z aland reputation, and recapitulate what ho has done in the past i fur his constituents, and promise any amount of good things for them in the future. After a short silence the second candidate, Mr Postlethwaite, will endeavor 1 to impress or , the minds of Ids hearers that he,is a better, man than the last speaker. He "ill tf?H them that Mr , Wakefield is a Conservative, but he is a Liberal, wjdch will be something new to the electors. He will bo asked, if he is a Liberal, how can. he say of the Hall Government (Conservative to the bnck- > bone), that they have been the salvation of the country ? an idiom much doubled by,the people He will then make place for the Temuka candidate. Mr Hayhnrst, who will ostensibly. c une forward to represent the working, man. He is cot held much in favor, by the volunteers or teachers of schools, on account of some expressions he made use of during his starring tour through the district. But who does not, on such, trying occasions,now and then have a slip of the tongue and give offence where no offence tvas . intended. Ho has not been within the • walls of Parliament House as the representative of the people as yet, although ' at one of the similar elections to the present he was, very n.ear*i only being beat' a bv Ids opponent through, the. casting vote of the Returning Officer. However he hopes for better, luck this f ine. Las J , but not least (according to the veritable words of the candidate himself), comes Mr D .vid Leach, who has. taken care to impress on the electors the fact that’

lucid, u wot practicable, views on whut a : model Government ought to be, and also j how theland laws,should be amended in 1 order that the colony might at some , future time retrieve itself of the national 1 debt which is now* crushing it. He is in | favor of the “annihilation of tho Hall 1 ling," but not in the throwing’ of rotten j eggs and flour, at candidates. The first j act of the play being now concluded, after j the conductor had called fur a show of hands as to who was the people’s favorite, one of the candidates, through his,nominator, will demand a poll, that is, that the second act in “ Who’s to Win ” might be represented at a future day. The conductor will, as a matter of course, accede to such a reqm st, and infprm the audience that it will take, place on that day week. The curtain will thee drop, the people will disperse for an intermission, talking here a:-id there iron wiiafc they had bth seen and heard. The four candidates will pass a busy week in button-holing the electors fpr their vote and interest. They must, in doing so, go about with a copy of the Corrupt Practices Prevention Bili in their hand, as well as a memorandum hook, for reference now and again to see how far they may go,

and calculate how many. uuhbJera of whisky, or bottles of lemonade for the voteis themselves, or yards of colored ribbon to tie up the bonnie broan hair of voters’ wives and .their children, they may lawfully expend their money upon, so that their expenditure, when totted up, will be under the £25 allowed by the Act. An account of the second, act will appear shortly.