The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1886. THE WAYS OF THE WORLD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1520, 2 December 1886, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1886. THE WAYS OF THE WORLD.

In his speech on Protection in Dunedin last Monday evening, Sir Julias Vogel said with a great flourish, and like a man that bad an original idea to impart ; “ In my opinion it would be much better if we raised a larger amount of revenue by Custom* duties, and worked the railways at lower rates. (Applause.) I feel that in theory and practice what we want is to enable country settlers to send their productions to town as cheaply aa possible, and to find in the towns artisan communities ready to cont'<*me them, and what is not required for consul"’' 0^011 *° bo ready for shipment to other couniu.***” (Appl.uee.) On or about the ?Pth of last January there appeared in many oi ‘*‘6 New Zealand papers a letter signed J. M. Twomey, and headed Protection and Cheap Railways. In that letter there appeared the following sentence “Rural industry is just as much handicapped by railway freights as manufacturing industry is by competition with foreign importations, and I consequently think that if protection is given to one relief ought to be given to the other. My proposal is, therefore, ’to increase the Customs duties, and devote the revenue thus raised io lessening railwayfreights. J

Copies of the scheme worked out in ■ detail were sent to members of the Government, and Mr Twomey has in hip possession a letter acknowledging the receipt of them. It is, therefore, a roost reasonable thing to conclude that Sir Julias Yogel bse adopted Mr Twomey’s scheme, and is desirous of appearing as its legitimate father. “ Steal, ’’says Sheridan in The Critic, “ Steal ! to be sure they may,, and, egad—serve your beat thoughts as Gipsies do m i n children—disfigure them to make ’em pass for their own.” Sir Julias hardly went the length of the Gipsies. His ideas are exactly the same as the original, and there is very little difference in the language. Sir Jn ins Vogel leaps all the applause, and Mr Twomey gets not a bit of credit (or having thought out the scheme. This is the third of Mr Twomey’s schemes Sir Ju ins Vogel baa appropriated. He appropriated the Homes for Agricultural Laborers scheme, and treated it as Gtpsies treat stolen children. He inserted ii it bis Looal Goverataent Bill, and when the bill came to Temaka the members of the TeiaaVa Road Board held a consultation over it and they “ went ” for it. * Base envy withers at another's joy, And hates that excellence it cannot reach.” They pronounced it villainous ; passed resolutions condemning it ; sen' the resslutions to Mr Rolleston, and the scheme was knocked on the head. The working men of Temaka felt aggrieved, and they kicked up a tremendous “ bobbery,” and amused themselves by burning in effigy one of the opponents of the scheme, la this way the scheme was strangled, bat it is to be hoped Sir Julias will prove a better foster-father to his more recently adopted charge, bir Julius Vogel has made a reputation by making nse of other men’s brain’s. Be borrowed his Public Works policy from fie Gape of Good Hope ; be borrowed bis “ South Sea Bubble ” scheme from Coleman Philips, but Coleman Philips laid claim to it, and the Government had to pay him something for it. Sir Julius Vogel is a Protectionist in commerce, but a Freetrader in other men’s ideas : in fact, he is a smuggler of them, for he steals them Talking about stealing reminds me of a good story which is told by the Urenui correspondent of the Taranaki Herald. A thief having killed and skinned some sheep, stuffed the skins with the entraila and so disposed the remaines on the ground as to give them the appearance of sheep sleeping, the result being that it was only on close examination that the fraud was discovered. The police are now in search—not ef the lost meat, but of the perpetrators of the theft. Now who could help feeling respect for so ingenious and artistic a thief ? That man is lost in Taranaki. He ought to go to London where he would rise to the top of the profession. I feel kindly towards the Salvation Army, because I think that in their own peculiar way they are doing good. I have not like other “ men of wrath and sin” spoken condemnatory of them, but I am not going to deny myself the luxury of having a laugh at their expense, friendly as I feel towards them. A party of them were driving along a certain road the other night singing “ We’ll fight for the Lord everywhere,” when to their otter astonishment and discomfiture a white figure bearing, a resemblance to a woman appeared mysteriously. Ihe fighting song ceased, a feeling of terror suddenly seized them, and they, felt they Vere in the presence of a denizen of the country beyond the confines of this yale of tears, It is remarkable, but nevertheless it is true, that these people who are so spiritual in their feelings felt unhappy in the presence of perhaps a fairy being come to impart to them glad tidings. They felt no disposition to have anything to say to her ; they recollected they had a prior engagement, and they deemed it advisable to keep it. The old horse was pnt to a canter, and from a canter to a gallop, and from a gallop to some other unnamed degree of speed, that would beat John Gilpin and Tam O’Shanter by long chalks, and so they reached home. They told their friends in whispers that they had seen an apparition dressed in pure white, and eventually it went to the ears of some of those whose faith in spirits is not strong. A few of these pnt their heads together, and they determined to interview the ghost with stoat sticks. They went, bat the ghost knew better than to risk the interview. She did not appear, and they bad to return home, disappointed. Since then it has leaked ont that the ghost was a lady who was dressed in white, and in company with another lady who was dressed in black. The night was so dark that the lady in black could not be seen. The lady in white was concealed from view by the lady in black until they moved to get ont of the way of ihe trap, and it was this sodden appearance of the white lady tj|at caused all the commotion. Gobi O’Lanus.