The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1887. DEFEATED CANDIDATES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1645, 11 October 1887, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1887. DEFEATED CANDIDATES.

The last election has, according to all accounts, made great changes in the personnel of the House of .Representatives. Many of the old members have been rejected, and young men have replaced them. We were informed that the election was the most important ever held in New Zealand, and that the . condition of the colony was such as required the most careful attention from the ablest and best men the colony could produce, but the electors appear to have looked upon the matter from a different standpoint. Instead of our “ most potent, grave, and reverend seigniors ” they selected in many instances youths whose only recommendation seemed to have been that they were first class at football or cricket, white in other instances old men were selected because perhaps they were good at nothing. The Premier, certainly the most popular man in New Zealand, was defeated by the captain of a football and cricket team, who only recently returned to New Zealand from England after some years of absence, and who perhaps never read or heard a discussion on political subjects before in hid Hte. Why was this done? First, because Sir Robert Stoat has sinned against , the “ goody-goody ” people of Dunedin in the matter of the Bible in schools | second, because he has sinned against the publicans ; third, because a few footballers and cricketers wanted their captain elected to Parliament ; and fourth, because the youth who replaced him is immensely rich, and has a very large number of tenants living in the district. These are the influences which worked Sir Robert Stout's downfall, and struck at the Liberal cause a blow from which it will not recover for many a year, Mr Tole fell a victim to the machinations of Sir George Grey, who is said to bare prompted Garrett, the third candidate, to go in and split the Liberal vote, These were the only important men who fell on the Liberal side, and if Sir Robert Stout and Mr Tole, with one or two other Liberals, had been elected, the best Government New Zealand has yet seen would have been able to carry on the business of the country. The people have not been educated to voting for principles instead of men yet, however j they vote because they like a mao, or because he is a good speaker, or because bis father did them some service, or because of some other silly reason, and they do not inquire what his politics are. So long as that is the ease we must be misgoverned, but we think the shoe must pinch the people a good deal tighUr before they realise fully the importance of the considerations involved in the election of a member of Parliament. Mad the people reflected on the 1 great queations involved in the late elec--1 tions—h*d they seen that it was a fight between the rich and the poor, a deathstruggle between capital and labor—they would have placed such a following behind Sir Robert Stout aa would have enable him to govern the country lo the advantage of the people ; but they did not do this—they did the exact opposite, and we are afraid they will live to regret it. |t MESSRS EOLLESTON AND BRYCE. One peculiar feature of the elections was that it was the best men on both sides who were defeated. With the exception of Mr Ballance, Sir Robert Stout and Mr Tole were the b-st amongst the ranks of the Liberals; with no exception Messrs Roileston aud Bryce were the best among the Conservatives, yet these were the four men selected for defeat. This is a mast extraordinary fact, and in relation to Messrs Roileston and Bryce it becomes still more strange., We have seen what causes led to the defeat of the two Ministers, but the only way in which we can account for Messrs Roileston and Bryce's non-election is that they were renegade Liberals, and that neither party cured to trust them. Another peculiar thing is that several of the new members are ready to give up their seals to Sit Robert Slout, Mr Tole, and Mr Bryce, while not one has offered to resign in favor of Mr Roll-stm. Not ev n Mr Rhodes, whom he so arduously tutored and assisted, is ready to do i f . W<’ have opposed Mr Roileston, and if th* 4 Btout-Yogei Gov« rnm< ut h*d barn eucwe should have rejoiced in his defeat. W« desired lo s-e the atGovernmeilfc retained with as large a majority as because yte fully believed in the prognS'W® fore the country, but new tbaf been defeated we should like to see places filled by the beat man on the other side of the Douse, and there is not on that side a better man then Mr Rolleston. We have never been able to find '•at what has contributed to the popu- < laritjofP c«. Mia Native poll* y j

partook of the character of both a highhanded tyrant and a timid poltroon. Ho annihilated Te Whiti, who always preached peace, and shook the bloodstained hand of the author of the Poverty Pay massacre—Te Kooti. He wag also successful in the libel action against Kusden, and this constitutes his record as a Minister. Mr llolleston has a much better record. Previously to haying joined the Atkinson party he was so popular in Canterbury that he was know as “ The People’s William,” and even in such had company as he has kept since, his record is good. His land policy was the only redeeming feature of the Conservative administration, and it is because he is not in the new Ministry to carry on the good work of land settlement that we regret his defeat. Had he been elected he would undoubtedly be Minister of Lands in the new Ministry, for the one just appointed will not live long. There in no man on the Conservative side so liberal in his views on the land question as Mr llolleston, but apparently the people have now lost faith in him. In 1884 he was denounced by the large landowners. Mr John Grigg then placed himself and Sir George Grey in the same category, and denounced both of them as Revolutionists, Socialists, etc. In 1887 Mr John Grigg came to Geraldine to nominate Mr Eolleston as the fit and proper person to represent the district. Mr Grigg would not have done this only that he knows Mr Eolleston has deserted the people, and it is because the people noticed this change that they deserted Mr Eolleston. However, it may be for the good of all. It will be for Mr Bolleston’s good as a politician if he profits by the lesson given him and relies on the support of the people at large instead of trying to regain the confidence of large landowners. THE NEW MINISTRY. Anew Government has been sworn in—and such a Government. We were fully prepared for Major Atkinson—we Knew that there was no other man on his side of the House to take the lead—but we were not prepared for the inclusion of Messrs Fisher, Hislop, and Fergus in his Ministry. Mr Fisher is the last man we should have thought of as a Minister. Putting his private character on one side, which, by-the-by, may now as well he allowed to rest in oblivion, what has he to recommend him? Nothing. He has neither position nor principles. He was returned for the first time three years ago, pledged to turn Major Atkinson out of office, and now he has returned to Parliament only to be the colleague of the man he has so frequently denounced. He was a member of the Government Insurance Board of Directors, and has been freely accused of being the cause of a great part of the trouble experienced by that body. It was supposed he aimed at becoming its paid Chairman. Until a short time before being elected to Parliament he was a member of the Hansard staff, but since then he does not appear to have had any occupation. What then becomes of the question of weight in the House ? Here is a man who has no position in a social or commercial point of view, yet he fights his way to the Ministerial benches through a host of rich men. Mr Hislop is an Oamaru lawyer who was in Parliament 12 years ago but was for some time absent from it, and came in as a supporter of Sir Robert Stout after the appointment of the Hon. Mr Shrimski to the Legislative Council. Ho studied law with Sir Robert Stout, and believes himself to be the abler man of the two, and those who know him intimately think that he was prompted by jealousy of Sir Robert in his opposition to the late Government. He is popular in Oamaru, but in joining Major Atkinson we consider he has ruined himself. Mr Fergus is an engineer, and has been a large Government contractor. He is a speaker of the “spread eagle” type, but is devoid of fitness for office in the present i'uncture. Mr Mitchelson, better mown as “the carpenter’s apprentice,” is the only member of the Cabinet, besides Major Atkinson, who ever held a portfolio before. He was Minister of Public Works for a few months is 1884, and it was during his administration that the grain tariff was raised. This is, we think,

the only memorable thing he has done. He is no speaker, and has scarcely ever opened his mouth in the House. As regards Mr G. E. Richardson, we know nothing of him further than that he has a name yet to make. Mr E. C. J. Stevens is wellknown in Canterbury as the representative of the worst type of colonists —the money-rings. As regards the honorable and gallant Major himself it is not necessary to say much. He is to be Premier, Colonial Treasurer, Minister of Customs, and virtually the Government. All his colleagues are new, and he will be able to exercise such influence over them as will make him master of the situation. He will, iu fact, be the Government; he will be an autocrat—his colleagues will on'y carry out his behests. Only a short time ago be was the most unpopular politician iu the colony ; now he is its absolute ruler. Mr Eisher is not a man who would play second fiddle to .'‘vone, provided be saw any chance J J l ’"* the first fiddle to play, but^he‘knows " T ie knows also that ou*.. 1 e * 8 shief will pay. Mr Fisher may Hr “ ’ore be exoected to do as be is told. 1

At any rate Major Atkinson is master at present, but we feel certain be will not be so long. He is trying too hard to please all parties, and the result will be that he will please none. We do not think the present team will last lo the end of the session.