The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1890. THE NEW MEMBERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2138, 16 December 1890, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1890. THE NEW MEMBERS.

Mb W. S. Axleit, who has been elected to Parliament, is a new-chum Englishman who spent a few months in this colony last year, went home to look after his own business, and is now on his way out again. He has been a member of the British Parliament, is a wealthy man, and is very much addicted to temperance. He may be an excellent man, and a thoroughly good representative, but at the same time we must say that it appears to us ridiculous, if not humiliating, to run this gentleman into Parliament on such short acquaintance with him. What does he know of the colony ? and why should be be elected to make laws for the people who have borne the heat and burden of colonisation P Tet no objection is raised against him. Mr Jackson Palmer is a young lawyer of twenty-six summers, and no one objects to his election. Mr James Mills is managing director of the U.S.S, Company, He was in Parliament during the past three years, but did not attend a quarter of the time, in fact he was almost always absent except when something of interest to the Union Company was under discussion. He actually represents the Union S.S. Company and not Port Chalmers, and the Hon, George McLean represents the same interest in the Legislative Counuil. The Union S.S. Company pays no property tax or stamp duty, and thus defrauds the revenue of £20,000 a year, if not more. The Union S.S, Company contracts for the San Francisco Mail, and has a monopoly of the coal of the west coast, in fact it has the colony by the throat, yet no one thinks it wrong that Mr Mills has been elected. Now let us look upon this matter sensibly, Here is a boy-lawyer, a new-chum Englishman, and this manager ot this tremendous monopoly elected, and no one finds fault with them. Then there is Mr Valentine, a manager of a land company, elected, and there are other members of our Parliament who represent monopolies in a similar manner. No one finds the slightest fault with these members, not a word is uttered against them, but a howl of indignation is heard from end to end of the colony because a few working men have been elected. Now we want people to take a sensible view of this matter. is not a well-educated, shoemaker, brassfounder, or carpenter of about 50 years of age as likely to take a reasonable view of things as the boy-lawyer, or the new-chum Englishman. Again, this sensible workingman, be he ever so radically disposed, cannot do so much injury to the public at large as special representatives of all crushing monopolies. We have again to assert that all the screaming is uncalled for, and that no one will be hurt by what has happened. President Lincoln split rails, President Johnson was a tailor and learned to read and write after he was married, yet both these were amongst the most famous and most worthy of Americans. Men from the ranks of labor have done more to benefit humanity than any other class, and the howl set up now is senseless, foolish, and mischievous. A WARNING WORD. We have tried for years to warn people of coming events. Frequently we hare urged that the people woulcl eventually turn round on those who connived at creating monopolies, regardless of the interests of the masses. The tide has set in now, and without a doubt it will rise higher yet. The working men see what they can do by uniting together. They can see that they can put whoever they like into Parliament, or keep whoever they like out of it. The last election has opened their eyes wider than ever they were opened before, and it is not likely that they will close them by next election. At any rate their opponents will take care that they will not. Artemus Ward used to say that more mischief was done in the world by fools than by rogues, and nothing more true has ever been said. All over the country,

now a scream has been set up because of the number of labor representatives who have been elected, and most insulting references are being made to them. Even the Auckland Herald warns capitalists not to cope to a country like this, and a Christchurch paper predicts that misery and ruin must result from it. This sort of thing is no fun. It is terribly and awfully mischievous, and must have two bad effects. It will annoy and irritate the working men, and make them more determined next time, and it will tend to frighten people from coming to the colony. We have Irequently warned people against raising these class cries during the last few years, and as frequently fools have scoffed, laughed, and jeered at us. Tet our predictions have come to pass. We have only now to add that if this screaming is persisted in, and resistance is offered to progressive legislation, “ members with a stake in the country ” will be tew and far between after the next election. FOOLISH BRAG. A cablegram from Melbourne states that the President of the Ship-owners Association said at a banquet there that the strike was forced on by a Mr Alfred Lamb, a ship-owner. Mr Lamb surmised that tbe labor party intended to strike during the wool season, when the masters would not be in a good position to fight, and so he forced on the strike in the slack season. [Now is it not madness to brag of this P What effect will it have P Simply to irritate and annoy the labor party. What will that party say but that they were beaten by trickery, and is it not likely that they will try to have revenge sooner or later ? This is what it all amounts to : The ship-owners now brag that they were too smart for the unions by making them strike in the slack season, but while indulging in this idiotic boasting, are they not teaching the unions a lesson ? What can the unions say but “ very well, every dog has his day, you had yours, we shall have ours next year or the year after, or some other year, and you will learn to cease bragging of your cleverness when we shall strike in the middle of the busy season,” That is simply what the effect of the boastful utterances of the President of Shipowners Association must be. It must result in causing the unions to long for revenge. The prospect before is indeed dark and gloomy. Capital and labor are apparently deadly enemies, and cruel battles between them is looming in the distance. This is rot a bright look-out for the people, we must all suffer through it. We have all along preached peace, but there is no peace, and there cannot be so long as men indulge in conduct calculated to make matters worse. It is sad to think that men who ought to know better are so mad as to indulge in such irritating and mischievous conduct as that of the President of Ship-owners Association. . THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. So tbe Government which has just now been kicked out of office by an indignant country means to flood the Legislative Council with their friends before retiring from office. This is the news that comes to us trom Wellington. The Government admit that they are beaten, yet though they no longer possess the confidence of the country, and ought to surrender office as soon as possible, they have determined on making new appointments to the Legislative Council. This is a terribly disgraceful proceeding. A part of the retrenchment scheme was that the Legislative Council should not exceed half the number of the House of Representatives. Tet here is this same rentrenchment ministry making fresh appointments to it now, when by the verdict of the country they ought to cease to exercise administrative functions. The object is, of course, to place in the council men who will resist any progressive measures, so as to harrass Mr Ballance in all possible ways. “ Carthage must be destroyed.” The Legislative Council must be reformed, and the way to do it is to disallow the honorariums of members. If their honorarium is stopped half of them will go out on strike, and their places can be filled by men who will consent to reform the council. Meantime we must say that nothing more disgraceful has not been done in late years than for the present Government to make appointments at the present time. If the Governor has any conception of his proper functions and authority, and unless he is a venal and submissive aider and abettor in these disgraceful proceedings, he will not allow any fresh appointments to be made.