THE Evening Star. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2157, 2 December 1875, Page 2

THE Evening Star. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1875.

At about noon yesterday a sudden fancy seized' Mr K. Graham and some few other men of mark, of whom, to our surprise, Dr Kilgour was one, to present an address to Sir George Grey on his arrival at the Thames this afternoon. The idea was no sooner conceived than acted upon, and recruits having been hastily beaten up from wherever the said few could lay hands on them, the associates betook themselves to the Grahamstown offices — not a very commodious or spacious spot, by-the-bye, for a public meeting of the inhabitants of the Thames—and proceeded to draw up an address, which was to embody, or might' embody, or ought to embody, the views of the Thames at large in expressing their admiration, love, honor, and esteem of Sir George Grey. It being represented, however, that an address got up in the manner we have •described might, to the minds of the evil-disposed, savor a little of a hole-and-corner meeting—a3 perhaps it might—-it was deemed more expedient to summon a ] public meeting at which only those were to/be present who agreed with the address in question, and then .and there decide upon the address and the manner in which it was to be presented. Accordingly an advertisement was inserted in our advertising columns calling a meeting of persons favourable to that object— ■ not a public meeting—to assemble that evening in the Pacific Hotel. This was done. An address, concocted by as many of those who formed the miniature meeting as cared to be present —the names of those at this meeting appear in another column — assisted by Mr Bent of the defunct Echo to approve, and Mr "peight to improve, was resolved on, and the party having adjourned to the Pacific, Dr Kilgour was declared chairman by Mr Wilkinson, and the performance began! The most noteworthy amongst the performers were Mr Speight, Mr McCullough, and Mr Wilkinson, who played the leading parts, with Dr Kilgour for the heavy father, and Messrs Carnell and Wickham in the low comedy business; Mr Rowe was (properly) indignant, and Mr McCormick did duty as; the Mrs Malaprop of the piece, slightly aided by Mr Speight, who " doubted " his characters. The whole went as well as the most ardent supporter of Provincialism could desire, and the audience departed much -pleased and satisfied with their evening's entertainment. Putting as serious a face as is possible on the matter we do not hesitate to describe the whole affair from beginning to end—looking at the result which has been* brought about by it—as a mistake. We thoroughly agree with what Dr Kilgour said, as he, spoke what may be in good earnest termed the prologue of the piece, and like him declare that we will yield to no men living, either at the Thames or elsewhere, in admiration for those manly virtues of honor, integrity, and fearlessness of ;purpose which have made Sir George Grey's name a byword for rectitude and opcn-iiealiDg

even among Ms most bitter political foes. It is beside the question altogether for us to praise Sir George. There is not a man, we believe, at the Thames wbo, as a thorough, honest, conscientious English gentleman will not be ready to accord to Sir George Grey the highest position which any man can hope to attain. But to present to Sir George in his official capacity, coming among us as he does as Superintendent certainly, as candidate probably, and as a future representative possibly,such an address as those i "favorable to the object" decided upon yesterday evening in the Pacific Hotel, we say, most emphatically, is placing the district in a false position with Sir George Grey, and Sir George Grey himself in a false position with the district; is affirming the approval of the district of that of which it does not approve, and is nothing more or less than stultifying the action taken before with reference to the wishes of the district regarding Abolition. Sir | George Grey declared in the House that in spite of the meetings held throughout the colony, at the Thames and elsewhere, he believed the constituencies were Provincialists at heart, and has he not every right to think so when the same community, which disregarded his telegram entreating delay before action was taken by them, think fit to present such an address as that which emanated from the brain of Mr Graham, was endorsed by the four or five who were with him, and approved, in spite of the expostulations of Mr Kowe—who never spoke with better taste or more to the point—by the meeting-of yesternight? It is true that Mr Wilkinson and other prime movers of the address denied most emphatically that the address had anything of politics in it atsil; butunlessthey tell this to Sir George Grey in what other way can he, or any one else who can read English, construe the document in question than as a direct approval of his entire conduct during last sesssion ?, Mr Speight—who, if reports speaks truly, has some thoughts of seeking senatorial honors beneath the wing of Sir George—asked Mr McGowan (who objected to the address) to point out any one sentence which approved dire'tly of Sir George's provincialistic opinions. Mr McGowan replied, and with justice, that it was not. so much any individual sentence that he objected to as to the tenor of the whole. What he said was true, but he might,'had he wished to particularise, have asked in what sense, other than that of approval of his political views, would Sir George Grey, or any casual reader be likely to take out of the sentence which affirms that, "looking, therefore, at the present juncture in political (the italics are ours) affairs, it behoves all true lovers of their country to give their representatives every moral support ? " Sir George Grey is our representative as Superintendent; he may be ours also as local member. As Superintendent of the Province, he was the greatest obstacle to the passing of the Abolition Bill; as our representative, if so he be, he will continue to do all in his power to bar its progress. The Thames community, not once only, emphatically declared itself in favour of Abolition, and now, by this address, it declares that it ought to give all "moral" support to Sir George Grey, who, whether as our Provincial Superintendent or future members, has done, and will do all he can to prevent what we deem so conducive to our interests from becoming law. Again, the address states that j " we have noted the bold attitude assumed by yourself in the General Assembly in furtherance of our rights, and have much pleasure in welcoming you to the Thames." Now if there.was one word more than another on which Sir George harped when denouncing the Abolition Bill it • was " the rights " of the people, which he declared that bill infringed. How is it possible, then, to ask Sir George Grey in reading that address to believe that the rights which he supported, and which support we are dutifully grateful for, were only those rights of -having more members, or other subordinate rights, and not those rights which Sir George with his whole heart and soul believes to be of paramount importance ? To expect that Sir George will take the lesser meaning which the word embraces, rather than the greater and more obvious meaning which the term points at, is as insulting to his common sense as it is remarkable for want of sense on the part .-of those' who drafted the address. The address speaks of Sir George's "bold attitude," what bolder attitude could he assume than when he spoke of "resisting to the death " and " fighting to the last," and used other meaningless flowers of oratory enlarged by the Auckland Evening Star, in defence of Provincialism? And yet with all these and other allusions to "rights" and all that sort of thing, we are told that the address has nothing of political meaning whatever ; that it is simply an expression of goodwill on behalf of the people in welcoming to our midst, after, ;.a laborious and fatiguing session, a man whom one and all respect and admire for much that is noble, and true, and honest. Sir George Grey is coming among us ; by all means let us welcome him. Let us take means of letting him know that though we are not at one with him in our political ideas, yet that in him we recognise a man ever ready to sacrifice his own convenience to what he believes to be the general weal, ever ready to expose abuses where he believes they exist, and.remedy grievances where they are pointed out; who in his own life and course of action has presented a living contradiction to the assertions of Bochefoucault, that "love of self pervades all actions of which man is capable." But it is possible to show our respect to Sir George'without making fools of ourselves, and this we would wish to see done. Au

address somewhat like the one which Dr Kilgour had drawn up would have had this merit in it, that it would not have laid us-, open to the charge of inconsistency. ' True,- it might have been made warmer. It was said that it was too cold, and without being adulatory stronger expressions might have been used, but it, or no address at all would have been better than the concoction to be presented this afternoon, which cannot free its authors and endorsers from the charge either of hypocricy or inconsistency. It is true that the advertisement called together only those who were favourable to the object, and when Mr Bagnall made some remarks tending to show that he did not quite agree with the address, Mr Speight took upon himself to usurp the position of chairman and told him that if he did not approve of the object, "he was there under false pretences," but, as it was carried that the Mayor and Councillors, Provincial Councillors, and (in the opinion of Mr Brodie more important still) the Highway Boards should b^present at the presentation of the address, it will savour too much of coming from a public meeting to the mind of Sir George Grey, unless he be told that it does not; and this, in the cause of truth, honor, and decency, it is hoped he will be told, as emphatically as is consistent with the courtesy due to so distinguished a man.

We invite the attention of our readers to an article which we publish in another column from the Auckland Evening Star, in which the writer " goes for " (to use an Americanism) the New Zealand Herald in consequence of the latter's luke-warm support of Sir George Grey. The Herald, which has trimmed many a time and oft, and become famous for its inconsistency, is not prepared to go the entire length with Sir George Grey, (as who would?) and demurs to some of the points of policy indicated by him in his late address ; and the Star, which very lately asserted that a healthy public opinion regarding matters political had been fostered by itself and the Heraldonly, now boldly states that the Herald has been seduced from its loyalty by some " dark power behind." Can our readers imagine the proprietor of tbe New Zealand Herald being taunted thusly ? If there is a journal in New Zealand, the proprietor of which may be said to be independent, it is the Herald. Its owner is a man of means ; associated with his fellow citizens in promoting every local industry and every institution for the advancement.of the colony; director of many public companies, even the most powerful; a colonist of a quarter of -a century. Yet the Star charges the Herald vvith being susceptible of backstairs influence —with being governed by some power behind the screen—scenes, perhaps, is meant. And all this because the Herald declines to accept the political gospel according to St. George, and the images which the Evening Star in Auckland has set up. We print the article in question in order that readers may see to what a pass matters have come in Auckland, through blindly accepting Sir George Grey as a prophet—as an infallible guide. As might naturally be expected, this attack upon the Herald has elicited a reply, and in a temperate article yesterday the Herald refers to it in the following terms: —

As to the accusation that in anything we may write we are influenced by some " dark power " outside the office, we have only a tew words to say. Whatever may be our faults, they are a|l our own. There is no man in Auckland who can utter a command in the Herald office but the proprietor, and he is in a position of all solute independence of Sir George Grey, or of Sir George Grey's political opponents. We look to the interest of Auckland, and to that alone. The course we have taken in the past twenty years is, we believe, convincing evidence of that to the public, and we shall continue on the same course, and thereby give the lie to the accusations that have been made against us.