Mr Whyte, M.H.R. for Waikato.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3702, 5 November 1880, Page 2

Mr Whyte, M.H.R. for Waikato.

Sis Banquet at Cambridge.

BEVIEW OP HIS SPEECH.

(FBOM OUB SPECIAL COBBESPOKDIKT.)

Wellington, October 27 1880. " Whom the gods wish to destroy they first make m^," and by ananologous application whom some politicians desire to conciliate or deceive they first makewell giro a " feed," as it is vulgarly"''"." termed. Thug it was the other day when the member tor Waikato met a few of his constituents »t, his banquet,-and sought to be glorified amid the inharmonious Ter«ions of, « For he's V jolly good fellow. Perhaps it is hardly correct to unpfothat Mr Whyte got ap the dinner himself, to himself, but from the rumours that surround the giving of that memorable banquet to Mr Swanson, M.H.K., on his return after the more memorable session of 1879, one is notdisposed to be incredulous of the possibility at least, of such a thing. At any rate, - Mr Swanson thus accepted a resolution of confidence from 40 politically obscure persons, and thoroughly 'satisfied with this little favor did not seek to obtain a vote of confidence from the other sixteen hundred electors, whom he has never since condescended to address. As far as motires are concerned it would be unfair to associate the name of Mr Whyte wiih that ©f Mr Swanßon, for the former bad not to defend himself against the " whips '. and scorns " of an outraged constituency, and the scorn of the cofony. Beviewing v * political events since Mr Whyte'selection, whieli is only since the latter part of 1870,, one is puzzled to discover what entitled , him ta a banquet. Hcwerer, it has taken place; the political nest has got through a speech; he has takeu or mistaken, perhaps (for in relation to political matters, the retiaenoe of the other speakers was ominous) the good wishes of the festive company, for the confidence of the constituency, cad everybody went away/v«, if not satisfied. It * is not Mr Hewitt's fault if they were not full for it is generally understood that of the eighty persons expected, only about' fifty turned up. This circumstance alone onght to suffice to pronounce the whole affair as a failure. Surely after all a man cannot be very popular in a in a district where over fifty per cent of those invited do not come to a banquet. I have already said it pussies me to' discover why the banquet was given.' The Chairman in proposing the health of the guest seemed to give his wprtghtaut as the Mason. An upright man in the ' Waikato seems to be a rara avis, and the givißg of a banquet under such eireum* ' stances is on a par with the undeserved praise sometimes lavished on the insolvent who pays his Just debts. On the other hand, Mr Whyte himself, with' more real, truth than, self, denial or. modesty, said Jae had not been tendered the honor for anything he.* had dons) in the House, and it is quite certain his public services outside the House did not call for such a demonstration. So, that neither inside nor outside' the House of - does the political actions, of the member for Waikato furnish reason' *' for the dinner.. Doubtless 'he busied himself about the Cambridge Railway, but the cause was an unrighteous one, end therefore he could not sueoeed.' "Mr"' WbySe is perhaps now wise enough to;r' see- how that' Government, whichV he; supports:" gulled " him hut session in the <M matter of this railway; and the innocence;' which the Government gave Mr Whyte' credU for is only to be e'qnalled by di« < utter absurdity of the excuses which he ofered to Mb guests or constituents, for the failure of the question in the! House. He said in effect that this failure aroea '-. from the Bill not'being brought down 7 earlier in the session, as it was necessary to wait [for the Estimates. But in (he neit breath (after statiog.it was necessity „ to wait for the Estimates) he.said.it might have been possible to pass the Bill before- ; the Estimates* butit would have delayed. , 4 . them. Surely such argument could *aly be acceptable after dinner. But. passing , over this reasoning in a circle, by wtieh,.,. being deceived himself by them, he has, "' ! to excuse the Government, he knows very' r i well that the Bill had not the faintest ghost of a chance of passing, and though he informed, his hearers,th^t/the 'But', ! received considerable support and tyfeMdv'' its second reading,, it is a nQtortoas.laet. r. that that was only allowed by an arrangement by the Government with <.the' Opposition,- who did not desire to force .<( the former into tt position of humiliation „, and therefore permitted the second reading, on ihe distinct understanding that the Bill should not further be pw j - oeeded with, and the Bill was accordingly dropped. It was stated in Wellington at,, the time that Mr Whyte looghtio blaae . Bir. Geo; Grey for the then impending opposition to the Bill, and even went, so » far as unwarrantably telegraphing, so to l the Waikato; but Lam glad to see he has not ventured in biajspeech now to express any censure upon Sir G. Grey. No doubt ; this little railway scheme was at the time,,,', and is dow generalfyregarded as having been' what is known as a political job, - designed 1 to. benefit the large landed pro* , perties of a few individuals at the expense > ?

of the Thames people, a circumstance which, seeing that Sir G. Grey is their representatire and Mr Whyte •> Gorefn-; ■ ment supporter, sufficiently, explains tka- ■ - purity of motire. . , At to Mr Whyte's ideas on taxation, they needed no elucidation from him. ~ft ' is well, known that he is a large landed ' ' proprietor, and therefore he wpuli tax tn« , necessaries of life and beer, £c, to shield <■"■ landed property from its natural burdens. Ido not therefore wonder that eren before ' his small audience, his remarks, on his support of the beer tax met with cries of disapprobation. He admits that an . Income Tax is the best. Then irhr not support it t Because it would > inrplre ' concuvrenily a land tax, ; which to land sharks is always obnoxious. '^;; It is, rather, remarkable bow iovMr,< Whyte's endearor to make out hisjStfißr, innocence of nature land/iAsiKing, ha. a unwittingly contradicted nissself., He

said, "I bare myself speculated<tnlajvl. „• .- and may do so again, fotiiot vntemk land {" and soon after, in speaking of l Naftre Land Bills, he said, " I have «mcm> t - 'kited in native lands myself, but will not try it again, at least until the law is altered^' „_... ,Of course* by an after-dinner audience "such an absurd contradiction was osr ,s* noticed, but as it appears in print, it is by ; ■ no mean* reconcilable. Amongst th* ' . topicts touched upon in the ipeteh, 6d«•• -vo" is struck with astonishment that Mr" ■'''"■ Whjte should hare spoken in terms of approral of the. Gorernment Board of Works proposed lagt hiijoq. "

This tra* a scheme whijjh met with the strongest condemnation from all parts of the House, and it is difficult to conceive how Mr W., in the face of such universal disapproval, and of the fact that be, being a member from poor Auckland, and of a country district where subsidies are most needed, could be blinded by so hollow a proposal, and one which, as he knows, had to be abandoned by the Government as impracticable. Perhaps the most important statement made, by Mr Whyte was when he said the Triennial Parliaments Bill (whioh by the way, was not a Bill of last session, but of the session before) was a great mistake. In this he uttered his fears. He says a man only begins to, understand his business at the end of the Parliamentary term. But Mr W. ( forgets, the constituents also begin to understand their representative', and in ascertaining the merits of V member the Triennial Act serves materially rs a." Keady Reckoner " in the cumulation. If the member for Waikato is n,ot)a brilliant tnan, be is very cunning, and he is at the game time a man who is generally highly '.respected. He has another session (if he chooses) before him, , wherein, to . ; modify his political vie^rs, in favor of Liberalism, which he so muqh dßspises—otherwise he will probably have cause both to regret his own action and to fear the operation of the Triennial Act.