THE "BRUCE HERALD" AND THE 50,000 ACRE SALE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 196, 2 November 1871, Page 5

THE "BRUCE HERALD" AND THE 50,000 ACRE SALE.

(To the Editor.)

_ Sib, — If anything were wanting to show that the. "Bruce Herald" ia bound to defend Donald Reid's administration under all circumstances, the second article in that journal on tho Moa Flat sale supplies am pie evidence in support of the tiu-t.

In his desire to shield lleid from the consequences of his most infamous participation in the sale, and the maintenance of a decent appearance of consistency, the editor of the " Brace Herald " must have found a very hard task, and I give him credit *'«♦• im.»iuflf performed it with a certain amount of elephantine agility most curious £c? witness. In bot-!i articles the sale is painted in dark colours ; abuse of the strongest kind is heaped on the devoted head of Maeandrew ; atad the patriotic Reid ia comiserated as a man who, Quintus Curtius like,, leaped into the gulf to save hia^joimtry from ruin. Now, I maintain such clap-trap is an insult to the- intelligence of the public, for^- assuredly the " Bruce Herald " .would never publish, such rubbish if*it did not think its flimsy attempt at political jugglery would be- successful in throwing dusfc in the eyes of its subscribers.

The most striking peculiarity in the conduct of the Tokoinairiro paper, however, is the sudden modification of its first expressed opinions. There cm be no doubt as to their meaning, viz., that the district of Mount Benger was arranged to be sacrificed in order that money "should be had to enable the quasi liberals to retain office. The people of Mount Benirer of cours? had the warmest sympathy of tie editor under the trying circumstances of; tiie case, and in effect they were told to be good- boys, and not " cry over spilt milk." When it was found that notwithstanding. this fraternal advice they did cry, and that the cry wna taken up in influential quarters, it Biiddeuly ate up its former opinions, and now we have a modified milk-and-water article which excite* the risibility of both the squatters aud the people, whose champion the •' Bruce Herald " would faia b© thought.

An extract from its latest Jupubra* tion is worthy a place in your columns — " If Mr. Clarke was able and disposed, tp lay out immediately a large amount of capital in enclosing, cultivatin;-?, and laying down his estate iti grass, the employment of labour would do some good ; but of course it is entirely optional with Mr. Clarke, in case the sale is upheld, whether or not he bo deals with the land." Just so. To which gratuitous supposition I would, add — Tf Mr. Clarke were disposed to get Melbourne capitalists to form a company, and take in hand the working of the Island Blo<>k for gold, it would be much better than having ever bo many '*' clodhoppers " settled on it — and so on.

Sir, when I came to New Zealand, it was vrith-tho intentioit.tif settling on. a piece 6f land \vhi>h I fenild eali my own ; that T-should be ttt a- position t© call no,»m an- master, but live honestly, "proviSin&'thjn^dewflt in the sight of all .nfrn.,"- that I fchould, i*f fact, v bo independent ; ..not dreading or ' caring for the whims or Caprices of any fs-ldw-uran, placed by rapacious lavs' in a position relatively to my own tha* e.urely was never intended, aiijl tho .eonlumwLsubraisHiuii to whic^i hy thd m-ultittude t 4i-^uca- i#aoran«G Una cowardice gf nroet j&um&at&g W?vat do I #nd fccre <p-Ke* Settland? WhjT. tlie very eaiiio evils to

!>e met with at home, and on a rapid* ly. increasing scale. We are getting in our midst a landed aristocracy (save tbe mark !) of the very shoddiest description ; people whose only claim to respect is the possession of money, acquired,, not by any pre-eminent ability, but almost in spite of themselves,. an.d " from circumstances over which they have had no control." The prospect • at' present is of the ."darkest, and occasions much anxiety to thoughtful people, who having fled from the despoti&m of the old country, carried with -them the delusion that here at least they would be free from

its accursed presence Cheering it must ba to think that "our admirable educational institutions " are • at this moment engaged in preparing, not a manly and self-re-specting race of tillers of the soil, but a lot of flunkies and menial parasites, "hewers of wood, and drawers of water," dependant' for their bread in the future on their ability to wait upon and crawl to the humours of mean men, possessing not a tittle of that chivalrous superiority which is -a universal trait in the character of our I English landed gentry. Aud all those evils are entailed on our wretched country by tho miserable time-serving policy of a knot of men, destitute alike of manliness and credibility, and possessing neither the intellect to apprehend the extent of the mischief they have done, nor indeed any solitary redeeming quality. One looks back to tb.D treatment such men would receive under tho more masculine civilisation of ancient Greece and Tiome, and wisheß that at least one of the institutions of those times— ostracism — were revived in New Zealand. It would effectually correct one of the cryiug evils of our present representative system, by bringing to task men who prove false to their pledges — not when they had been the means of doing much evil, and their time of office bad expired, but afc once, and peremptorily. The legislator who procures the passing' of a law, that at the request of a majority of a constituency tbt, member representing such coiistituency should be forced to resign his «eat, would do a great deal to securing the- more honest exercise of the tru?t committed to our representatives than at present obtains in this country.

But 1 am wandering from my subject, and would conclude by offering to the " Bruce Herald " (by your favour) a motto much more suited to its circumstance than the one it rejoices in at present. It is this — " Men, not. Measures.' 5 The same, say in L.ilin, would equally suit that admirable, journal the " Southern League- " — T am. <fa» . • . A gricola.

Mount Benger, October 27.