West Coast Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1866.

West Coast Times, Issue 384, 15 December 1866, Page 2

West Coast Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1866.

The brief telegrams that have from time to time during the past few days reached Ilokitika reveal an amount of discord and antagonism in the House for which the residents of this distant dependency of Canterbury were utterly unprepared, and for which we are equally unable to account. The close divisions that have taken place on the two "events" of the session — that moved by Mr Wynn Williams, which led to the resignation of Mr Stewart, and that of Mr Wylde, which ousted the scarcely-born Jollie Ministry — more than anything prove the .amount of party feeling that prevails in the Provincial councils, and shows the arduous nature of the task to be undertaken by any gentleman endeavoring to form an administration, together with the insecure nature of the tenure of office ; as, in the present state of affairs, the slightest false step — the losing or gaining of a solitary vote — may convert what is at best a bare majority into a minority sufficient to justify, if not compel, another resignation, with all the losses, delays, and annoyances incidental thereto. The story of the Kilkenny cats appears likely to receive another illustration, if the present state of affairs in Christchurch continue much longer ; and whatever may be the opinion on the

other side the range, the prevailing feeling here is undoubtedly one of sincere regret that a session which commenced so auspiciously, and which wib so longingly looked forward to, to correct our many abuses and redress our grievances, has received such an untoward check, which appears likely to undo all that has been done of good for Westland, if indeed, it does not end in

placing us in a worse position than before, and must certainly tend to delay, if not prevent, the adoption of whatever wise and conciliatory measures it was intended to bring ; forward. The close divisions that ! have taken place have tended both to benefit and to damage Westland in the Provincial Council, and it is a question that time alone will be able satisfactorily to sol\e whether we have ; gained or lost by the stand our members have taken We have gained, in- ', asmuch as our members have identified I themselves with a powerful and influential if not the most popular party of : East Canterbury, who are pledged" to j use their utmost endeavors to sec justice done to this district, and who have ( shown a laudable desire to do so even < before the late crisis came on, through- < out which the influence of Westland, through her respresentatives, has been ' so decisively proved — all her members ] voting as one man, and speaking with i on^ common object. But while that ' compact little body of representatives, j on whose votes in fact the fate of the last j two administrations rested, have shown t that the power of united action and t

firmness of purpose cau compensate for numerical inferiority, they have necessarily attracted to themselves a considerable amount of ill-will and dislike from the more rabid portion of the Woad Board party, that must militate against the interests of Westland, as it is generally acknowledged that hate will bestir itself to injure, where respect and friendship v will offer but a lukewarm support — that, in fact, ten friends s?arcely compensate for one enemy. While regretting, however, that events should have taken so Untoward a turn as to create au il'-will where we want every support, we must, in common justice, agree that our representatives could not have acted otherwise than they have done without incurring the censure ot their constituents, and that they are well worthy of the most unqualified praise for the wise and temperate tone that they have assumed, both in their speeches and actions. Mr Stewart has always proved himself a warm and faithful friend to Westland, and on that ground alone is well worthy of the support that our representatives have accorded him, if indeed the name of Mr Joll c was not sufficient inducement for them to do so ; for there is little use blink ng the fact that few this side the range would care to see that gentleman in office Any more that the celebiated Mr John Hall, the creator of our hundred thousand pound debt, the source of so many heartburnings and sqxiabbles. It scarcely needs the assurance of our correspondent that " V^estland matters are suffering miserably," for it is hard to conceive any part of the province that will not be injuriously affected by the late proceedings of the Council ; and while questions of a merely local character are so convulsing the House it is not difficult to understand that an outtying district— albeit however populous and wealthy — such as this nuist " go to the wall," for the time at least, if not for the remainder of. the session. The " bitter feeling" alluded to will doubtless have some influence against us should an opportunity occur at the fag-end of the proceedings to bring Westland matters again on the tapis, but none except the most obtuse can deny that our representatives have an equal right to vote on eastern matters as the eastern men have to lend their eloquence to illumine our affairs, and back their speeches with their j votes. The mail that will arrive from Christchurch this evening may be ex« pected to inform us on many points of which we are present either totally ignorant or but half instructed, for it is j the especial province of the telegraph by its curt and disjointed sentences as much to mystify and mislead as to inform or enlighten us, while its brevity less tends to satisfy the appetite for news on an occasion like tne present, than to stimulate it. We trust soon to be placed in possession of the matter in all its bearings ; and in the meantime can only hope Mr Stewart may be speedily lestored to power — an aspiration that will be doubtless echoed by our fellow citizens, and :11 who have the welfare of this part of ih • province at heart.