The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1881.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 888, 1 October 1881, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1881.

Mr Burton Boy's has "published ■< in ' address to the electors of Wairarapa 1 Couth, and wa have ewy desire to give it favorable consideration. ..This , we find no difficulty in doing excepting as regards one particular passage in.it. Mr Boys says he does not wish "to raise any class cry," but however pure his intention in this respect may be, he virtually raises one by taking for his platform the special representation of the small farm inteiests. We would sooner have seen him come • forward-as Mr George Beetham did when he first sought the. suffrages of the electors—to represent all interests, Mr Beetham has, by his impartial services to all classes among his constituents, practically proved that in Wairarapa politics there is a community of inteiests, and though class interests may exist, it is quite possible to reconcile them. There is not the slightest reason why the small farmer should fly at the throat of the large landed proprietor or that the lord of many acres should fall out with the forty-acre man. We have no objection to see this district represented in Parliament by a small farmer, a large land-holder, or a working man, but we should prefer to see anyone who was returned, whatever class he might belong to, prepared to act fairly and impartially towards all classes. Having said this much with respect to a portion of Mr Boys' address, we hare much pleasure in giving unqualified praise to the rest of it The fact that Mr Boys is a working settler of 20 years' standing, who in the administration of local government in this district has always kept his shoulder to the collar, gives him a claim for the honor he seeks and entitles him to a favorable hearing, Weave pleased to see that he recognises the merits of the Hall Ministry in economically administering the affairs of the country, and we quite concur with his view that County Councils, in conjunction with Highway Boards, are capable of much good work. It is only fair, perhaps, to add that the objection we take to Mr Boys' view of representing small farm interests .does not preclude us from admitting that he or any other candidate has a perfect right to make them his platform, We ourselves would willingly join in any movement which woulc 1 promote the interests of small farmers. To separate their interests from those of other classes in the community would not, however, in our opinion, be attended with any benefit ■ to them, There may too, be some advan--1 rage in our having at this election a candidate who is the mouthpiece of small farmers. We may thus obtain a clearer knowledge of their real wants ' and wishes,' We may even get some : special lights thrown on their interests which may be new to us, though we 1 are somewhat iuclined to believe that ' small farmers, like everybody else, desire good and economical government, with a fair field and no favor,