SECOND EDITION Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] FRIDAY, NOV. 16, 1894. M.H.R.'S IN PAWN.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4878, 16 November 1894, Page 2

SECOND EDITION Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] FRIDAY, NOV. 16, 1894. M.H.R.'S IN PAWN.

TiiD'Aw '/juihulTinm has a ulever way of explaining a difficulty, and in its issue of Thursday it undertook in its usually cheerful style to whitewash the Premier of tho charge made against him of holding Members pledges in his pockets, and of keeping M.H.R.'s in pawn. Tho article we refer to is headed " Mr Richard Seddon,"—why, wo do not know! Tho Premier is surely entitled to be culled "Tho Hon. Mr Seddon "by his own supporters, or if for brevity the " Hon," bo omitted, it is perfectly respectful to writo of him as " Mr Scddon," If tho Editor desired to show how familial* ho was with his chief, he should have called him " Dick Seddon," The term ho employed: "Mr Richard Seddon," is neither respectful nor familiar. Perhaps the Editor thought that ho could extenuate in "Mr Richard Seddon" some weakness that could not be condoned in either the" Hon. R. Seddon "or" Mr Soddon." The Tims contends that members of the party wcro quite right in being asked to commit themselves to the Government through Mr Seddon, but it was the novel and peculiar method of committal that was objepjpd jto.. Every political candidate 'commits |/jjjjself' in his published addresses or gpfippjjos,, liiul it is usually regarded that Hf}\ fWarations are, as a point of honour, binding on the persons who mako them. Ifcfi at tho lato general election it ■appeals Jbjtt the Government wcro not satisfied tjie usual election pledges, but that they Rarmired and received from their candidates pertain written pledges of support which bound Members to''them in un mid unusual manner. Tho ifioyerninent assisted •certain candidates in tjw.il* election on a written agreement of.a peculiar .diameter, Tho New Zoiliiutl Tim ftdmitflWiutho late session the Premier droyebjjj party too hard, but affirms.: .that Jib roijfJKdijy.o llis party m hard again, What ppi-. tee w thereof an.assjiraneo of thlsj kind '1 Tho Premier has shown that j he will not hid to the, honour; of ■■ hid supported fruit quires from them written pledges, f|)J flip! supporters of the Premie I .' trust _ t» i his honour that he will wt. dHvPi them again so hardP W(» ippy, not, and ns long as Mr Seddon: vo> : tains in his. pocket the; pledges iii question ho will not, whenever lie is cornered, hesitate to. drive tho party tho he .wanfs thorn to go. Tho plain jtWspyporters of ! ao.}ps;ei» sclvos, not:of course to. aeyil, ; but to.'Mr- Richard .Seddcuv:: and^thoy

must fiilfil the bargain upon whioh they piirobiised their seats.;:.. They have sold'ttcniselreß, nre in full enjoyment of' thon- purchase and [ought to, bo Satisfied. Of course their constitnouts who have been sold with the bargain may have oceusion to grumble, because they get nothing out o£ tho deal, but the Government and the M.H.R.'s in pawn have every reason to be content. ■: In former days "honour" was the last thing to throw overboard, nowadays it is the first. The Times sayß there is no degradation in tho affair, but the Kinesis Jesuitical. Thero may be no degradation in it for "Mr Richard Scddon," whose name appears at the head of tho article, but there would be degradation,in it for ":the Hon. Richard Seddon," so'our Wellington contemporary cleverly leaves the' '[Hoii. w ,biit of his recital. Has there been no degradation too of the members who have been "driven" ? Ought the elected representatives of tho people to bo driven at all P The N. Z. Tkm evidently takes its metaphor froni Longfellow,; .who wrote,.

" Do not like dumb driTen cattlo, Bo a heroin tho strife I"

Pretty heroes the dumb driven cattlo of the Government proved themselves to bo in the late session They should no longer, bo designated M.H.B.'b, for they .were really' SLP.S.'s—Members in Pawn to Seddon—that astute pawnbroker whose Golden Balls fascinated them at the General Election.