The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 1868.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 153, 27 January 1868, Page 2

The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 1868.

" Three groans for the Westport Times," such were the words that Convener Crate uttered on the 25th January, IS6S. It is thus necessary to particularise it, because our evening contemporary would make it appear that it was at the instigation of Mr Graham that this attempt afc groaning was made. "Why did not Mr Crate continue the farce, and as he had a copy of the offending journal in his hand, call for a lucifer and finish with burning the same, as has been done with some of our contemporaries in London and Melbourne ; but no, Crate knew a trick worth two of that, for a copy of the Westport Times costs money, and so the burning of it would have been out of his own pocket. And what does all this storm in a teacup —this displar of affected virtuous indignation amount to ; only because we have endeavoured, without fear or favour, to do our duty. We can appeal with confidence to the other candidates, and ask them whether although we have been opposed to them, we have not endeavored, to do them justice. Even Mr Crate is, to a certain extent, bound to admit this. He says we reported him fairly; but because we differed from him, because we told the electors that we believed him and proved him to be a double-dealer, he is wroth with us. "We are glad, nay proud, to deserve the censure of Mr Crate, and what honest man or journal would not ; from some persons censure is praise and praise censure, therefore we rejoice in Crate's censure. Let us point to Mr Crate's antecedents and ask whether he is to be trusted with the suffrages of the Buller district; and in doing so we need only go over the transactions of the last few months, without going further back, as we could do, not only in New Zealand but Victoria. A petition was originated and presented to the Provincial Council respecting the coal reserve, the evident intention of which was to drive the inhabitants off that reserve, or else subject them to such a tax as to render their tenure worthless. Mr Crate was pressed for an answer to this question at one of his meetings and evaded it by a side wind. " Who would not get a slice of land if he could." Again Mr Crate told the electors at the same meeting that his children —mark you —his children, not himself was deriving an income of £-100 a year from the Buller, and yet ho claims to be entered as a duly qualified person because of Ms property on the Buller. We should like to have seen the Commissioner put him to his oath on the matter. Why all this subterfuge, why all this fencing with a plain question. If he is the owner of this property of £4OO a year on the Buller why not say so The reason is plain, is it not simply fencing with a weir-known Act of Parliament, which provides that a person must be sound at a certain time and for so many months after, before a settlement made by him on another party can be legal. What does his own organ, the Evening Star, say of him, infinitely worse than we ever did. " The cruelty and indecency of making use of such means to secure his nomination are sufficient to brand him for ever as a trickster, and place him, should he go to the poll, last on the list ;" and again, when speaking of the tracks, the same journal says —"These perversions of right and justice reminds us of other statements made by the

same gentleman, the untruthfulness of which were patent to all who hoard him." Why not call John Crate liar at once. Can there be —is there any doubt about it; and yet this man—this article Crate —has the assurance to come forward and ask the electors of Westport for their support. Can the force of effrontery any further go ; and yet again the miserable attempt he made to explain his letter to our evening contemporary respecting the Coal Reserve—" He only done it to draw attention," &c, he now thought the charge of 2s. per foot too high—and why ? because all his schemes have failed—because his petition had failed, because his novel idea of taxation had failed, because his earwigging of the Superintendent had failed, and this is the reason. "Three groans for the Westport Tii?ies'" from such a thing as this Crate. We accept it as an honor, because we have always endeavored to do our duly. What independent journal has not met with the same reward from such panderers ; and then the compliment he pays the inhabitants of Westport, "in six months time, this rag, the Westport Times, will be offered for salein Hokitika." Does Mr Crate mean to say there will not be enough inhabitants to support a paper? and why should this journal be offered for sale in Hokitika ? A few more words, and we have done with this thing of a Crate, and that is in reference to his last dodge. He wanted Mr Graham, because he saw that he was the' popular man, to issue bills " Vote for Crate or Graham ; " but that gentleman was too clear-headed for the " trickster," and so that failed. "We have been opposed to Mr Graham, but we have always done him justice, and will do so. We have given him credit for honesty fixity of purpose and common-sense, his only want has been a want of education. He is not the fool that those who endeavoured to make a fool of him were led to suppose, and we candidly admit that our respect for him increases, more especially as he has not, during the whole course of his election, done one mean or dirty action. There he is as he is, and if elected we are quite certain none, to use his own language, " will blush to say that he voted for James Graham." We know the sneer about working men ; but let us point to Victoria or America as instances where working men have lifted themselves above the " pale " as it were. The only thing against Mr Graham is " education ;" but even this can be overcome by a man who has the natural ability that he has. If he is returned, the gentlemen of Nelson will listen to him as much as they of Victoria did to poor Don, Davies and Vale —all working men in the true sense of the word. Mr Smith in some things is to be preferred perhaps to Mr Graham ; but although to a certain extent supporting that gentleman, we do not believe he will act more honestly or independently than Mr Graham. A few words ere we close respecting Mr Goodwin. We have every respect in his honesty and integrity, and believe, if elected he would serve the constituency to the best -ef his ability, and if he had only spoke on Monday night the same as he did on the hustings, we would have said that he was worthy of representing Westport. But should he feel inclined to study for political honours we would most gladly support him, but Crate we never can. "As empty as a crate " is a trite expression, but we cannot say the crate is quite empty in this case, as we believe it is quite possible for a great deal of mischief and trickery to be concealed within the limits of a crate.

The race for the Provincial Council Plate, which has excited so much interest in the politico-sporting circles of this locality during the last three weeks, will be run to-day under somewhat curious auspicies. When the prize was first offered, there seemed, for a long time, to be a general want of appreciation of its value. Nobody appeared to care about entering for this new race, and there was every probability of there not being even a walk-over. At length, by dint of earnest exertions on the part of some few, a certain degree of interest began to be felt in the event, and at length entries were made pretty freely. But many of these were scratched, even befere they had been publicly quoted; others quietly withdrew from the contest without notice of withdrawal, and there are now only four starters to go to the post. One of them being virtually disqualified, there remain only three to dispute the honor of winning this blue ribbon of the West Coast turf. We shall not pretend to vaticinate on the event, as a few hours after this appears, it will be decided; and moreover, tho peculiar circumstances attending it extremely-difficult, to what is called in turf slang, " spot the winner." This

difficulty does uot arise so much from the differences in the merits or demerits of the starters, as from the impossibility of learning with any thing like exactitude the conditions of the race itself. To drop sporting metaphor—which in truth has been pretty well used-up as applied to the election contests, and might be thought unseemly if the utter apathy exhibited alike by candidates, committees and electors did not seem to put all serious consideration of what ought to a virtually important object, entirely out of the province of a journalist. We enter to-day upon the exercise of a privilege for which Ave have eagerly battled, and having gained, are half inclined to fling away like a child's toy. In other words, the electors of Westport district are tins day to choose from among themselves a fit and proper representative of their interests in the Provincial Council of Nelson. This really solemn dutyone on which the future well-being of the South-west Goldfields so largely depends, has been hitherto treated with a degree of levity and a puerile pettiness of views that reflect little credit on the community, and should, in fact,almost disentitle them to the high privilege of representative institutions. This is evinced by the disinclination exhibited by any one of position, influence, ability, or education to sacrifice the minutest portion of his time or his convenience to the public service. When at length an individual was found to offer himself for the post he possessed none of these qualities, and had been put forward rather in a spirit of fun than with a serious intention of getting him elected. When it was discovered that he himself had accepted the position in all honesty, his own proposers began to think the farce had been carried far enongh, and to look about them for some more eligible candidate. Several names were started and as quickly abandoned, until at length Mr Crate, with that innate modesty for which he is so particularly thrust himself forward unasked, and forced his pretensions with his accustomed pertinacity, on the electors who at length became frightened into action, and several ge - tlemen took the field with more or less determination. Of these only Mr Goodwin and Mr Smith came up for nomination on Saturday, and it is between these four that the trial will have to be made to day. The position is briefly this. Mr Graham, by his unflinching determination, his shrewd common-sense, and his transparent honesty of purpose has won upon the confidence of many of those who were at first inclined to ridicule his pretensions on account of his manifold deficiencies of education. He stands a very good chance indeed of being elected, the struggle probably lying between him and Mr Smith, who from his position, his education, and his intimate connection with the mercantile interests of Westport possesses many advantages, but will probably suffer much from his late arrival in the field and the apathetic indifference displayed by himself and his supporters. Mr Goodwin has unquestionable talents, and has manifested a laudable energy in his canvass, but seems scarcely to be thought to be gifted with sufficient steadiness of purpose to he entrusted with the care of such important destines as those of this large district. Mr Crate's pretensions we need scarcely discuss, as from his not having made out his qualification satisfactorily, it is most unlikey he could take his seat if elected, and therefore every vote given to him may be looked upon as wasted. Independently of this he has had full opportunity of exhibitinghis crass ignorance, his pompous platitudes, his impudent thefts of other people's ideas, ■ which he spoils and then brings forth as his own, and this opportunity he has availed himself sufficiently to disgrace the electors, Altogether his antecedents are so questionable and his incompetency so glariug that they alone must alone suffice to disqualify him even if it should prove that his name has been improperly omitted from the Electoral Roll. We may conclude as we began with a sporting phrase " May the best man win."