The Westport Times. THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1869.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 515, 10 June 1869, Page 2

The Westport Times. THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1869.

The concluding part of the "Warden's annual report, which we publish today, is, perhaps, worthy of a passing notice. The portions previously published were, probably, equally worthy of notice, but they would recommend themselves to the sense and approval of most people. This portion touches more upon debateable ground, andis proportionately itself more opeu to question. Of course it has to be remembered that the Warden wrote in the first week of April the report which only now appears. Still bis remarks upon the extent and spontaneity of the Separation movement, e ,r en at that date, may fairly be questioned as representing the true state of the case, or, rather, as representing the case fully, for, so far as it goes—and no one would expect it would be otherwise—the report is faithful enough. The Warden begins by stating that, " in a word, the movement has been caused by the stoppage of public works during the past year, and by the failure to obtain any public money for the protection of the river banks at Westport." 2sTow this may be literally correct, so far as it goes, but there will not be many who will agree with the Warden if his meaning is to aver that these circumstances are solely the cause of the movement. They wore, no doubt, its primary causes—the climax to "stoppages" and " failures" which eventuated in the agitation for what is loosely designated local self-government. They, perhaps, constituted the motive wheel to the great wheel which the Provincial Go-

vernment had itself formed, or assisted to form, for the destruction of its own power over the Goldfields. Figuratively, these circumstauces were only the straw which breaks the the camel's back. Very probably, " bad the Government been," as the Warden apologetically says, " in a position to expend the sums voted by the Council and placed on the Estimates for the year," the Separation movement might not have been heard of •jet, but we imagine that subsequent events at Nelson, and especially such events as those iu which his Honor the Superintendent baa principally figured, would, without any preliminary causes, have demonstrated, through the public feeling excited by them, that the little word " yet" was very discreetly inserted by the Warden—that, in fact, the beginning of the movement was a mere question of time. The Warden insinuates—if we may use the word—that, even as it is, the public feeling on the question is only to a partial extent " genuine and spontaneous ;" and in corroboration of his assertion, or, more correctly, his "thought" on the subject, he quotes the fact or fiction, whichever it may be, that " scarcely moro than one person" —happy oue person to be thus noticed!—"has taken the trouble to acquire definite information on tbe subject," and that people generally have (in shorter words than the "Warden has put it) believed his statements. jSTow this may also be literally correct, but even if it were so, does the mere fact of one person, or a fractional part more than one person—we suppose the Warden means to suggest that Mr Tyler was assisted by a tailor—does that simple solitary fact at all prove that the public feeling on the matter is not spontaneous, genuine, and general ? The Warden's own professional experience must suggest to him numerous parallel cases where the mere knowledge of facts and figures is not a necessary iugredieut in the existence or sources of a feeling,—where a wellgrounded feeling may exist without the capacity of demonstrating, to a nicety, its sources or its symptoms. A patient may suffer from disease, yet may not be able to diagnose it. The majority of people may have a keen and appreciative sense of their grievances, yet they may not have all the "facts and figures " neeessa'-y to prove tbpir case at the tips of their tongues, or, like AL'r Verdant Green's unverdatit friend, Sir Bouucor, imprinted on their finser-uatls. The Warden, also, when eveu admitting the elements I " genuine and spontaneous," restricts them to "a desire to provide for the safety of the river banks, and the construction of tracks." And here, perhaps, there is little or less to dispute. Undoubtedly it was from a desire to see public works such as these —and, we shall say, even these among them—carried out by the Government that the agitation greatly arose. So far, the Warden's report and the Separation petition are at one. One other remark in the report may be noticed. It is true enough, as the report states, that there is a difficulty in fixing the limits of the proposed county, for the excellent reason that there is a counter movement to that originated iu Westport, and a movement tbe genuineness and spontaneity of which is, we fear, very much more questionable. But the Separation Committee will scarcely agree with the Warden that either tbe fear or the fact of that movement has had a paralyzing effect upou their conduct. A comparison of the two Committees' records and balance-sheets would tell a different tale. Nor is it the case now, at least—whatever may have been the case on the 3rd of April—that the people of Westport have been unable to declare what are the limits of the county which they wish to form. For the necessary information, we may refer the Warden to the text of the Separation petition ; and, in conclusion we may quote, in refutation of the doubts which the Warden has as to the " genuine and spontaneous" character of public feeling, the Warden's own words " that whereas the present electoral roll for the district of AVestiand North contains only ninety-four names, upwards of 500 new claims to vote bave been lodged for insertion in the new roll."