OUR MEMBER.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 1003, 10 September 1872, Page 2

OUR MEMBER.

(' Grey River Argus.') 0 .temporal O mores! O Eugend O'Couor! But yesterday the word of Eugend Stood against the world; now lies ho. And none so poor to do him reverence. It is a sorry spectacle. Faithful among the faithless, we were so faithful as to be foolish enough to say, only a few days ago, that iu being designated " doubtful" Mr O'Conor was once more being " persecuted by malicious, evil-minded enemies." Our faith was based upon a fact. That fact was that at "VVestport, a week or two before the session, when it was mildly hinted by one of his " political opponents " or " personal enemies " that there would soon be seen a change come o'er the spirit of his dream, through circumstances which were eveu then appearing on the surface, he boldly repelled the base insinuation, aud avowed himself, in the past and in the present, " a Warm supporter of the Ministry." In almost apologetic tones it was suggested that there was too great au interest being all of a sudden taken in the hon. member by Mr Stafford and his satellites to bo altogether good for the moral health of a Weak member, and the constituency were invited to watch the progress of events, and to mark the speaker's words. Prophet of evil that he was, his words have come true! Heralded into the House by Mr Arthur Collins as a probably injured man, handed over to the tender mercies of a committee headed by Mr Gillies, watched for and welcomed on his return by Mr Stafford, Joseph fell upon the bosom of his new political step-father, and—kicked out ria;ht and left at his former friends. Mr Fox was friendly, it is true ; but What is friendship? Friendship nothing more. And it was under these circumstances —when the value of one vote was enhanced to a degree which it is difficult to estimate—that a so-called "judicial inquiry.' was conducted to its satisfactory close, with this satisfactory sequal! The least satisfactory part of the whole proceeding is that not a word of all that Mr O'Conor is reported to have said wa*j so far as we are aware, ever anticipated by Mr O'Conor's constituency. Loud he was, as a member of the Nelson Provincial Council, in his praises of the Premier as compared with the Superintendent ; loud he was in his expressions of his admiration of the General Government administration, as compared with Provincial ; proud lie was to the last that the Premier aDd he were on such friendly terms as to interchange private correspondence i and strong he was, as wo have said, in the assertion that he was a supporter of the Ministry. If he thought otherwise—if he meant otherwise—why not, on some of the frequent opportunities he had, take his constituency into his confidence, and say that he was somewhat " doubtful,""? It is needless, however, to ask questions in a case which is so emphatically and endlessly questionable. It is needless for the present to follow Mr O'Conor through the endless statements which he has made antagonistic to the Ministry, as briefly reported to us, and as more fully reported in earlier telegrams. Other occasions will arise for an investigation of the reasons for his heresy, if reasons they can be called. Coming from the one other Opposition member representing the Coast, they might bo called reasons, and be received with respect by reason of his recognised consistency. Coming from Mr O'Conor they are only remarkable as an addition to the abundant illustrations Jof his consistency in being utterly and hopelessly inconsistent. Verily, it was well and truly said by an acute contemporary, not a month ago, that Mr O'Conor was a man of whom more would be heard. His tergiversation on this occasion is a compliment to our contemporary's foresight, bat complimentary to no one else concerned —least of all to Mr O'Conor's confiding constituents.