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Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 1015, 22 October 1872, Page 2

Mr Vogel's success in turning sudden defeat upon his political adversaries, regaining his accustomed position, and marshalling around him a strong executive body, to the utter confusion of those who, seeing their devices brought to naught, have, in the bitterness of their wrath, wasted many words of reproach and besmirched many quires of paper in proclaiming his manifold transgressions, predicting his speedy annihilation, the dissolution of Pi.r.iament, and a frantic appeal to the country, marks an epoch in New Zealand's political history, to bo long remembered. To no community throughout tho colony can Mr Vogel's success be a subject of more sincere congratulation than it is to the residents on tho South-west G-oldfields. There is no

need of shouting paeana of victory in his favor, or lauding Mr Vogel with fulsbine praise, because such sentiments would not express, as all journalistic utterances should, an echo of public opinion rather than that of individuals ; and apart from this, we never stoop to flatter public men, whose duty is to do good for goodness sake, aud not for self-glorifi-cation. Mr Vogel has never won that full aud perfect faith ot the people, which at rare intervals has been accorded to public men, raising the senators thus honored to the position of dimi-gods in public esteem j but ho has oue essential point in his favor, he is the ablest, as he is the shrewdest,

man among a motley crew of aspirants to political honors and rewards, and he has chosen, with rare prescience, a company of colleagues who may be considered more uearly his compeer* than any other selection of men in the legislature, To the Eox-Vogel Ministry the people of the South-West Goldfields owed much, and were grateful. They hoped for more and were confident. The tidings of the accession to office of the Stafford party came as a presage of impending evil aud those who a'dod in their ill-won success gained but a scanty share of blessings. The one ray of hope that lessened the gloom of utter desponpondeucy was the chance of a counter defeat, and this achieved, the public mind was instantly relieved of a crushing weight of fears. It is unsatisfactory to hear of the ruthless massacre of innocents made among the proposed measures of the session to expedite long delayed work, and to know that very shortly our colonial legislators will be packed off to their constituents after having fulfilled so little work of any real utility ; but the people here have the consolation of knowing that they are in no worse plight than many others, that they have been spared the infliction of experimental tinkering with existing rules of government, and above all, have escaped being left to the tender mercies of a thoroughly retrogressive ministry. Local government we shall not obtain for yet another season, but in lieu thereof we have the promise of indirect Geueral Government assistance in the shape of a liberal local expenditure, and with the assurance of a Ministry like the present remaining in office wo may expect, if not absolute perfection in each individual member thereof,- a display of energy that will rapidly work out highly favorable results.

wig; and J. A. Rockstrow. Sarah Featherstone will be brought up to receive sentence in the case Bruen v. Featherstone.