THE WAIKATO ELECTION.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 555, 9 December 1875, Page 2

THE WAIKATO ELECTION.

Sib,— As the new constituency -will -soon \e called upon to elect some one to represent i t in the nai lonal councils, it behoves us in the face of the important political changes that are «ontemplated to vote for the man Vho not onlyholds the views that we endorse- for I believe that there is l)ut little difference of opinioi among us as to what those views should be — but the man who, from his influence, experience, and position, is most litely to have those views carried into realities. We should recollect all of us, that large sums of money have been 'borrowed for public works, and whether we get our share of that tconey or not, we and our children wiJt have to pay the interest, There can be no doubt but that this portion of the district — I speak of Alexandra, Raglan and Whata What* ! — has been very much neglected. It may be that we have been too indolent, or that we lack influential and -public spirited men — such 4ts you kaye in Hamilton and Cambridge — to represent our wants. That such is the case let the following facts testify :--Nearly two .years ago the Government took (or rather were to take) over the main roads in Waikato. Bridges on the Hamilton, Whata Whata, Alexandra, and Te Awamutu roads rcquiied lenewing or "repairing ; those on the Hamilton rosd weie done at once, those on the other roads are still unaN. tended to. On application we get the answer' "No available funds." Again; Court-houses were to be built in the various townships two years ago, but it appears that we are even unworthy of oar share of justice, for we still lack that desideratum, while one has been erected at Hamilton that has swallowed the funds for all. I could give other instances, but let those two most prominent and undeniable ones suffice. There are at present two gentlemen seeking the honor of representing us. M* McMinn has laid his views before us, which I said before the most of us in this portioi the district ugree with. Clhose views I take .o be simply as follows: — 1. r ihat the colony is only to have one government. 2. That the Waika o Railway is to be. constructed to the frontier. 3. That a practicable road be made to connect Alexandra and Ngaruawabia. 4. That a practicable road be made to connect Raglan with Waikato. 5. lhat the present system- of'" education be continued, but to be supported out of general revenue instead of the present unjust tax. •6. And that eheuld further taxation be necessary, an income tax would be the faire* t way of raising it. Mr Cox has not jet addressed the electors, and if he endoised the above programme, I for one think it a pity that the country should be put .to the expense of * conteated election, besid s the ill-ieeling -that it ia sure to breed. The only objection. I know of against Mr Cox is that having lived so long South he might — almost involuntarily— 'favor the views of the Southern members, who are already too strong in the House. Still — should he coincide with the six important -measures before meationed — I think it would be a graoefu-1 act for Mr McMinn to retire, as he can. scarcely deny that Mr Cox has more experience and influence than himself — always supposing that Mr McMinn is actuated by patriotic) motives And not bv personal anibition. In conclusion, , fellow electors I would say, do not vote for this man because he is poor — or that man because he ii rich; be guided by sense not by sentiment? vote for the man that you think is best able to represent our wants, and thus, by improving the district, enable us better to support our share of the public burden. — I am, &c, Cajilos.

Sib,— Tie 'motto you adopt for your paper has emboldened me to crave space therein for & few leinarkg touching the forthcoming election, betting political opinions altogether on ona side, no one will, I think, deny the importance of returning thoroughly representative men for each electoral district throuphout the colony. 13 y this means alone can anything like a fair and adequate representation of the community us a whole be secured. An agricultural district for instance should return an able and honest repießentative of such interest ; a mining district, cne practically conveisant with mining affairs. So alao with manufactutmg or commeicial centres of .population. Let us ccc bow far—according to present appearances, this rule is liluly to obtain in Waikato. First we have Mr "YVhi' ater for Waikato East— essentially an agricultural district. JSFow Mi- WJbitakerisnot an acricultuiist, but a shrewd and clever lawyer, far titter to represent a city confetituency than a country one. .besides, able as he is, his political antecedent* ate not re-assuring. \Vhen Mr W hitaker was supeiiutendent of this province, and the exchequer grew low, he injuriously deserted hi* post, leaving the late Mr "Williamson to pull through the difficulties of the situation as best he could. Mt Whitaker is besides wholly uaconned ed with Waikato East, as far as any permanent bond of interest is concerned, lor, spite of any property be may bold there, be is emphatically a city man. Waikato Eabt cannot be so destitute of practical resident settlers, of fair ability and honest piinciples, as to go a be o£i u g lor a repiesentativo who wu'uld bcarcely sciupie to use the power, thus acquhed, to further his own cuds and those ot the clique with which be is identified. Turning from W aiKato East to Waikato West, we have tw« candidutts iv tho field, viz, Messrs Cox and McMinn, The fonn<,r is a wealthy rtMdent settler in the dibtnct, a man ol good abilities, aud, as you yuusell JNJr Editor oute intimated, of u njxj politicnl experience." V\ ere be only these, tiie elector* of W aikato \\ est would iudted act wisely in electing him as thtir reprefcentative. Lu fortunately, however, he is ruueb, jnore than these, ho is the ver\ type of the geuus squatter — the men ol tcacy kheep into i ien wiii> vino (.criv.rt tLls» 1. li c«iin\,t'.'»

a few score of giganEt3kDif-THSa?"iridr.hc>fe asd thei c a solitary shepherd to attend their flocks. Now, far ba.it fzovkiißAlbt assert rth&t,sie[r th&t,$ie[ runbolderhas notlais #308 as the y pipneer of progreasj way for the iaraier, ihe plough* Jipji the eoj/jftejdj . But the #ew Zea- \ land squatter* have ago outstripped the_&e* 'conditjouj. *!^ey ; hft£p -already acquired -suck-* predoi»i^ajtipg.ic^fluenQe in the counpila of .the colony,. <jad< have * procured -such enormous tracts of i^ bes^anjJs— lands whjcE should have .been 4ptte<l3>ver w y itli the homesteads of a thriving and prosperous populatiau—th&t .1 think tha^ied^stoTf t>f T Wvjikato ;\V>»fc, themselves., for t^eL.m^st, part "prosperous 'and ipdependettf imaH' "farmers, "wjll know betier- than "Eo*"refcuriTone dP*** class 1 already so dAngei*- . oualy powerful, as their representative. Jlt k * notorious that the squatters and bankers have' almost liulimT&dTinHuence in Wellington, influence "to», of^o corrupt a nature that tliey ieem,able^o,pull the strings almost as it'buiis them, and i much mistake v n}yself if; tTie *elec-" tors of Wajita^o 4^ilV , endeavour to a»grayate. and perpetuate the "evils "resulting 'from such a* Bfate of -th^nffs^ by retiyniag. "nien belQDging to either clap*, 'theif membfers ' 6i Parliament. ' We have 'capital- enougli to J our -Inidat, and >need not fringe to any monetary initittiliefr; po^e^fui; and IWa Btjuat'ter-flhouianbe' made to relax his greedy grasp from the puWio • «statp, and «lfeep snould^be ,made~ to "give way befor* the^lbxigh, the^loom; orid the foundry.' Of Mr McMinn, the . other" candidate . for Hamilton West, I finovr' but little. He appear to be; a plodding, infcelligeni;,' small' 'farmer at Harapipi, ■'"Odokatoo," f think fome' stupid Hamilton correspondent df the 1 ( *CtO36 " -calledhim. If tttis'vritty person so styled him as a 'mark of derision *md -reproach, 4 ifc ia beneath notice ; but if thereby He meant that McMinn was nrimply the owner of a modest plot of land— which 'he. industriously cultivated with fliis own band, he could not I think have ad- < duced any atronger reasons in McMinn's favor. "Viewed in this aense the Waikato is essrntially a "Cockatoo" district, (inhabited by -thrifty ■ and independent smaU farmers, owning their fifty to fire hundred acres j and surely if these -men want tbeir voices to be heard in the council* of. the nation, they could not adopt amore sensible plan than to elect an enlightened)* able, and thorotighly Ihoneai member from among their' own — one whose every tie of feeling/and interest was in unison wtth •their own. Ido nfet, Jujweyerj advocate the ■ cause *of any- particular -intlividuahj' Wbtct "i" have endeavoured, to point our 3s,'~sii6ply 'thit, that purely local men, of fair ability, and who really represent the district they.iiitj for,* will, prove an infinitely wiser choice on the part of •the electors, than -men who— whatever their wealth or .position — are allied, to interests already so dangerously and obnoxiously powerful.—l am, &c, Cockatoo Rlect6e. ' [We cannot allow our correspondent's letter to p»ss*without a word in vindication of Mg^ -Whitaker's action as Suptrintendent. He is scarcely correct) when he that Mr "Whitaker d serted office when the exchequer became low. Mr Whitaker took the reins of power in >tand at a time when the affairs of the province, through the incompetency cf His predecessor, had -been-got into suoh*- state of muddle and difficulty that it required a keen business head" and firm purpose to extricate it from positive bankruptcy. Having done this, — having eet it fairly going and freed it from prospective liability only partially entered upon, that would hare otherwise swamped it, Mr Whitaker retired front an office to which it was scarcely to be expected he could afford to sacrifice his profeuional practise. A " Cockatoo Elector" harfin respect ►to Mr Whitaker happened to touch upon a ■ matter with which we were somewhat intimately . acquainted ,at vhe- time .—Ed W.T.J ," ;

Sir, — I see that .your importer has f fallen in to an > error in his account of Mr MoMinn*s 'meeting at Te Aivamntu. He says that a -yote of confidqfcce was mo;ved by jyir Roches and carried unanimously, wheras the truth is that only 27 hr.nds were held up in favor ai it, out of considerablj 'more than double that number of pei9ons who were present. 'leh'buld not troub'e jou or your readers with this epistle, were it i . rot that I would not have it , go forth; to the' J world, that the Te Awamutu settlers, as a body, ij yere narrow minded enough, -to reject the .man i v n who is admitted on all hands to be best -fit* by ability, education, and influences, for -Vk 3ition of representative, simply because he it >tobe a rich man. J can remember the >tifti» jenit'wenld bnie been hurd times indeed .in Waikato, but'for tfce presence of tyro of three **' big " men who by •mploying a large amount of 'labour, kept the place "from complete stagnation. -Xet as atia critical 'time like thii, try to «mb all l •unworthy, «r mere local -motives, «nd -elect a representative who will be able to wise *<xkttuift*, and' exert a'large amount of 'irffluencea dn the important sessions of the next Parliament. —I am,-Ao, One -who <was jteisekt ja theZMBKriNa. , > % Te Awamutu, T)ecember-Bch. ■ [Oar reporter's answer to this if similar to that in respect to the other meeting, Ai no hand*. were held up against >'the vote, qf .oonfid- . ' ence in Mr McMinn, he took it for granttd that >the meeting yrcs unanimous.- He bt# leaati given the tame iaue« to 'the gooie as to the gander. It will soon be for - the e^eoton to say >ir hich is the goose and whioh ..the Kd. W.T.O - ; « . .