The Waikato Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 1878.

Waikato Times, Volume XI, Issue 868, 12 January 1878, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 1878.

.Equal and exact usiice to Ui a>e>.. Ji whttt..ver strtte or jicrsuasion, religi nf r voiitical # # « • Here shall the Presi the Pkople's tin t maintain. Unawcl (»v influence ami uabribert '»v j/.iin

That there will be a dissolution of Parliament soon after the Assembly shall have met Be^ms to r-e a very wide spiead opinion, and' if so a general election will follow cloße npon it. And the eleotion when it. does come will be a more than usually exciting and iuu resting one Grea; principlt s are at stake. The political affairs i>f the Colony are m a transition state, and it will depe d much upon the results of the hexi" election whether we shall enter on a new and liberal programme of progressive advancement or tor another five years be doomed tq carry on our shoulders that old man of the sear which has s-> heavily ' handi capped this C lony m the- race of progrHßs, naiueiy, t the dominant ii flnence of the families oi X w Zelar.d. The Oolmy h.,9 had enough of its Kichmondn and Atkin»ons ft id genus omne, with i heir narrow and selfish policies, designed and administered for their own aggrandisement, and for that of a | articular class, »«nd the public have at last awakened to the facs that the estate of the Colony i<fa.st being alienated from the i eople to whom it hel-ngs, that the taxation has drifted into oup oi cl ss bm dens • that, m fact, though the cri onists nominally enjoy representative government under democratic institutions, the Executive of the Colony has merged into the hands of a powerful and aptive oligarchy tuote

ulive'to its own than to the general interests of the co ohista. All this the people are fust awakening to and the time has come when there will be a struggle made to obtain a new onler of things. There are few men qualified^.tQ'^toke^ part m an election ho fraught with'interest and ilnportanc« to the public at large bat would feel chugrined and motified, when the time came, to find thenWelves excluded irom having a voiqe m the choice of our future Ipgixlators. Yet t such m-«y occur to many, if ih»>y take no hoed to the matter. There are many m the Waipa and Waikato Electoral Districts who are qualified to vote under the present liberal franchise, if they only take the trouble to assert their claim to do so by registering such qnal fioation. The Legislature has provided that such requisition may Bh made e< o'i year, appli m ons from claimants desirous of registering ihiir right to vote for a particular electoral ■•istriot being- re ceived by the pxoper oflScer during the months of January, February and March. After the 3l«t, of March no such applications' to register will be received amil the liexo year, and persons letting the time '.fclip by will find themselves, on ihe Ist of April, the most unimportant and disregarded of nonentities during any election which may take place for the next twelve of fifteen months.