ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1879, 22 July 1884, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

The general election is still the allabsorbing topic of couveis.ition, Anyone passing along the btrect ami seeing a knot qf men talking together is tolei.ibly safe in saying that tiiey aie talking about the prospects of one or other of the candidates. As I suppose you already know , Sir George Grey has been elected iorOity Eas-tj being unopposed. Though the number of Greyitcs in the electorate is much smaller than it was tlnee yeais ag6, it was deemed inexpedient to propose anyone in opposition to Sir George Grbyj because there are many who, while strongly objecting to his pnnciple, or rather to the principles he enunciates. look upon him as a necessaiy evil, and consider that be is a useful man to have in*tho House. I fi.mkly admit that I domot hold these views. On the contrary,'l would do anything th.it lay in my power to keep Sh Geoige Giey out of the House. "What good he has done Ido not know, but I do know some of the &harm that he has clone. He has gone the colony setting class against class— setting labour against capital. He hag 1 told the people that they were "down-trodden seifs," &c, when he knew' full well th.it those who are usually known as the "labouiing classes" are the most independent section of the community — much moie independent of "their employeis than their employeis are of them. He lias been mainly instrumental m extending the franchise, so-j shat a lot of men, who have no interest or stake in the countiy and -who "do not know B fiom a bull's foot, ' can oufe-yjote men of property and intelligence. I "might go ou foi houis enumewiting various items of harm that for which Sir George Grey is mainly, if not solely, to blame, but it would be a veausome task, so .Will say nothing moie except that I anissorry and disgusted to know that T am disfranchised, foi I am an elector of City East, and Sir George Giey ceitainly does not represent me.

.For the other two city seats there will be keen contests, theie being two candidates for each. In City West the candidates ai'e Mr William Swanson, and the great Dargaville Patty, both of whom will .receive a laige amount of suppoit, the former because he has pio\ed Imn self to be a good, lionest, useful member, eveit ready to do all in his power to further the mteiests of his constituency, (kiid Auckland in geueial, and tlie latter because he has " the gift of the gab most galloping," as the late lamented S«wn VMeller would say, any amount of assurance and the ability to hoodwink the 'orny-'anded, Mr D.ugaville " let the cat out of the bag " at the, nomination whep ' he said that befoie long he hoped to be a Cabinet Minister. We have long known that that was Mr Dai ga\ ille's object in seeking election, but it was haidly to have Iseen expected that he would have been SO honest as to avow it. Of coins 1 ;, Mr Swanson did not miss the oppoitunity of telling the electors that he lud no perBOilal object to gain. It is well-known tba£ Mr Swauson has had more than one opportunity of taking a &eat in a Ministryy but has always declined to do so, * believing that he could lie of moie use to his constituency, the Auckland District, and •> the colony at laige, as a piivate meS'iber, than as a Cabinet Minister. Despite the difference between the two cairaidaces, there will be a keen conle^ ia City West, and, though I behe\ c that Mr'lSwanson will be elected, it w ill be by avery small majority.

-4k very an 8 r 373 7 lliau IS r "W. J- Hurst. Though he is sine to be elected, he will ha^e the trouble and expense of a conceited election. His opponent is Mill. 5R- Faruall, who is well- known here, " principally on account of his advocacy of ' the 'Anglo-Israel theory— a theory which appeals to neither my reason nor my inequation. The proofs adduced to show r that'the Briti&h nation are Israelites are, I thiuk, of the most flimsy nature, being ~ principally fancied fulfilments of numerous prophecies to be found in the Old iMTestament. If the theory were proved wjjjorr'ect I do not see what object would be sained. I ceitainly should not thank the man who convinced me that I was descended from the Israelites, w hose evil doings are recorded in the histoiical ' fcooljfl of the Old Testament. As a rule *"' O y were not nice people. Those who advocate the theory say that if we are vj j>eally descendants ot Israel we inherit f" the"promises made to him. I should W think that every thoughtful leader of the I Biftle-will agree v, ith me in saying that -~- j{ fye'inherit the promises made in the *';' jfe^' Testament we need care nothing for -' thßk&tnhj&em the Old. However, let us }', " j^^the Anglo-Israel theory, and return ' " to W& & ec ti° n or Waitemata and the 1 for the seat. Mr Farnall ' is not -Without political experience, have ' inaformerly represented Waitemata, and 3*;, Rodney in the House. Still S V-Jie h> s no * a B ' )a(^ ow ot a chance of defeatSf r "' J intt*Mc Hurst, who has proved himself a §• "CjrfQSJi useful member. So little chance JLlVhat&lr Farnall of being elected that if Inßncaodidate were compelled to lodpe a |^w[^p|it, to be forfeited if lie failed to ililjiff; a fifth of the number of votes reW^cifaizft or s . °PP onenfc > I believe he m£#flhtii forfeit his deposit.

ipfe^^ParneU there will be a keen con||ii||af'' between Mr Moss and Mr George, B|||||§*3result of -which is very doubtful. ffl|f|gfi&6tirsey the Greyites (there are still tiliioine ;i° Parnell) will all vote for Mr Wmß&Q*& c'e ' anc^ so Wl^ a uurn^ er wno are but who are actuated by [^^M^'n'ftl' friendship for that gentleman. l!Blttkft&liti6al cvisis like the present, the WBftimMts ' "should sink all personal conand vote for those who will fißS^prfc Ministry that is pledged to nKBliP&t; the Waikato-Taranaki railway. say that it must be conHHK^^fl;' whatever Ministsy is in office, HHs|l§&t is all moonshine. We all can that resulted electipn_J)y the Auckland Pioof seventeen Greyites— over to' the tender Mr Mftcaodrew, who diverted

Jill the Public Wonka expendituie to the South Island, while we had to content oui selves with the bullianfc spectacle of Sii Cscoige Otcy tinning the fust sod at each end of the WniLato Thames lailway That is the sort of thing we may expect to see repeated if we elect Gieyites, so 1 do hope that the eiecluis. of Darnell will have the hood sense to return Mr Moss, instead of Mr Seymour Thorne George, " the nephew of his uncle."

I mast congratulate the clcctois of Waikato on their luiving unanimously re-eltcti'd Mr J. Ji. Whyte. They have shown that they know that they have been w ell represented in the past and that they are quite content to lot well alone. SinguLir wisdom has been shown by the electois of Maisden and Franklin South, who have electi-d the Hon. E. Mitchelson and Mr E Hamlin without opposition. The Utter nairowly escaped strong opposition, because Ins. constituents weie incensed th.it he had not lccoided Ins vote in favour of the Go\ eminent when the no-confidence motion was earned, but when he explained that Ins absence was caused by illne&s and death in his family, all thoughts of opposition weie abandoned. * Sir Maurice O'Rorke is nob to be allowed to have a "walk-over," though it is \eiy generally conceded that it would be a seiious oilamity to the colony if he failed to gain his seat, as it is mainly due to his gieat ability as Speaker hat the pioceedmgs in our House of Representatives are so orderly as they are. \Vh°» we read of the disgraceful scenes enacted in .the Parliament Houses of New .South Wales, we must not overlook the fact that w r e owe our immunity fiom such debasing exhibitions mainly to the able manner in which our General Assembly ispienided over by its clever and capable speaker, Sir Maurice O'Rorke. Despite this fact he is opposed by Mr Lawry, a man almost unknown. What claim he lias to be the repiesentative of Manukau I do not know, except that he lives in the electorate. He was a \ery pronounced Greyite, and I suppose is still one, but I am glad to be able to say that the more lespectable (jicyitus are supporting Sir Maurice O'Roike. Mr Lawry has a small farm and will get the support of others in a similar position to himself. He will get also the votes of a number of woiking men who objected to having a gentleman as their representative, as well as those of the malcontents, of whom there are always a number in a large district. Altogether he will have a considerable following and Sir Main ice v. ill have plenty of work to do to gain his seat, but that he will gain it is the hope and belief of, St Muxgo.