FADS, STALKING HORSES, RED HERRINGS ACROSS THE SCENT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2319, 21 May 1887, Page 2

FADS, STALKING HORSES, RED HERRINGS ACROSS THE SCENT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln this age of fads some one has argued that all sickly and weak children should, in a humane way, be done away with. Like all fads, there .can be brought forward very plausible arguments in favour of it. It could be said it would be the means of both physically and mentally improving the human species; it could be said that in the cause of humanity it ought to be so because it would do away with a great deal of pain and suffering. But these faddists are never thinkers; they can never see another side; they cannot understand that if you go against the laws of nature in any way whatover evil would follow. Interfere with the laws of health you will suffer; interfere with the laws of commerce and there will be commercial evil (protection is a falacy); interfere with the laws of honesty and you will suffer. Mr Editor, when the world gets wise and it is understood that God has so arranged it that every evil brings its own punishment, then will the religion of the world alter. May that day soon be ! Mr Editor, there will soon be another election. Will you allow me through your columns to do what little I can to politically educate the people so as to be able to vote in a manner which will be good for their children ?

"It cannot be denied by all thinking men that the boon of manhood suffrage came far too soon. I think in about 100 years from hence, we would have been able to use a vote without abusing it. Leaps and bounds are bad—are bad even in'good things, such as liberty and progress. It is easily' seen that sudden riches are bad. The man who gets suddenly rich has no experience, and his wealth melts away like snow before the sun, and when he once more becomes poor he is much worse than if he had never been rich. He could not make a proper use of the money; he made a bad use of his money ; he did not know how to invest his money in a proper manner. The man who has got a vote too soon doesn't know how to invest his vote for the benefit of himself and country. Sham, plausible, selfish, ignorant, lying Liberals get a hold of him ; men who have some rascally dodge of their own to work ; men who are shouting long and loud, " Bread, bread," and all the time giving a stone. These men get a hold of him, and he invests his vote in them. Mr Editor, the reason I take all this

trouble is that I like to do good so long as it costs me nothing. No great virtue this, you will say. Ido not take any credit for it as being a virtue, but yet, on the other side, thero are many who have not even this two-penny virtue; in fact there are men who nevev have a laugh on their face except when they hear of some calamity befalling others, such as that their young grass had not taken well, or they had a great loss in their lambing season, or that somebody had failed, or that a hitherto good man had madeja human slip, or that some one of God'a fairest angels had been jilted by a rogue, These men whoderive pleasure from other people's misfortunes are poor devils who ought to be pitied. This earth is a hell to thorn, while tho jolly dog who would for ever like to see his enemy's grass grow welJ, is in heaven and is never out of it.

lam rambling away from politics. What I want to say is that the electors must nut bo led away by stalking horses, fads, red herrings across the scent. Sir 11. Stout will yarn away to a town mob about land nationalisiner These stump land agitators always address themselves to town people when talking about land. The town people can bo gulled on the land question. Now what I wish to tell the people is that Stout does not care a tinker's toss about the land question. He only looks at it in this light, that it is a political cry that will go down with the townspeople, and which cry will serve his own ends. He knows very well it is a bogus cry, but then his hearers don't. He gulls the people by this cry; ho knows he is perfectly safe with this cry, because he knows nothing can or will com.i from it. It was the same with Sir G. Grey and the Piako swamp. He (Sir G. Grey) knew he was talking sheer nonsense when he was talking about the Piako swamp. He had no fault to find with it till the transaction was completed ; he never tried to stop it. Don't you see that would have spoiled his little game ? He saw it would be a fine cry, bogus though it was, for liiin to make political capital out of, and he did ride triumphant upon this cry, and all the time he knew in his heart that the Piako swainp sale was a blessed good thing for New Zealand. lat the time said so, and so shut my opponents up by saying the company ought not to have paid 2s Od per acre, but ought to have received 2s Cd per acre for taking the land.

Mr Editor, I would wish the electors to understand that it is good, honest administration we want, and it just so happens that these so-called regenerators, these men with the grand political cries are the men who have given us robbery, snobbery, foolery, jobbery, corruption, destruction, rant and cant. Things may bear the same name, yet bo so different. That may in the one case be a good thing, and in the other case be a bad thing. Beef-steak and onions stewed together are a good thing, so good that they would strengthen and invigorate you ; bad rotten beef-steak and bad rotten onions might bring you to death's door. Tt is just the same with New Zealand. A Liberal may have none and will have none of your political false cries ; ho is above gulling the people ; his nature would revolt at talking sham ; his nature would revolt at gulling the people for the sake of a present inobpopularity. Such a man is Sir .T. Hall. Sir John wants it to be said of him, when lowered in his grave, what the Regent Morton said of John Knox at his burial, " There, lies an honest man."

Mr Editor, it is a poor, small, shallow, sorrel, thistle, dandelion mind that delights iti being the idol of the multitude. How fleeting is popularity ! it is right it should be so ; it would nob be right if sham was to succeed, and yet such a man boars the nam'J of Liberal. Sir J. Hall is a Liberal, Sir G. Grey is a Liberal. They are both under the same name, yet like the good and bad beef and onions how different! Sir J. Hall would strengthen New Zealand ; Sir G. Grey would give it the scour, and so bring it to skin and bone. Sir K. Stout has taken lessons from Sir G. Grey, and follows his example by riding upon political cries, at the same time giving us rotten administration. Wake up elector?, and save beautiful New Zealand from being the poorest and most miserable country on the earth's surface !—Yours truly, Habapipi.