MR RUSSELL’S MEMORY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2344, 19 July 1887, Page 3

MR RUSSELL’S MEMORY.

TO THE EDITOK. Sii!,—A question was ashed Mr Russell at Cambridge ou Wednesday evening. —ls the statement of Mr Could, that you proposed Covernoieot borrowing ten million of money, true or false? After a considerable amount of .shirking the question Mr Russell made this reply; If he did advocate such a scheme it had slipped his memory. Very singular I Loss of memory is a very serious defect in a would-be member of I’arliaineiit .especially before he gets into the lions’, ft never improves. Mr Kus-ell stated what one talks about with a few friends is a very dilfen-nt tiling from his platform that hegoos|tothe country on. The chairman came kindly to his aid and suggested if he gave the meeting his present views on the subject it might meet the case, which were that he was totally opposed to such a scheme !! Do we generally get a man’s true sentiments when discussing a subject with a few friends or when in; is saying something to .catch the car of the electors?

Xow, Sir, Mr Bussell spoke most eloquently, and although a staunch supporter of Mr Whyte he almost converted me. He spoke my views to the letter on the education question, although I was greatly surprised that one who was so stoutly espousing the working man’s cause should have talked at Hamilton of altering the school age from live to seven, which would be most oppressive to the working man, for many a mother is only too thankful to bo rid of her children for a few hours in the day. But this question of the working mao appears to he a new subject with Mr Buss,ill. Ho must bo pardoned if he cannot hit the tiling ulf all at once. (I think he would have felt more at home with the bloated aristocrats, but they would not have him). There were many other matters that I was quite in accord with Mr Russell, and I took myself to task very seriously to see if I could not support this eloquent man. But do what I. would .this memory business would keep cropping up; these little matters would keep running into my bead ; if ho should get into one of those largo houses down at Wellington—much larger than many of the present men in the Ministry live in when at homo—how would this effect bis memory re the education of the working men’s children ? Then there was Vailo’s scheme, a subject on which ho was very pronounced, although he got a little mixed with the potatoes and the freight business ; and here I think ho holds views contrary to drastic retrenchment. In this wise ho is offering a premium in cheap fares to the settler to neglect of his business in running to Auckland and elsewhere, instead of insisting on the <lovernment making the railways non-political and under management of a board of business men, with instructions to make the freight of agricultural and pastoral products as low as possible a first consideration, cbean passenger farm second ; but Vailo's scheme is a popular cry just now, and something to ride on certainly : but the country wants succouring just now. Cheap freights will help it: riding about will not. This dues not appear to have entered Ibo bead of Mr Russell, so that it can not have slipped bis memory. If again the printing business should change hands, printing in; . : .nes are portable, and how might this effect the educating Mr Russel's constituents, and giving us the animal address. It might slip his memory that there was such a place as Cambridge or even Waikato, unless them was another election at hand. I came to this conclusion : if Mr Russell's memory had not failed him over the small matter of ten millions, he’s the man, but the e mntry is in a critical condition at the present time, and wo cannot afford to take an untried man when a well-tried and faithful one is offering himself, lest wo find, when too late, wo have cast away the substance and grasped only a shadow.— Yours truly, Ahvanu; Waikato.