A VISION BY A VAILITE OF A POSSIBLE SCENE IN THE COMING PARLIAMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2345, 21 July 1887, Page 3

A VISION BY A VAILITE OF A POSSIBLE SCENE IN THE COMING PARLIAMENT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sin, —Will you give rein to your imagination, and try to fancy you see, our coming elections over, the r.ew Parliament assembled, with Messrs Stout, A'ngel, and Co. still on the (lovornment benches? And fancy, if yon can, that you see Major Atkinson and Messrs S. Vaile and G. W. Kussell there,; and then you will readily follow my dream, which ran thus Marly in the session our brave-hearted and indifatigable railway reformer brought forward a motion fur the adoption of the Vaile railway system upon the railways of the colony. The Covernmont treated this as a waut-of-confidcnce motion, and off goes Mr Vaile to marshal his forces for the battle. Major Atkinson says, T shall bo glad to give you all possible assistance, ho you think you can rely upon Mr Russell? He promised to follow you as his chief. Mr Vaile: Undoubtedly. He came here for that purpose. Mr Vaile to Mr Kussell; My dear Kussell I count on your doing great things

for us in this debate. You are gifted with unlimited voluble verbosity, and 1 rely upon your slating our opponents properly. As you said at the hustings, all must give way to to this railway reform. Mr Russell. Yes ; all this is quite true, but I also promised to vote against Atkinson and Co. and for Stout and Co. Mr Vaile ; But only by accepting the assistance of Atkinson can 1 hope to introduce my reform. The present Government have opposed it those three years. Mr Russell ; This is a grave bussinoss ; will consider the matter and reply anon. Mr Kussell, soliliquises thus—What a mess those election promises have got mo into ; can’t vote both ways that’s clear—am on the horns of a dilemma—must break one promise—which promise entails least loss in breaking ? Vote with Vaile and get the cold shoulder from Atkinson, and a tremendous slating from my own friends Stout and Co., too bad ; they assist mo to gut hero, and by them I hope to get by broad buttered. If I vote against Vaile the railway reform will bo lost and I get a slating from my constituents. I am afraid the latter must give way. I came here to make a business of politics, and can let nothing stand in the way of the preferment I expect at the hands of these gentlemen. Besides nature has blessed me with a glib tongue, and I can soft sawder my constituents when I get homo .Avaunt promises ! Give place to ambition.

Mr Russell to Mr Valle - - Have given your request my best consideration, and conclude that tiie railway question, being of second importance, must give way for tbe present. I must vote for tbe Government, whom I recognise as the apostles of “drastic retrenchment.” Exit Valle, muttering; Desdrter, ex-posure-telegraph constituents, etc., etc. .Scene changes to Hamilton, where a public meeting is being held, convened by the Railway League, to consider a telegram from Mr S. Vailo. The meeting is a stormy one. “Faithless,” “treason,”

“sold,” “served us right,” “diddled.” &c., &e., fly freely round. At length it was resolved, on the motion of Mr F. I). Rich, “ That a telegram bo sent to Mr Russell, denouncing his conduct, and requesting his immediate resignation.” On receipt Mr Russell scratches his head, wrinkles Ids forehead, opens his eyes, shuts his mouth, extends his right baud fan fashion, resting tbe thumb nail on the tip of his nose, says, “ Don’t yon wish von may got it?” and wires back the following:—“lf a three-fourths majority of my constituents repeat your request I shall be happy to resign. At present believe I am acting in best interests of the majority.” And now to business in tbe interest of my Ministerial friends, for if they lose I am done. Mr Editor, could you get your Yailite friends to work out my dream before the polling rather than after ?—I am, yours truly, Optimist.