THE MEMBER FOR FRANKLIN NORTH.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2672, 27 August 1889, Page 2

THE MEMBER FOR FRANKLIN NORTH.

TO THE KDITOU. Sir,—Mr Lawry, in speaking on the noconfidence debat.-, is reported to have said that in this instance he was going to record his vote against one of the best of Governnients. I quite admit that owing to logrolling and want of pluck and courage, and the want of virtue in upholding what is right, that under thrse circum.-tances the present Government is about as good, or very likely better, than any (Government which would succeed tlieni. 13ut for any member to apply the tsrm " best " to tho present Government is about the same as applying " fragrant perfume " to the smell that arises from a dead cow in a swamp. In this sense is the present Government the best, that is, supposing some tyrant was to say. you or I must lose either our right arm or our eye-sight. It certainly would bo better for us to loose our arm. Mr Editor, there has been no "best" Government since Stafford and Gillies resigned. That Government was the end of best Government'. I will tell you how the Stafford and Gillies Government was a best Government. These two .statesmen, along with many more old pioneer politicians, wore men of political and far seeing intelligence; they locked at tho raising of our young country into a country grown large and full of happy homesteads in a sensible and practical manner. Their successors have been ignorant, deranged, devil-ine-care, reckless, mad fools and blockheads. But, far above all were those old pioneers possessed of a virtue, and more | c.spocially were Stafford and Gillies possessed of tin's virtue, namely, self-abnegation. If they thought a thing was right they would have, it so, although by persisting they would Kse their place and power. It is well known they cuuld have remained in office by giving up their convictions, but no, they would not part with their kingdom, tint is their independence of mind when they thougt they were right. Statesmen having this virtue are the only salvation for us. Has tho present Government, or any of our present members this virtue ? No, with tho exception of Sir J. Hall, Mr I'.rvce, and a very few others, they would self their own fathers. The end of the Stafford and Gillies Govornment was the last honest Government we had or ever will have. We are past redemption ; we are politically, top to bottom, all pitch and defilement, we are bound to go to the dogs. After some great convulsion the magnitude of the evil may cure itself by our having a dictator

Hope tor ever bade New Zealand farewell _ An(l Wisdom shrieked wkcii Stafford and Gillies fell. Campbell's Downfall of l'oland. Mr K ilter,—lt is a mystery to me how Mr Lawry can think tho present Government is a " best" Government. The present members were elected, and the present Government formed upon the supposition that we had seen the error of our past misdeeds, and for the future tho people, the memoers, the Government were in their political morality to bo divine and heavenly. Is it so? Why the present Government is a great swindle. I refer to the Otago Central Railway. There has been already ATiOO,OOO spent upon this line, from which there never has been, and it is admitted by the Railway Commissioners that there is no prospect of any [return, and now there i is to be two or three hundred thousand spent upen it, not from any true hope, that this will be a wise and beneficial spending of money. But there are wheels within wheels, and by this log rolliig, tho Government will securo the Otago votes, and so remain in olfiee, power, and emoluments, —I am, yours truly, HARAriri. Harapipi, August 23rd, ISB9.