The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Tuesday, October 30, 1888. ALL FIRST AND NO SECOND.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 215, 30 October 1888, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Tuesday, October 30, 1888. ALL FIRST AND NO SECOND.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aiin’st at be thy country’s, Thy God’s, and truth’s.

The result of Saturday’s municipal election contest is thejnost singular occurrence in its way that we can think of. Each of the three candidates secured an equal number of votes, and the Returning Officer gave his casting vote in favor of Mr Taylor. It is only on very rare occasions that such an officer has the responsibility cast on him of deciding between two candidates, but so far as we know it is an unprecedented circumstance that he should have to choose between three candidates. This practically means that whichever candidate the Returning Officer chose he must endorse the opinion of one-third of the ratepayers as against that of twothirds. Of course, had there been only two candidates, the chances are that the votes which were obtained by the third would not have been equally well proportioned, but in viewing the figures before us that possibility could not be taken into account, and, if it were, only the ballot box could prove which candidate would benefit and which would lose by the inverse ratio. Though we considered and expressed the opinion that Mr File would make the best Councillor, we are sorry to learn that some ratepayers openly express their objection to the Returning Officer’s decision. Supporters of Mr Ponsford ask why the former Councillor did not have the preference, and supporters of Mr File ask whether that gentleman was not more entitled to the casting vote than either of his opponents. These questions are most absurd.. In reply to the first one, as to giving the preference to a former Councillor, the argument only weakens his claim. He has been tried, and has had opportunities of proving whether or not he is entitled to the confidence of the ratepayers ; yet he only secured one-third of the votes recorded. Then we may place the other two candidates under the disadvantage of being untried men, depending for their support in the contest on what confidence or popularity they may have obtained as ordinary citizens. Then let us look back and make comparisons. Mr Taylor has been badly beaten more than once, and considering the weakness of human nature this might have been expected to tell against him in future contests ; but he struggled on gamely, and the more he got knocked down the better stand he made of it next time, and this time he has come out in grand form, as horsey men would expre'ss it. Well, we say if ever a man deserved victory, he does. We still believe that Mr File would have made the best Councillor, but the ratepayers placed the trio on the same level, and then, considering other circumstances, we tnink the Returning Officer acted wisely in giving Mr Taylor the benefit of his vote. We do not see how any liberal minded person could think otherwise. There is, too, the great probability that Mr Taylor, while having an equal number of votes, had more voters in his favor. Mr Ponsford is to be sympathised with, for he was laid up on the polling day and thus lost the advantage of a personal canvass.