Oc Blwiie AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Mornins. Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim'st nt bo thy country’s, Thy God's, and truth’s. Thursday, Mat 2, 1889. FROM BAD TO WORSE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 293, 2 May 1889, Page 2

Oc Blwiie AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Mornins. Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim'st nt bo thy country’s, Thy God's, and truth’s. Thursday, Mat 2, 1889. FROM BAD TO WORSE.

According to our expectation, but contrary to our advice, Cr Joyce did not withdraw his notice of motion, and so had to take what he got. All the Councillors were quite ready to have let the matter drop, and to have silently passed over any little eccentricities of Cr Joyce at the previous meeting. But some persons are unable to let well alone, and Cr Joyce is one of them ; and it really was forced on the Council by Cr Joyce himself to pass the very unmistakeab'le amendment to his motion which was tabled by Cr Coleman and supported by the whole of the rest of the Council, save Cr Joyce. There was not the slightest disposition on the part of any Councillor against whom Cr Joyce’s motion was directed, to retaliate : each Councillor, no doubt, felt the strength of his own position, and the utter insecurity of Cr Joyce’s; and we make bold to say that there was not one there who would have changed positions with him for a great deal.

The strong are always modest, the powerful are usually retiring. We d» not wish to express any opinion as to Cr Joyce’s capacity, but we may say without any fear of contradiction that his worst foe or best friend would not call him modest or retiring. Had Cr Joyce availed himself of the opportunities of escape offered to him at the previous meeting, and at the last meeting of the Council, we should not be now writing this article, but as he did not do so, we think we should be failing in our duty to the Borough Councillors, and to the public they represent, if we allowed his behaviour to now pass unnoticed. The Borough Councillors are a thoroughly representative body, including as they do some of our best townsmen ; they are punctual, orderly, business-like and assiduous in the discharge of their duties, and their integrity is beyond doubt.

There is not one of them but Cr Joyce who seeks any self aggrandisement, or laudation; he continually blows his trumpet, in default of anyone else to blow it for him, as to his honesty and straightforwardness; but we all know the old proverb “ Self praise is no recommendation,” and a man’s case must be bad when he has to praise himself.

But what on earth is the good of such perverted honesty and straightforwardness as Cr Joyce boasts of, if it so distorts his vision that, instead of seeing himself at fault (as the very best of men must sometimes be), and in a manly way owning and regretting the fault so leniently treated by the Council, it leads him to regard himself as a martyr, to inveigh against tne newspapers, to attack his brother Councillors in the most disloyal manner behind their backs, and at the last meeting to accuse them of banding together “ to raise his ire ”?

Now, could anything be more nonsensical ? Does Cr Joyce, with all his self-admiration, for a moment think that his brother Councillors give one thought, or care one jot, whether his ire is raised or not? If Cr Joyce does, then certainly we do not.

We do not think it is a matter of the slightest moment to any one of them whether he is pleased or not. They go there to do what they think right, irrespective of Cr Joyce; and beyond a momentary feeling of annoyance at his unlimited waste of time, and some slight impatience at his ludicrous efforts to Grate, we have never detected any feeling on the part of Councillors, who have ever been only too tolerant of Cr Joyce's forensic efforts, even when directed in his usual loyal manner against themselves, We think the Mayor was a good deal to blame at the previous meeting (and we know he thinks so too) for not having saved Cr Joyce from himself, bv at once adjourning the meeting; It would have prevented all the subsequent exhibition, and disrespect to the Council, whose honor it is the duty of the Mayor to sustain. But even this leniency met no other recognition at the hands of .Cr Joyce last meeting than personal insinuation. Cr Joyce says he is never personal ; now we would first ask our readers who may have attended the Borough Council meetings how frequently Cr Joyce has been called to order for speaking at another Councillor, or abusing the Councillors in globo. Why, Cr Joyce cannot speak ten consecutive minutes in the Council, on any subject, without he becomes bitterly and impertinently personal, and addressing Councillors by name, And yet this is (he Councillor forsooth who declares he is never personal, that there was nothing personal in his motion, and that there wtp no animus about it. Does Gr

Joyce think he is the only person of knowledge at the Board, and that all the other Councillors are fools, that he utters such self-evident untruths ?

But we feel sorry for poor Cr Joyce after all ; he had an excellent opportunity of serving the ratepayers faithfully, and becoming, by long service, one of our public men ; and we sincerely regret to see a man by excessive vanity, and overweening self admiration, throw away such a position, and abuse the confidence of the ratepayers to such an extent, as to misuse the ability to serve the public, into an attempt to minister to egotism and self-gratification. The Council, out of extreme good nature, have permitted Cr Joyce to trifle with them too long. We don’t think, however, they are at all likely to continue such mistaken forbearance.