The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Morning Thursday, Noveber 14, 1889. THE LATEST BUBBLE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 377, 14 November 1889, Page 2

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

Thursday, Noveber 14, 1889. THE LATEST BUBBLE.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ende thou aim'st at be thy country's, Thy God'll, and truth’s.

It was our impression until lately that the district had been relieved of at least one member of the legal profession, in the person of Mr W. U Rees, but it now appears that he has not forgotten usi nor does he intend that we shall forget him. It is definitely announced that he will seek the fevoy of the East Coast electors. What his platform may be we have not, at this time of writing, the pain or pleasure of discussing; but Mr Rees has been for a long time past a sufficiently prominent figure to enable us to judge him by his works, which, if not noted for their completeness, have at any rate been of magnificent conception. When Mr Arthur told us he had been seventeen years in the district we naturally asked what public services he had rendered during that period, Mr Rees, before his family bade Gisborne farewell, had been a resident of the district for at least half of seventeen years. But we need not ask what he has done for the place during that period, for w6 would at uncu be

accused of ignorance ; and if we tried to answer the question ourselves an extensive vocabulary might be exhausted 1 without arriving at substance. Certainly I he has generally flown at higher game I than the paltry honors that are to be I attained by attendance to municipal I duties, but the pinnacle of fame has not I yet been reached, and Mr Rees is just as we always knew him : he has yet to rise above an overridden profession—a profession which contains many honorable men but all the members of which are not infallible. There is no doubt that Mr Rees will continue to pose, as he has always endeavored to do, as the friend of the working classes, but the working men of to-day are not an unintelligent people, as many would-be politicians have discovered, and we are certain the working men of this district are sufficiently keen of perception to be able to discriminate in matters of this kind. They may not care to distinguish between a life of luxury and a life the existence of which depends upon “ the sweat of the brow.” Taken as a body our working men are a contented Jot and always happy to work when there is work to do ; they can enjoy a little political excitement and may sometimes rejoice in listening to platitudes uttered from a public platform. But they are not noodles, and the ability and willingness to do a day’s hard work does not as a rule make them such.

It is unfortunate for Mr Rees’ chance of election that it did not occur to him, although his swallow-like visit took place from an earlier date, to announce his candidature prior to making his speech on the Home Rule question. The socalled Unionists, we know, affect to believe that everyone who supports the cause of Home Rule for Ireland must be a traitor or a fool. As we firmly believe the appeal for Home Rule to be nn appeal for justice we differ with our “ Unionist ” friends, and feci more amused than concerned in regard to -any hard names they may use. But all Home Rulers are not so dense and pig-headed as some people would represent them, and we are inclined to the opinion that many Home Rulers will discern in Mr Rees’ attitude at Mr Dillon's meeting a connection that has more to do with the East Coast seat than with coercion in Ireland. Possibly we are mistaking a true patriot for a politician of a very different order ; indeed Mr Rees said at the meeting that he would lose his life rather than submit to some infringement of public liberty, though as that wrong only would have occurred somewhere about William the Conqueror's time, it did seem to our mind superfluous that Mr Rees should talk about laying down his life just when we are merging into the twentieth century. Like his references to the Irish question it all comes too late in the day to carry much weight. We havfc indicated that Mr Arthur is not the gentleman whom we should like to see representing us in Parliament. Need we say, after past experience, what our feelings would be in regard to Mr Rees? Could we be honest to our convictions and still support the map ? The reply would be anticipated. One strong objection there is to Mr Arthur is that he would represent—honestly of course—the landed interest. But what class would Mr Rees represent ? We doubt if even his own profession would support him as. their repeesentative, and the working classes will be able to test any lighthearted fiction they may be treated to from the platform.