THE STANDARD TELEPHONE

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 539, 2 December 1890, Page 3

THE STANDARD TELEPHONE

Tiso—A— LING Intelligent Elector, please! I’m here, Standard ; politics again, I suppose ? Call it what you like—facts, anyway: a whisper, my dear fellow. I‘m listening; what is it 1 You remember that chat I had with Mr Arthur ?—I told him it was a case of sour grapes when at Gisborne he said he did not want a vote of corfilence. And you poked fun at him ? Just a wee bit. He said the same thing at Opotiki, but as I pointed out, he never tried on the little catch until he found he couldn’t get a vote of confidence. That might have been only his awkardneu Pretty queer awkardness—awkardness that did not occur at Patutahi, Ormond, or Matawhero. There, you see, if a working ehap says a word against the sweet emiler he would be a marked man, and be prefers to keep mum till the day of the ballot box. But isn’t it showing the white feather when fellows won’t stick up for their colors ? That all depends—there is nothing to prevent a fellow from keeping his tongue from wagging, and then putting the ballot box to ite proper use. It is well known, too, that those who talk a lot generally go the other way. Just so —it is pretty certain that the owner of the historical slippers will go straight for Kelly when the fifth comes. Of coarse he will; so will the other plump trio. It was actually arranged that bis cheery namesake should second the confidence in Gisborne, but bis conscieoce smote him when he ought to have got up, and then Arthur had the cheek to say he did not want confidence 1 I wonder if he mistakes Gisborne people for sheep when he tries to stuff them with such nonsense as that he doesn’t want confidence, and then fishes tor a mock vote everywhere in the country. I hear they are going to try and have a packed meeting in Gisborne before the election. Ay, they're up to all kinds of little games. They intend to bring in a lot of country people, work up the agony, and try to enthuse a bit. But these dodges won't deceive Gisborne people, will they ? Wbat are you winking at? It’s clear you’re not up to their wrinkles—they know it won't make any difference in Gisborne, but it a ill enable them to give a grain of truth to heaps of bogus telegrams they will send to Opotiki, Tauranga, and elsewhere. 1 see it now—they'll have more than one corner man, I suppose ? Ob, yes; a regular show of marionettes, Corner man, middlemen, man in the front, men the back but with plenty of front, and when one begins it will be a repetition of the yarn in Don Inixots about the man who lost his donkey. Will they be worked with strings ? No, no; the Kelly chaps would cut strings. Mr Arthur will simply wink when he makes • point or thinks be bus, and then they’ll go into hysterics straight away. But whore will the Kelly boys be ? Ah 1 bide-a-wee; I'm only giving you an ex parte statement. When the time comes, the Arthur programme will be materially titered, Circumstances, eh ? Quite so.