THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, FEB. 13, 1880.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 13 February 1880, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, FEB. 13, 1880.

Victoria is now upon the threshold of the general elections, and the contest; promises lo be fought out betweer Conservatives and Liberals with at ardour of political feeling which aj> proaches to something like fanaticism, Never before in the history of that Colony has the dividing line between parties been so clearly defined as it is afc the present time, or public feeling roused to such a pitch of excitement There is not a nook or corner of any of the electorates which has not been sedulously stumped, and the whole Colony in short appears to be thoroughly aroused for the struggle, and the commencement is awaited with consuming interest- Of the two hundred thousand electors qualified to take part in the elections a very large percentage is, or rather is supposed to be, under the control of combinations, such as trade societies, temperance associations, and rtligious and political organisations of various kinds, so thut block-voting will be extensively resorted to. Notwithstanding that the popularity of the Berry party has suffered to some extent during the past twelve months, particularly amongst the agicultutal classes, there 8 sufficient to show tLat the Liberal leader still maintains an important hold of the laboring masses of the Co'ony, and we shall be much surDrise'l if h> is not triumphantly re" elected. Whether the whole of his colleagues will share an equally fortunate fat^, is, we think, very much in doubf, and judging at tßis distance we do not think that the Liberal cause would suffer very much by the rejee* tion of more than one of them. There is a large class of persons in Victoria who are growing weary of the extremists of either sides, and who would gladly welcome coalition as a change for the better. The session which has just closed by dissolution its stirring, theus'i almost barren career, ha* served to carry home to the minds of a Urge class of the people, a conviction of the emptiness, and if not hopelessness of the conflict which has been ro loDg r.tg^ng between the two FTouses, and t a ue desire For a uew departure upon the basis of a healthy comprise is one which is now leavening the bti'k of !uteil : gent voters. The date of the jioil !•=!, however, so near

at hand that little or nothing can be done in this direction before the elec--1 tions take place, and the ballot once ' over, the chances of subsequent re. conciliation would be but very small. The contest will, however, be watched with the keenest interest by New . Z j alanders, and the more so with the full knowledge which is before them ■ that sooner or later the same struggle, which for years past has been rending 1 Victoria must be re-fought upon the soil of this Colony.