Marlborough Express. Published Every Evening. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1892. McLEAN V. BELL.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXVIII, Issue 10, 13 January 1892, Page 2

The Marlborough Express. Published Every Evening. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1892. McLEAN V. BELL.

Fbtday is to see one of ihe most important and momentous elections held m New Zealand. The personality of the candidates has been dwarfed by the vigorous efforts made by ' the Government to secure the return of their candidate. We notice that some papers have found fault with the Ministry for their touting, but tbough their practice has been unusual, the history of » Ministerial interference m elections is not new, nor bo long as Party Government conF tinues is it likely to be altered. Mr Gladstone does it, Lord Beaconafield did it, why not Mr Ballance ? Mr Bryce went to Hawera to assist Mr Bruce m the Egmont election, and Mr Bruce would return the compliment if •• required. Two blacks, however, do not make a white, and we object entirely to the whole thing. Candidates, should stand on their own merits, not on those* of the leaders they are to support. Take this * same Egmont eleotion. Mr Bruoo was beaten by Mr McGuire. Why? Not because he was an abler or better man,, for he 'is not, but because of the advocacy of Ministerial speakers who followed' up the lines now being run on m Wellington. i The main question on Friday will be not whether Mr McLean or Mr Bell is the better man, but whether the Government candidate is the one that should be supported as against an independent candidate. We have on several occasions protested against, tho continuance of Party Government, but tho latest in- * stance of its effects more than determines the opinions previously expressed. If a puppet is to be put up to suit the ends of a 9 ' party, the sooner the reins of the Government are taken out of the han^s of those who would reign over all individual scruples, the better. Why men should do m Parliament what they never think of doing out of of it, we cannot imagiae. No one expects ; a member of the Borough Council, or the Hospital Board, or a road or river board to subjugate his own intelligence to that of a leader or a party, nor would they m their ■j own private affairs, but it seems as though _; m Parliament they must. Take Mr Buiok as an instance. - He believes m Freetrade, and jet is the paid agent of tbs most oat and out Protectionist New Zealand has yet seen. He is a single-taxer, but votes with , a party that taxes improvements. We are | not going to blame him, because it is the system, not he that is at fault. If it were , not that he knew he could not get anything like the same satisfaction from the other ,! side, he would not support them. But how rotten ft system of Government must it be that has to rely on the votes of people who are entirely opposed to the theories laid down by tho3e m power. To revert, however, to. the Wellington elecg tion. The issues at stake seem to be only two ; first of all whether Labor Party are to reign, and secondly whether the policy of the present Government ia considered sound m the chief city of New Zealand. We put the Labor question first for this reason, that Mr Ballance as good as apologised to the Trades and Labor Union for not consulting them before he put up Mr McLean as a candidate, and when a Premier can descend to _ that kind of thing he must himself look on the Union vote as of the greatest importance. ,As to the policy of tbe Government i we can only say this, that it looked well at the start, but developed m such radical and socialistic ways that it soon became quite beyond the capability of the ordinary, every r*.ay, keep-what-you-haye-and-let-no-one- , cheat-you-out of-it Englishman. That „ Friday's election will decide the reign of the present Ministry we do not for a moment imagine, for which ever way it goes it only proves the minds of Wellington electors at a bye-election.