THE Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21. 1881. A CONTRAST.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 182, 21 December 1881, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21. 1881. A CONTRAST.

" W«r At »r« things, wid * dr«p. «f ink f»HinfcbJt« . - - iiif mpoa * thought,'prod«««i U|»i'whichuinates thousands, perhapi millio«s think. '

To use 8r very hapkney^di but s ; tilla very trathfal',. expressfon, "You never can tell'tmtil the numbers are up," andy neTer was. it ao fully, exr^niplifllidf ,9* m tte • case .of the late [elections 1 " : The^result is now known, |apdf_^hile.,it i ia,. sametipaes. good' to ihave aninfußion of new. .bloody it is [well that it should- be, of- such a chapapter as ; mll:be;,a.credit and;^ot, 'the, r^erse. .%harg) has beeQ s a,ter'nbl^^tttrhingvOut'? --it-T^.tnty use rtbe» eipressionT— but no. one, will be fo^nd- with, sufficient boldness, to aaiserife'tliattbe people of 'the colony lhav* prafitte ( dby the .change m p.«blicepinion. We ■. care, not whether the rejected'have Jbeea Ministerialists :or Oppositiquißts, m Buch, a r serious ■ matter., 8$ the govjernment of ■• the representatives of the, people. are. the true. r\ilers v of the should be subservient, jtp jtbe genera] weal: \ We have never, the politic^ qfrlsf v Reader Wood; still: . he> was ah elwque.Ti^ speake^ ■apd- carried' weight in ' thy Housed t>r. Walhs had his crochets, and had? a s liking fpr airing them,- but Tstill he, was a.. gentlejnan y and ! a. scht)liir. Gonsijderiripr) his. ; staunch aupport of the. gentler sex, andhis^ Icobsistent. advpeacy; of- their -.rig;ht. to ] the fran.cjjiaej coupled- with: the in-: t : flu€(r4(»e'!wliich they,. are; supposed- to 'exercise on the loivds. ofi'creatioin, his Kdefeafc:ifr a,-tnyßteryK ; j'hen agajn; who wiil; say tJiat the 'constituency mf^particular, o!r .the people. of -tjie colonj.in.jgeneral, vyill ,Vei:be^efited by- the. presence m the l-Htfuae, o£ Representatives of Mr. 'Sniith, to the exclusion of, Mir. Or.mond; He has a colqnial.r^putation; =.his. very opppneats., a,cknow.ledg^.h,is consistency, and' his ..ability eithe,r..m ■or out of a Ministry is sufficient tq, reflect credit on the House* Stilt he has been, put aside, for a. nnet^ t aian, who. has nothing to recoinme^cl- him unless his aristocratic. name. Q-is-borne tpq,has goije, and- the country loses a. veteran, politician, and' a cultar^geatleman, In Hangitikei, as ' 'we, predicted^ tl\$ x qleetors have cjiosen as their repreaeiit^fcive. Mr. ■Stjsten^, a man -whose word is his bond, and although he. may not have a knightly prefix, or cannot boast of ; being a. Royal Commissioner, wo predict that the constituency will have

no reason to regret their choice. We j acknowledge that Sir "William Fox has abilities ; and from that point of view his defeat may be considered a loss to the country, but his abilities are counteracted by his unreliabity and TinSictiveness. There is no doubt that his Ministerial patron, Mr. John Hall, will provide for him in^itie^aanie'm'annißr/as'He'did^orllr.' Whittak^b ; and he will be relegated . to. a. position m \^lch.his-power for mischief will be very much circumscribed. "While we rejoice that one of the editors of tt*e Wanganui papers— -yv.e, refer to the return of Mr. Fitzgerald for Hokitika^— we look upon the defeat of Mr. Ballance as one of the most calmitous events of the elections. After the result of that contest, no faifch can be put m the "vox populi,'' and public favor i? at best a fickle thing. For the very same reason that we regret to see Ormonb, Reader "Wood, and Dr. Wallts out, we regret the defeat of Mr. Ballance. Representative Government requires a good, wbolesoine, but not factious opposition, and three masters of debate have been lost m tho three gentlemen we have named. We do not intend to say one word-against Mr. Wats. Bje has done much for Wanganui, and should expect much at the hands of the citizens ; but. is there any comparison between the candidate which has been elected' and the- one rejected ? It is the old' story of ■ too . much confidence and not sufficient care. Had the supporters of Mr. Ballakce not held his opponent too ; . cheap, he: would now have M.IER., after his name, and tliey would have a representative m the true, sense of the worn — one- who has the ideas and is able to express them. Wakefielp-, too, has for a time end 3d his political career, and his retirement is at the same time a blessing and the reverie. . His unruly tongue militated against its cleverness- y ancfc, to- use a •paradox, the best speaker m the House was the worst*. Wairarapa has had quite enough of Bunny ; and the ornate language, of Ltjndon will not avraken an echo m St. Stephen's for the next three years, If there ;' have been defeats on th« Opposition 'side, they can also count a. signal victory — that of Central. Dunedin, where Bbagkest was returned at the head of the poll, beating Cabgull^ aad Bastings, the first ascion of the founder el Uunedin, and tjhe other a veteran politician and an old Provincial Minis te?r C^ming nearer home ito the constituency that jies m this 'county, /we confess we regret the.de- : feat of- Mr. Bussell, but it i% considerably, lessened* to,' see thai Dr. -Bttlleb. has to. keep him company. J.n that contest there was a powerful opponent, who hadgreat influence At hia back, thoroughly convassed the ? district on his behalf iA^siouga,an i'old- resident: he was. totally unknown until his candidature, but since that he..has wongoldenopinions -on all: sides. We. do not think he will make as. goo,d g^i-Qpresenf ative as Mr. Russell, but e,y.ery one givesjiim i credit for /being thoroughly conscientious -and? straightforward.