NOTES BY COLONUS.

Bruce Herald, Volume VI, Issue 403, 31 January 1872, Page 3

NOTES BY COLONUS.

Anent Mr Stafford's late speech at Nelson; there appeared a few days since in the •' Daily Times*' an article, written apparently with the laudable intention of inciting our "native born young men " to take an active part in the administration of public affah's. It is satisfactory to be informed by the ■writer of the article, that there have been in this country " many excellent men who have to their own pecuniary loss, devoted some of the best years 'of their lives to the public service." "Who, or where are these excellent men? I expect they are in the Assembly, something like angels visits, or currants in a bun — " few, and far between." In contradistinction to this class of " excellent men," the same article animadverts severely on another class, namely that composed of what the writer calls ' ' political adventurers. " Political adventurer, is a hard name, and one more fitted *o be applied to some of those who enter Parliament in order to make a living, than to all of them. . The entering into the service of his country and taking part in legislation and the administration of public affairs, is a proper and legitimate sort of business for any man to undertake. This has been and is constantly done at home, though, of course, not to the same extent as it is dene here." One of the greatest British ministers, William Pitt, son. ooxf x the great Earl of Chatham, depended on his first journey to the Government, almost entirely on his official pay as a means of livelihood — so much no that soon after the commencement of his career, had the Government of which he was a member been turned out, it is said Pitt would have had to quit Parliament, and go to the bar in order to obtain a living by the study and practice of the law. It is first-i-ate policy to get the cleverest men we can find, to undertake the Government of the country, and xo obtain such men we must offer prizes in the shape of good pay ; as long as such men serve their country well and faithfully, we have nothing to complain of, but when men so raised to power are false to the great trust rjposedin them, there appear good grounds fot a suspicion that they are acting in an unscrupulous manner, and sacrificing the welfare of the country to their own private iiiteivst, there is then very great cause, not only for complaint, but for great anger and intense disgust. It is to men who act in such a manner that the opprobrious name "political adventurer" should be applied, rather than to every man who enters Parliament in order to obtain a livelihood.

A subsequent portion of this ' Times ' article seems to insist on the desirability of having the landed interest well represented in Parliament, and of the representatives of that interest taking a substantial part in the government of the country. 1 suppose the writer means by the landed interest," large landed proprietors, analogous to the landed aristocracy at home. Of tr.embers of this class we do not seem at present to have many in New Zealand. The fact is, our Parliament, at present consists principally of two classes, viz , of men who enter Parliament in order to make their " piles" (and sad to relate are not always particular how they do make thorn) ; and of representatives of the runholding interest, or the squattocrats H would be very well if that class of men commonly called settlers — -men who have bought land and made their homes in New Zealand was better represented than it is It is the agricultural interest which should have the principal, or a» least a considerable voice in the government of tho country. With regard to the '" great governing families," to which the ' Times ' refers, (the Perc> s, Stanleys, Russells, Howards. Lowthers, etc.,) who have, in Great Britain, long influenced the government of the country, we don't want great governing families here, notwithstanding "the sustained splendour of their stately lives " as Disraeli puts it, according to the 'Times' ; and what is more, we don't intend to have them. We don't want an aristocracy in the common acceptation of that term, nor yet a squottocracy, nor do we want a mobocracy. We want the government of New Zealand to be in the hands of the representatives of hard- working industrious men, who live in the fear of God, and respect justice and right.

Fraltjlext Intent. — In the case of Duncan Davis, lately tried at Dunedin, the jury recommended the prisoner to mercy on the eround of money having been paid to his account at the Bank, subsequent to the presentation of the cheque, for drawing and presenting which he got two years imprisonment. This was a in°t to be considered by the jury on making up their minds whether or not the prisoner had been guilty of the

fraudulent intention, in giving a cheque when he had no funds in the Bank to meet it, rather than ground for a recommendation to mercy. This is like a jury recommending a prisoner to mercy because they are nwt quite sure he is guilty. It is no crime to give a cheque where there are not funds in the Bank to meet it. The offence is giving a cheque " with an intention to defraud." The Assembly. — it may be all very well for Mr Macandrew to say, according to ' Hansard ' that the meeting of Assembly so often is a course to the country to but it \vould not do to let Mr Yogel run his course without hauling him up sharp, every now and agaiu. We cannot afford to let that hon gentleman run a whole year by himself.

Draw it "Mild. — The folio whig list . of news extracted 'from the ' Otago Witness,' is calculated to astonish a weak. mind : — "Large pieces of ice, many of them as big as an iron bucket, fell during a recent storm ill the Qiie.inbeyan district." We suppose we shall ■hear next of hailstones falling in some out-df-the-way locality as big as a moderatesized dwelling-house.

A 'lisping mother, who had presented -her infant at the baptismal font for christening, on being asked by the clergyman, " What name?" "responded in a whisper, " Lnthy, thir ;" when to the horror of the whole congregation and the consternation of the mother, he christened the baby— Lucifer. Jozh. Billings says, Cl It is a statistical fact that the wicked work harder tew reach hell than the righteous do tew reach heaven "

A young man named Neck was recently married to a Miss Heels ; they are now, therefore tied Neck and Heels together.

" Before I begin to drink, my business is 'over for the day," said a tradesman to his friend. , " Quite the reverse is the case wfth me," rejoined the other ; " for my business is over for the day when I begin to drink."

An American paper mentions the case of an Irish teamster employed at a coal wharfwho was threatened with dismissal by his employer on the ground of stupidity and perfect inability io learn anything. Pat protested that he had learned something in that service, and, on being challenged to state it. replied, " Shure I have learnt that 18 cwfc. makes a ton !" ; He ; kept his place, and got an increase of pay.