NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 604, 4 September 1909, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

In hisspeech at Eastdwri on. Thursday night Mh. HocktY,,' one of the Reform candidates for the Rangitikei seat, ; sup-, plied his audience with a very telling il-. lustration of : -.the/ unblushing way in which "Liberalism , ' rewards 'its friends at the.expense. , of, the country. He \reminded the: electors.of the happy lot of those who havo vainly erideavpured to unseat.Miu Massey': '.-•■' ' ,-' ■ : . > The first, of Blr. Massey'S;- defeated opponents. WAs Mr! Jackson.. Palmer j who: was appointed a judge of .'the : Native Land Court. : The next victim was Major Harris, who.'found solace in a- seat in tuo Legislative' Council. The next io go. dowii,.before Mr. Massey. was Mr.' Alfred■'Harris;, a.brother, of tli'o ..Major's; who was'made .a distiicfc coroner. \ Then camo Mr. Fimllay, Wilsen. who,after ;bpiris'rej«cted by Mr. Massej's constituents, wssi provided with.; a billet iii tlie'Govcrrimcut Printing flfSce,and .utter him fellowctl Mr. W. .W.Jl'Cardlql-tHe' ■ bitterness, of : ; vrhoEe defeat.'.waa' softened. , by ■appointment to the Legislative Council.- "

It. is no that the! Gpycrninent never has any difficulty in finding a; inan who is willing,'to icon test , the Franklin; .seat, in. the . Ministerial interest.,-' NoHigher compliment '■■-. to Mr. 'Massey •, : is possible than' the willingness,of■ the Gov.ornnjent. to -pension ''the nien ' who have ventured to assailhisstionghold. And this gross abiiso of -its'.'privileges',-is only, typical.of 'the predatory : methods, of the' i r ~--.'~'4---—:.- ■-:,' ,'■.

l> lii; -would -bq-i, churlish ..indeed; to .write; oriel-word, that . wPuld, ; ,tend to ,<3im-. the- ..-glory, -.' that-,. must' ..surround . .the,. 'name , .'of Dn,... ,Cook ,' ,as the: disepyerer of. the. , North Pole, '...but in this day of; trjumph' it wduid.'.be. ungenerous :to Overlook. the. deeds of that dar-. ing'batid ofioxpldi'ers who for three- hundred' years and inore set , their, hearts on reaching the .-"top of the. world." : lt is true they failed, biit their.: .exploits 'are nevertheless, splendid example's of those "high;failures-that oft o'ertop mean 'successes. , ' .In reality ' ■:.'■:[ '■ ■• -.'•.:\\

.■, ■-■■, They never fail; who dio'-j . ; ■ .'..'! ■• ■■■■.- , ,-; lii a great bause... : :\;\. ■■■';. '■;:■'" Every ono. of them can' rightly, claim.'a share .in the .final.; achievement;,;, Each succeeding explorer learned from the exploits of i those who : . went' beforo > .what to do, arid what, to avoid, ■ and his added .experience.-was-'in turn handed down; td those that followed.; In' Arctic exploraf tiori,;-as in so nlanydthor things, onb man sows .aiid another one , labours and' another gathers' the 'fruit of those ,liiboilrs. ■-It, io the story of Hurhari progress.

The glimpse,into, the,mirror which wo held up before" our venerable ,'■ evening contemporary seenis 4b have had an irritating, effect. Its sense of humour, has. quite dopartedt..'. It .hastens to explain that. ,'our . suggestion'. that. it should ,-' see itself as qtherssee it is "fantastical, irrelevance" tod. ''wandering from the; main points at issuei" Quito sp. We caii understand ourcdntemppraryV anxiety riot'to "wander" 'on to such:delicate ground, as; the'■-,.question 'of . its—fshall we say?— changeable^attitude oii.political questions. Biit if our edritemporary; will persist in its bad 'habits; it must ; act with moro circumspection; Or it may'. be ..re-, buked.with greater severity than we have' thought necessary; on • tho present occasion;',-,' ■. - - : : ' '„■'.•.'., .-' ■. '■-.. :.■. '. ~;