THE DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVIII, Issue 1654, 8 November 1862, Page 3

THE DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS.

lUCEO NOX URO. "If I have boon extinguished, yet theie rii« A thousand bvacoiwfrom tho B])ark I bore "

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1862.

The contest for the Superintendency has been nan owed by the withdrawal of Mr. Joseph Newman from the candidature. In taking this step Mr. Newman deserves the best thanks of of the right-thinking membeis of the community. He perceived the gi eat principle now at ibsue in this province, and disinterestedly resolved to saci ifice his own hopes of success, rather than stand in the way of its ultimate triumph. The battle will, therefore, be fought between Mr. Robert Graham on the one side, and Mr. John Williamson on the other ; and we hope that no undue influence will be exercised to obtain votes for either candidate. Let the question go fairly to the province whether the electors approve of, or oondemn, direct purchase, On that question we would like to have an unbiassed recoid of public feeling ; and, whatever influences may be brought to bear upon the constituency of the province, the result of this election will be taken as the verdict of Auckland upon it. Let the interests at stake, therefore, be clearly understood. On the one hand, we have the late Superintendent put in nomination by his friends, — a gentleman whose whole political career has been marked by a strenuous opposition to direct purchase from the natives ; on the other, we iiave Mr. Robert Graham, whose identification with the party advocating the policy of direct purchase is acknowledged. Looking at the contest as a mode of testing the popularity of one or other policy, a spectator would be led to conclude that no fairer battle could be fought, and that the result must, of necessity, set the question at rest, ao far as Auckland is concerned. But this would not be quite consistent with the fact. There are other elements in the struggle, which cannot be overlooked. In Mr. Williamson we have a politician, experienced in the conduct of election contests — one to whom organisation for party purposes is familiar^ and whose .past career,-, leaves little room to suppose that he will mx

peril his chance of success by a deference to slight scruples. He is backed by men on whom he may confidently rely, and to whose natures political intrigue has grown congenial. The organisation of Mr. John Williamsons party is complete. To compete successfully with such a head and such a following, in an election contest, is no easy task) and we warn Mr. Robert Graham that he . has got his work cut out if he means to win. Organisation must be met by counter organisation ; and intrigue be baffled by a thorough canvas and exposure of the weak points of his opponent. There must be no lull, no flagging, no postponement till to-morrow of what might be done to-day. The issue of the contest depends upon the energy with which the canvas is conducted from this to the close of the poll, and we hope that there may be no over-oonfident affectation of success for fear of the worst. Having given this advice to Mr. Robert Graham and his friends, we will address a few words to the electors of the province, with whom the result of this election depends. Besides the great principle of direct purchase, the electors will have to decide another question — namely, whether they approve of Mr. John Williamsons conduct in this matter 1 They are invited by Mr. Williamsons friends, for that gentleman was out of town, elect him as Superintendent of the province, without giving them the slightest clue to his opinions on any point. An elector inquired at the hustings whether the late Superintendent knew he was to be put in nomination 1 and his proposer, Mr. Cadman, gave an evasive answer. The plain truth would not suit ; therefore Mr. Cadman replied, that if Mr. John Williamson was returned he would accept the office of Superintendent. No one supposes that the late Superintendent was put in nomination without his own consent. He " plnced himself entirely in the hands of his friends," Messrs. Foley, and Sheehan, and by virtue of the understanding with them, he was put in nomination on the hustings. The electors should recollect that Mr. John Williamsons resignation was an entirely voluntary act. He stated his reasons in an address which we published, and which, at the time, we remarked did not place the true cause before the electors. However, such as they were, they still exist as strongly as ever. He says in his retiring address :—: — As m.ivy of you know, I was moved in the first instance to undertake the duties of the Superintend--ency by the hope of being able to carry into practical operation that scheme of dealing with the Waste Lands, for encouraging Immigration and promoting settlement in the Province, which it wan the object of the political party with which I had long been associated to develope. Under many difficulties, but with able assistance, I have now for six years laboured — not wholly without success— to make the advantages which this Province offered as a field for immigration known in Great Britian, in the North Americ.ui provinces, and in Germany ; and 1 have enjoyed the satisfaction of scenic; a steadily growiug stieam of inimigiants of the vest class setting in towards Auckland, and the boundary of settlement extending itself safely and rapidly throughout the Northern portion of this Province. As long as the prospect remained of upholding a system, the value of which has been demonstrated, I was ready and willing to contend against any embarrassments with which antagonism in the provincial council, or hostility on the part of the government of the colony might surround my position ; I think, however, that I now see in the action of the general assembly during its recent session — especially in its passing of the "Natives' Land Act" — an insurmountable obstacle to the carrying on of the system of colonization now ii» operation ; and if I retained my prosent office I shonld feel lnyselt conscientiously impelled at once to direct the emigration agents of the province to discontinue the issue of land orders ; for unless the government can continue to acquire land from the native owners, I fear that the blocks in the hand? of the provincial government wdl shortly be insufficient to meet the demands of those to whom land orders have already been, and are still being issued at home. Opinions, lam aware differ as to the probable operation of the Natives' Land Bill j upon immigration and settlement : my own conviction is, that its action will bo destructive. In that j view 1 have, in my place in the Assembly, given the bill such opposition as I am able ; 1 am not, however, willing, acting upon my own conviction, to take a stop no decided as that of putting a stop to the issue of land orders ; but feeling that the work to which I have devoted myself is at an end, I resign mio your hands the important trust with which you have hououred me, <md with an enduring and grateful sense of your kindness and confidence, and of the valuable aid which I have received from my friends and su]>porters. In the teeth of that address Mr. John Williamson has again allowed himself to be put in nomination, without condescending to say whether his views have undergone any change, nor have his supporters said a word on the subject. We can see no purpose in the approaching contest, therefore, should Mr. Williamson go to the poll, than a wish on his part to show that he can do as he pleases with the province, and it is for the electors to say whether they consider that is conduct which should be approved of by them. Mr. Robert Graham, while he advocates direct purchase, shows how the system can be worked for the good of the province. He pledges himself to use his great personal influence with the Maoris, to buy their waste lands with provincial funds, and thus enable him to promote immigration. That will effectually check landsharking, while the prosperity of the country will be promoted by the introduction both of population and capital.

Band of the 40ih Regt. — The following is the programme for to-day : — War march of the prietts Athalia, Bartholdy ; overture, Lauberflote, Mozart ; selection, II Tiovatorc, Verdi; waltz, Dream of the Rose, Burckhardt ; selection, Fra Di&volo, Auher ; polonaise, Lcbewohl, Goedecke; galop, Malakoff, D' Albert. Onkhunoa.— lndepkndknt Chapel.— The anniversary services of the opening of the Independent Chapel, Onehunga, will takeplaceto-morrow(Sunday), when two sermons will be preached, that in the morning by the Rev. T. Hamer, of Albert-street Chapel, aud in the evening by the Rev. J. Long. Albfkt-Strvet Sunday School. — The anniversary sermom in connection with the above school, will be delivered to-morrow (Sunday), iv the Independent Chapel, Albert-street; and collections received at the door in aid of the schools, after each service. The Rev. R. Lawhley will preach in the morning, and Mr. P. H. Cornford in the evening. Electro Biology.— We have been requested, to draw the attention of our readers to the advertisement appearing elsewhere, notifying the fact that those suffering from rheumatism, can be Telieved in half -an -hour, without drugs, or the infliction of pain to the patient, by Captain Wilson, who can be consulted professionally at Mrs. Tattersall's, Official Bay, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.— The next lecture will be deiivered on Monday evening. Thatcher and Mackntsy. — Wo would call »tten tiou to an advertisement iv our columns, by which it will be seen that a celebrated instrumentalist and performer of uegro characteristics will' appear in conjunction with Thatcher this evening. Mr. Mackney has Appeared with considerable success, and attained a celebrity in the colonies of Australia. The programme for this evening is unusually attractive. The Lwoesteb Shbbf which arrived by the 'Indian Empire,' were sold by Mr. Buokland, at Newmarket, on Thursday. The prices obtained were . satisfactory, and went to show that the value and importance of these sheep was understood and appreciated by the Auckland flock-masters. The thanks of the public are dim to J. Benson, Esq., of Tayistock, Devon, for his having takeh an interest in New Zealand, which led him to send theso fine rams to Auckland for the purpose of improving the Leicester brood. It is hoped that all theae sheep will be exhibited at the cattle show next year, when it is in contemplation to give a prize for the best of them. The prices obtained at the sale ranged from £21 to £65.