THE HAWKE'S BAY ELECTION.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3229, 4 November 1881, Page 2

THE HAWKE'S BAY ELECTION.

[To the Editor of the Daily Thle&uaph.] Sib, —I was very much pleased with the leading article in Wednesday night* paper, because I am convinced, that it very fairly represented the opihioh of the majority of the electors in the Hawke's Bay district. You state the circumstances of the case most accurately in saying that the two candidates for that electorate are running in the same groove, and belong to the same political party. The two rivals, you go on to say, have therefore only the popularity they may 1 individually enjoy to pull them through the contest. But here I hardly *gfge\ ' with you. Mr Sutton has the advantage of being essentially a man of the people, and, what is more, he enjoys the very hearty opposition of the large and wealthy landowners. There is no doubt about it ! that the extraordinary pains taken to further Oaptain Russell's return are all 'in favor of Mr Sutton. It is very [ naturally thought that there must be : something at the bottom'of this hostility, i because, whatever may be the failings of : Mr Sutton in the number ol his acres and the length of his purseV everyone is 1 agreed that he has proved himself a much more useful member than.. Captain ' Russell has. The sympathies of the \ electors have also been enlisted on behalf . of Mr Sutton by the impression—and a > well-founded one too—thatJje h being " jumped upon " unfairly• jflh* -ot forgotten that he was made ansOTt or aeapel goat, and bad to bear the whole brunt of litigation that should have been evenly [ borne by all the principal Heretaunga i settlers. His name has also been made 1 to represent the bad name attached to : native land dealings in Hawke's Bay; L and everything is now being TJaid to itt- » duce the idea that Mr Sutton high 1 enough in the social scale, or honorable enough in his past land transactions, to ! represent the landed aristocracy and the • honor of Hawke's Bay. "What a tail our cat has got," to be sure! But how ; is Mr Sutton to be relegated to private life and, Captain Russell raised to senatorial honors ? By means of the 1 working man, that most convenient tool at an election. It has been asserted that Mr — ; — (I won't mention names) can bring twenty-five of his shepherds; fencers, ploughmen, &c, to the poll, and Mr Somebody Else can bring fifteen, and so on through the district. The big sheepfarmers, in fact, confidently believe that they can order their workmen to vote as they can order them to do a job on their stations. This is coming it a littte bit too stiff in my opinion, and leads me to believe that there is some ulterior object in view in the anxious desire displayed to keep Mr Sutton from Parliament.—l am, &c, Havelock. Havelock, November 3,1881.