The Daily Telegraph. SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 1885.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4389, 22 August 1885, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 1885.

Me W. C. Smith's most ardent admirers have an ugly task before thorn to reconcile their admiration of that gentleman with the actions of the member for Waipawa. Since Mr Smith has sat in the House, it has been our endeavor to cultivate a sense of satisfaction in connection with his political conduct. It would have been a pleasure to us to have discerned in him the germs of ability to rise above the level of the ranks of a parliamentary nonentity. We have watched his public career with the utmost interest, hoping that, year by year, his course of action would exhibit an ascending inclination. In fact we hoped that from the mere politician he would gradually develop into what his best friends believed him to bo— something- akin to a statesman. We need not say that we hare been dismally disappointed. The newly fledged M.EI.R. of ISSI is the same in 1885, and is likely to be unchanged in the future. After a mail has been four or five years in Parliament he leaves a record behind him that all who run may read. Though tho fierce light lhat beats around a throne may not so brilliantly reveal the character of a comparatively obscure member of our General Assembly, it is quite impossible for him to hide himself from the public gaze, or shield himself from public criticism, Hence Mr Smith is a more important personage in Parliament than he ever would have been had he not sought the suffrages of the electors. And these same electors have twice signified their confidence in him by placing him at the hoad of the poll. This extraordinary infatuation, as it appears to us, was, we think, largely due to the fact that Mr Smith presented himself as the small and struggling settlers' candidate. Tho elections of 18S1 were the first under manhood suffrage, the extension of tho franchise offering a wonderful opportunity for political adventurers to get into Parliament. Very many of these sprang up like mushrooms all over the colony, but tho good sense of the electors drove the most of them back into obscurity, which they wero better fitted to adorn than a public platform. Mr Smith was one of the fortunate few who attained the height of his ambition. Once in Parliament he busied and fussed over little things, and pleased his constituents mightily by keeping his name constantly before them in the columns of a small sheet devoted to his praise and glory. If any work was about to be undertaken by the Public Works department Mr Smith would scout it afar, and straightway givo notice to ask the Minister if it was tho intention of the Government to proceed with such and such a contract. The reply would of oourso be in the affirmative, and then Mr Smith's friends would give him the credit of having obtained the work for his district. As with matters of that kind so has it been with grants for public libraries ; Mr Smith gives notice to ask whether the Treasurer intends to place a sum of money on tho estimates to subsidise those institutions. The answer is '•"yes" and then Mr Smith is credited with having secured a promise from the Government, °&c. All this is known as political humbug, and to which, in default of other ability, probably, the small politician is extremely prone, but which, however, is often discounted in back bush settlements at 100 per cent, above its value. It is impossible) to douy that Mr Smith owed much of his former popularity, for it is now we imagine rapidly on the wane, to those tricks of the political trade of which he has been no inapt student. But we would ask how lias he repaid the electors for their trust and confidence? Has ho been true to las principles; have his actions been consistent with his words? We will leave the Waipawa electors to jud"-o:—Mr Smith's first claim on the electors' of Waipawa was that not being a sheepfarmer, he was no land monopolist; and he denounced the "sharks" who had

mopped up the whole country to the exclusion of man and for the benefit of sheep. He further sympathised with the unfortunate people who, seeking in vain for a settlement in the open country, had, per- __ foive, to find a home in the forest, a forest wilderness that offered no attraction to the wealthy sheepfarmer. But the forest had a very particular attraction for Mr Smith, who, with some friends, mopped up several thousands of acres of the finest totara bush to be found in New Zealand. Before a sheepfarmer can hope to get anything off his run he has to stock it, and improve it. Mr Smiih, however, found in the forest a crop that he never sowed, ready to be harvested. Mr Smith will probably get a * quicker and a larger return from his thousands of acres of bush than any sheepfarmer can hope to get from his fern hills, and Mr Smith's bush property is as large as most runs. Mr Smith in grabbing land only did what others have done, thereby showing he is human. It is a comfort to think that he is not the transcendental Being , that, in the absence of a sheep run, a bush owner is regarded by political supporters. Again Mr Smith deplored the unjust incidence of taxation whereby the poor nuui paid taxes upon nearly all that he eat and all that he wore—taxes that ground him to the dust but which were unfelt by the rich. But when the present Government of which. Mr Smith is a supporter, proposed to increase the taxation on the necessaries of life where was Mr Smith ? Did he raise his voice against this increased measure of injustice ? Not a v,-ord did he utter ; though on the hustings lie figured as a freetrader, in Parliament he would help to crush the poor man by whose vote he sits in the House and draws an honorarium that would keep many a starving family in a state of comparative luxury. Again in the debate on the Land Bill, that harsh measuro designed to make the struggling settler a slave on the soil as so justly observed by Sir George Grey, where was Mr Smith ? nowhere ; the Bill did not touch his thousands of acres, and so, what did he care for the miserable 40 acre holder ? Verily Waipawa is paying , . dearly for the honor of being represented byW a " man of the people."

In our Supplement to-day will be found a, complete tale in prose, -which is nearlyidentical with the stirring- tale in poetry recited by Mr Hodgson last evening, at the Theatre Royal. " \ To-morrow morning the subject of Mr/ Patcrson's sermon will be, " Faith-healing and Modern Miracle Working," and in the evening the subject of lecture will be "What I have learned from the Fire Brigade." Members of the Fire Brigades are cordially invited. We have received a bound facsimile of the London Times of the !2rd October, 1795, and June 22nd, 1815, containing the ac- ! counts of the battles of the Nile and Waterloo. The directors of the Napier Park Company met last evening, Mr McVay occupying the chair. It was decided to lay down the whole of the company's property in grass, and to call for designs for a grand stand capable of accommodating one thousand people. His Worship the Mayor has received a communication from the Government in which the Corporation is authorised to em« ploy for a few days such men as may desiro work, until other arrangements can be made. The Road Overseer, we understand, can find work for some twenty hands. A meeting of the council of the Hawke's Bay branch of the New Zealand Institute was held last night, Mr W. Colenso presiding:. The business of the council was to arrange for the next meeting , of the society which will be held on the evening of Ijie second Monday in September. V^ The narrowness of all the streets in Napier is now beginning to tell on the traffic, and to cause serious inconvenience. Property owners along Waghorne, Emerson, and Dickens-streets are endeavoring to get those thoroughfares widened, but in Hastingsstreet the crush is felt more than anywhere else, nearly every day extremely narrow escapes from collisions occuring. Wo have received Oxenham's Turf Register for August, which is as full of information as ever ; we again commend it to our sporting readers. A man looking over a garden fence the other morning , , asked the proprietor for a job of anything to do. He was told to come inside the gate, and clean up the footpathe and rake the beds. Expressing his thankfulness, the man looked at his watch, and said '' Excuse me for a short time, but I have got to post a letter." " Then I won't trouble you to come back," said the proprietor, and the two have seen each other no more. Lord Salisbury is the third of the Cecils that have been Premiers of England, a boast which no other family can make. A well-known mind-reader, who is an adept of course at card tricks, not long ago had a capital night of it in a double sense. He devoted an evening to the exposure of those ingenious tricks, in which palming, false shuffling, and false cutting iiro the main features. On the road home, with the takings in his pockets, ho entered an hotel, sat down and played a friendly game with two innocents who knew no tricks, of course, but who had been delighted with the professor's performance. After a littlo play the takings had changed hands, and the professor found out there were one or two tricks he did not kuow, but which ho paid to see, without acquiring even the modus opcrandi. Flora Summers, charged this morning#with larceny, for the last month or two warf a. vendor of the " War Cry," and in addl- „ tion she had "testified." By the steamer to-morrow from the North tho Silver King Company will arrive in Napier, and on Monday evening they will produce an original version of "Jo," which has been adapted specially for Misa Edith Appleton, whom we remember years ago playing child's parts. The young lady is the daughter of two accomplished members of the company, Me Appleton being the leading walking gentleman, while Mrs Appleton (Miss Jenny Brycc) as a soubrette actress has but few equals on the Australasian stage, so we will be pleased to note that Miss Appleton scores a success as "Jo." Onco a Month for August is to hand. Tho number contains a capital likeness of tho Queensland Premier, . some nice sketches of out-of-the-way Australian scenery dealing with the fern country, and a variety of literary articles and readable fiction, which places it in the front rank of Magazines. We are glad to notice tho circulation Ls increasing greatly, the present issue exceding ton thousand copies. \ The editors of the two papers are at it, paste, scissors, and pea. Easily accounted for—both are Wanganui journalists. From Kaikora we learn that Mr Charles Clark, while removing a building across his paddock, a telegraph wire was broken down and caused a delay of some hours in the transmission of messages. Mr Clark at once advised tho telegraph department of what had happened, but they have thought it advisable to summons Mr Clark to ap? pear at Napier to answer the charge of destroying telegraph material. The Hugo Buffalo Minstrels gave one of their performances at Hastings last night to a packed house. The whole performance was a first-class one of the order and caused roars of laughter and amusement. The company were so well pleased with tho reception they had, that they intend to give another entertainment with a change of programme to-night, and the audience were so well pleased with the entertainment that there is sure to bo a well-filled house again to-night. The N.Z. Herald says:—" The members of the Silver King dramatic company gave the first series of three special performances at Abbott's Opera House on Saturday night, the piece selected being 'Jo ', which' was made s-j popular here some time ago, when Miss Jennie Lee played as her the rolu of the ragged crossing sweeper. O*n Saturday evening Miss Edith Appleton was cast in this role, and her performance for a child was wonderful in its truth and power, for not only was she letter-perfect in her part, but manifested a keen appreciation of its niceties and the ' business' connected with ifc. The youthful actress elicited bursts of applause at frequent intervals, and had to appear before the curtain at the close of act. She was well supported by the bors of the company, Mr Vcrnon playing carefully as the impenetrable lawyer, Mr Tulkinghorne ; and Mr Appleton as "Bucket, tho detective; Mr Charles Thompson as Mr Snagsby; Miss Kate Douglas as Lady Deadlock ; Miss Jenny Bryco as Hortense, were admirable."

The concert at the Theatre Royal last evening in aid of the Rugby Union was in no respect a success. The house was but a moderate one, and therefore the financial *• results will be small, while the programme submitted was not at all equal to whatwe expect in a first-class concert in Napier. Three items stood out prominently last evoning, namely, Mr Kettle's "Alice, Where Art Thou?" which was the best vocal effort of tho evening, the cultivated voice of the vocalist being heard to great advantage ; and he was very happy in his choice of a song, to which he did full justice. Next in excellence ranked the trio from "Martha," given by Mrs Sheath, Mis 3 Bell, and Mr Sheath. In the second part Mr Hodgson recited "In the Signal Box " and the " Little Hero," as he alone, among all our residents can recite, and for which he was very warmly applauded. A word of praise is due to Miss Hitcbings for the sterling excellence of her accompaniments. The finale was a footballers' chorus, which'was a piece of the most wretched doggerel we have ever listened to. At the R.M. Court this morning, before G- A Preece, Esq., KM., Flora Summers, ou remand, was charged with stealing certain clothes at Havelock of the value of ?1 179 6a, the property of one Andrew Peters, on Tuesday last. She pleaded not tSlty Wilhelmina Peters deposed that on Tuesday last she was washing and afterwards hung out the clothes on the line. Next morning she missed two white shirts, three ringlets, and a pan- of drawers. Recognised the articles produced as the missing Wtv Did not know tlie accused - Sew Peters corroborated the evidence i the last witness. He missed tho proJerty on Wednesday morning. About IS) hundred yards from his house unaer the bridge the clothes were found Saw Sp accused in tho morning after the the accuscu were loiiS3Tin thre? bundles. Had carefully Sasured the footprints, and they corresponded with tho boot now produced belong■v Cto accused. Prisoner here applied for a V g till Monday or Tuesday, which was / Constable.jPioker- / wand Hall having been taken, the clerk of tnT Court deposed as to four previous against the accused dating four Flora denied in a long speech 8S was gnilty. Sergt Burtenshaw / •iJTwas never known to do any work. ~4 rJenle of two months'hard labor was a She said on leaving the box, "I "iU do it with pleasure, but I am as innocent as a child." _ fit John's school-room was again crowded i t- n 'vf.r.in<' being the occasion of the delivery l M tCSp S Waiapu of his second lecture SSaaEditsPeople.''. The Rev. J, G Paterson occupied the chair. 'J he subject their location, the very earliest o whom i was proved Were not " born of the soil' but could be traced by their language to have come from the north, many words W* identical with those of several European countries, a fact affording < SSce of the truth of the old but not yet exploded theory of the origin of man. Ihe second portion of the lecture was occupied W descriptions of the remains of several XnaSS architectural edifies, andcoming down to more recent times to tbe mutiny of J The lecturer, warming with his Bubieot became eloquent as he narrated the SeedTofheroism of the prominent men of the Ume, with whom he was persona ly &'w n Dun?ai ! a style.so famiUar to g&« - di rv Ce St f jS£& S ch6ixranf O an Pa ? Sal frio bySS Williams, Messrs Sickr££ Si ackman. The singing of the Narionai Anthem concluded the proceedings. A shillin" saved is a shilling earned. You can positively save from 2/6 to 5/- on everyTworth of drapery; you purchase by every * » the t road lowest possible prices for. ready money—[akvt.J . The many spurious and injurious article Owen-as a guarantee of purity.-[A3*T.] Hop Bitters does not exhaust and cestroy but cures, and makes new. Get the genuine American Co.'s. Lookup. The achievement that gave to the world Woltb's ScuNArPS, will live in the history of curative sicenco as long as the human ?ram is subject to natural disea.es.-