The Daily Telegraph. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1889.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5684, 18 November 1889, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1889.

There are just at present two vacancies in the House of JReprespntttives, both being (Ine to misfortune. The untimely death by drowning of Major Jackson left the Waipa seat vacant; and unfortunate commercial transactions compelled Mr A. Graham to resign hie seat for the East Coast. As candidates for tho representation of these two constituencies are two men, each remarkable in his own particular way, but widely differing from each other in public esteem. The names of Mr John Bryce and Mr W. L. Rees aro known throughout the length and breadth of the colony, and to the misfortunes already mentioned both gentlemen have been offered the opportunity of reentering the political arena. Tho distinction to be drawn between these two candidates ia that the return of Mr Bryco to Parliament would be accepted as an immense advantage to the colony, while the election of Mr Rees would be regarded as quite tho reverse. There being as yet no other candidate in the fit-Id, Mr Bryce's return for Waipa may bo considered a certainty. The candidature of Sir, Keen came as a surprise. Mr Arthur was tho choice of the electors, and us there is but one session to run before a general election, it was not thought it would be worth tho while of any parson to oppose him. Mr Rees, however, is known as the "Irrepressible," and small persuasion was needed to bring him forward. He docs not seem to bo a popular man in the locality where he ought to be best known, and both tho Gisborne papers aro severe in their condemnation of his candidature. From private sources of information, indeed, we learn that tho requisition to him partook of the character of a joke, but from the prominent position he took in connection with the reception of the Irish delegates it in thought not improbable that he will secure what is (Milled the Catholic vote. He will not, however, obtain the support of the real back-bone of the district, judging from the tono of the local paperH. Wo may be excused for dealing with Mr Rees's candidature on tho ground that the result of tho East Coast election is of as much political importance to Ilawke's Bay as that of any district within our provincial boundaries. In union there is strength ; and it is of great concern to us that the member for the Etist Coast should work in harmony with, and hold in the main the same political views as are entertained by Messrs Ormond, Russell, Tanner, and J. Canoll. All these gentlemen aro staunch supporters of the Ministerial policy of retrenchment, economy of administration, non-borrowing, and of giving every facility for the occupation of Crown and native lands. To this policy the colony owes the ro-nstablishmont of its credit in the money market, and of the confidence of cupitulists in tho honor and honesty of the Government. It is needless to say that if all this had not actually been lost, it bad been seriously shaken to its foundations by the policy of the party to which wo believe Mr R»>es would ally himself, and with which ho worked when ho was last in Parliament. This policy was ono which had for it.s object, appurontly, the upsotting of all that had gone before. In reality its udvocates only desired to unsettle men's minds without in the least foreseeing the disastrous effect it would have on outside public opinion. The members of a Government and their supporters cannot preach revolutionary doctrine ou the ono hand, while maintaining existing institutions on tho other, without creating serious doubts concerning their honesty, and a belief that they -woited a favorable opportunity to cripple enterprise, and drive capital away. That, at all events was the impression created by Sir George Grey's policy, and in a lesser uegrt-e by that of Sir Robert Stout's. It in obvious that, in the present condition of tho colony, it is of the iiisit importance to have nothing of that •sort again ; and, consequently, to keep gentlemen out of Parliament who hold peculiar views on such subjects as land nationalisation, the bursting up of estates, the creation of peasant settlements, and taxation of absentees, should be tho aim of all who desire to make Now Zealand prosperous.