THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1905. THE TEIUMPH OF TAMMANY.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 137, 7 December 1905, Page 4

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1905. THE TEIUMPH OF TAMMANY.

The triumph of Tammany is complete, and its Colussus now bestrides our narrow world with a wider stretch and a firmer grip than ever. We lament the. loss of many of the ablest of our public men who have fallen in the struggle, and the blow inflicted upon the colony by the consolidation of the autocratic monopoly under which it has suffered so long ; but even in the hour of disaster it is impossible to withhold a tribute of admiration to Mr. Seddon for the astonishing thoroughness of his victory. The ranks of the regular Opposition have gone down before him as tompletely as tho footballers of the Old Country before the New Zealand team, and even' the wing men— the Independents and New Liberals — of whom 'we had formed high hopes, are in tho same "red 'burial blent." If success were the test of merit, Mr. Seddon would indeed be entitled to Our unstinted admiration ; but human nature is so constituted that we a-re often constrained to admire oven where we condemn. Few members of a law-abiding community have room, for unqualified approval of the most successful burglar, yet few can fail to recognise that in this calling as in others there may be qualities exhibited which are in themselves entitlod to unstinted eulogy. The operator of the Tammany machine is a millionfold greater danger to the community than the most enterprising of burglars, but let not our detestation of the institution blind us into the belief that any fool can work it if he is sufficiently unscrupulous. The industry, the courage, the vigilance, the resource, the ingenuity with .which Mr. Seddon has plied his task are positively amazing ; and it will be well for some of those who in the hour of disaster are consoling themselves with their superior virtue to ask whether tiie defeat of what we believe with them to be in the main a good cause could conceivably have been so overwhelming if, without resort to tiny doubtful practices, they had more nearly approximated to their arch enemy in the admirable qualities to which we have referred. "The misery is," as Bacon says, "that the most effectual means are now applied to the ends least to be desired." In this part of the colony, which has usually proved a strong bulwark against Seddonism, it must be conceded that tho Opposition have fully deserved all that they havo got. They were wise "to leave the Central division of the city to 'Mr. Fisher, whose energy and organisation have secured him a substantial victory over an opponent almost equally active and able. Mr. O'Eegan has fought an uphill fight with great spirit and in excellent taste, and was fully justified in his suggestion last night that his defeat raised no presumption that any other candidate in the same interest would have fared any better. In Wellington North the city has sustained a severe loss in the defeat of Mr. Duthie, whose special familiarity with the fields of coinmerco and finance makes his disappearance from tho House a colonial loss also. Although the issue has not recently been regarded as anything like a certainty in Mr. Duthie's favour, the size of Mr. Izard's majority was a matter of general surprise, and we can only hope that the successful candidate's assertion that the " G " placed after his name in the list of combatants reaAly represents "Good" and not "Government." He will have to enlarge it to a very big "G" indeed if -lie is to equal in sterling independence and public respect the valued public servant whom he has displaced. In tho Eastern division, Mr. Aitken has at present an advantage over Mr. M'Lean of only nine votes, and we regret to Bee a politician of such weight hanging by/ a slender thread which the recount and the absentee vote may snap before the final declaration is made. How is it that politicians ,so apparently invincible a 8 Messrs. fDnthie and Aitken have been in the one case substantially defeated, and in tne other so sorely pressed, by politicians of .far inferior standing and Weaker calibre? It is due to no change in the political faith of the electors of this city, but simply to the fact that the Government candidates and their friends worked hard and organised admirably, while their opponents were content for the most, part to rely upon past services and present prestige. Mr. Duthie did some good work on the, platform, and Mr. Aitken addressed a. few meetings, but the enemy was much more energetic in tiiis department, and off tho platform he bad an overwhelming advantage. For the result in Newtown/ we cannot blame the Opposition as a party, for nobody was more surprised than they when Mr. Hislop's perplexing attitude at the eleventh hour made a gift of the seat to the Government ; but in the Hutt the fact that 2481 votes were polled against Mr. Wilford by electors who know that they were absolutely thrown away is a proof that the seat was Avorth contesting by an Opposition candidate, and might have been won by a strong one. But lack of energy on the part of the opponents of the Government is not a cause of universal application. The two most serious losses aro Mi. Taylor and Mr. Tirani, with Mr. Herdman a good third. The former lias succumbed to a combination of Government and Opposition votes, which wns consolidated by his strenuous and sometimes intemperate advocacy of prohibition, his impartial attacks on both the main political parties, and his perpetual harping on the voucher business right to the very end. With -ill his defects of judgment, wo deplore tho loss of so stirring a moral force from a political arena, which can ill spare it. As a Parliamentary power Mr. Pirani would have ranked hardly second to Mr. Taylor, but aftor an excellent fight he has succumbed to roads and bridges, and the same remarks applies to Mr. Herdman. Undoubtedly the judicious application of the Publio Works Fund has been the chief cause of the Opposition deba-cle in the country districts; and everywhere tho voucher business and the want of organisation havo been contributing factors, j One grain of comfort, and that by no means a small one, may be extracted from the disaster, and that is tint the case for the freehold and tho urgent pressure which was lapidly changing whnt the Premier cftlls his convictions on the subject have been appreciably weakened. Wo are pleased from this point of view to see such btiiunch supporters of the leasehold principle as Messrs. Millar, Arnold, Tanner, Ell, and Laurenson safe in their seats ; and though we are not in a position to estimate precisely the views of the new members, the loss of an Opposition seat moans in every case the defeat of a freeholder. With a majority of 46, exclusive of the Maori members, tho Premier's main difficulty will be in keeping his own team in order i but thouah he cannot find room for

all of them in the Cabinet, he may be. relied upon to devise expedients to prevent the surplus from becoming a worse trouble to his peace than the Opposition which he had to face last session.