The Globe. SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 1875.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 366, 14 August 1875, Page 2

The Globe. SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 1875.

More public meetings on the abolition question! The electors of Kaiapoi last January returned the hon C, 0. Bowen, Minister oi Justice, as a member of the House of Eepresentatives. Mr Bowen was opposed by Mr Beswick, a local candidate aud strong provincialist, but he won the contest very easily indeed. It was as a member of the Government aud as an abolitionist that Mr Bowen was returned, aud yet at the meeting held last night we find the people of Kaiapoi asking that the question of the abolition of the provinces may be deferred until after the next general election. W hat are we to understand by this P Either that the electors of Kaiapoi have in the short space of six months or thereabouts, changed their ideas with regard to abolition, or, that the majority which voted for Mr Beswick’s amendment yesterday evening was not composed of electors. It is, we think, probable that the latter of these two surmises is correct, and that the electors of the district have not as a rule changed their minds since they gave Mr Bowen such a triumphant majority over his antagonist. But whether this be the case or not, does any one suppose for an instant that the result of the discussion last night will have the effect of deterring Mr Bowen from doing all in his power to help his colleagues to pass the Bill at present under discussion? We venture to affirm that if Mr Bowen were made aware of the fact that he would never again have a chance of representing the electors of Kaiapoi, it would not affect his vote on the question one jot. It may bo said that Mr Bowen is a man whom almost any constituency would be proud to rei urn as a member, and that if rejected by Kaiapoi, he could easily hud a seat in the House for another electorate. But that does not affect the question. He was returned on the abolition platform, and he is bound in justice to himself to go through with the question, even if those who returned him prove that they did not know their minds at the time of his election. The fact appears to be that these public meetings have all been held too late. If, when Sir Julius Yogel first propounded his abolition ideas the antagonists of the measure had been active enough to get up similar gatherings to those lately held, and the voice of the electors throughout the two islands had been uumistakeably hostile to the scheme, the Premier might have paused. Of course it will be said, that when the idea was first promulgated, it was only to apply to the North Island. This is quite true, but partial abolition was soon found to be impossible, and it has been admitted

for months that the Bill to be brought down must apply to the whole colony. The fact was well known at the time of Mr Bowen’s election for Kaiapoi. The electors of that district signified their approval of the policy of the present Ministy by the return of their present representative, and if the whole number of those who voted last night are electors, then they must be said to have stultified themselves. A majority of one hundred (in round numbers) for abolition in January, has been converted into a minority of eight. The majority, however, was acquired on the votes of five hundred electois, whilst the minority was on the votes of one hundred and forty-six persons, some of whom, at least, we may fairly suppose were not electors. In spite of the result of the meeting last night we shall look forward to the return of Mr Bowen if he again solicits the votes of the Kaiapoi electors.