THE INDIGNATION MEETING.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 178, 5 March 1867, Page 3

THE INDIGNATION MEETING.

(fkom an especial -reporter.) Reclining full length on the softest horsehair couch hotel, smoking the pipe of peace, andj^hilding castles in the air, my visions wese; suddenly dispelled by voices in the street shouting " Rates, Bates, Rates," to, the 'JBVy.eet aecompaniement of those " evening Jjells.' 3 Starting to my feet, I rushed' out*'^ time to see a barefaced young man, with a large bell and a big voice, supplemented by another elderly man with a larger bell and a thick Scotch voice, both of whom kindly invited me to be in time at the meeting of indignant citizens, at the Religious Institute, at eight o'clock sharp. Consulting the various clocks in town, which certainly ' Vary "considerably and Avon't bear comparison, ,1 sauntered to the -Institute, }. and having reached the spacious building, forced, my way between two forms, and pickings put^ji 'secluded spot I sat down, ■-'; :■ .'first lookihgtuito my hat and breathing a ; ijhort prayer -therein, but of respoct for ; the establishment. ' The'- proceedings commenced by the ;irrival of several citizens, who straggled in by-'onesvand twos, accompanied by severaMogs pf ferocious appearance. All ' tfere %rete£ed ;. with rounds of -applause, especially "the -:, appearance of a distin ajftishißct'iriember of the -legal profession, graciously marolied to the ond of the ; room, turned iipcnvhis heel, and having removed Mils "Tiler,-' 1 gracefully bowed ; his acknowledgments to the audieiice. ; The building soon filled to overflowing, ! .and those. who couldn't sit hud to stand. i After a considerable amount 'uf shouting \ and hooliooing, Dear Cantor was asked to do "the chair. ' A cry for Coats rent the room^but no Coats being provided, Dear Castor : was gently persuaded to it. A chair, not being in- the- programme, the Chairman occupied a 'corner of the table for aJchinuge.^ Order being asked and eventualiy L obtained, the Chairman offered up a petition for a supply of pens, ink, paper aiid. secretary, which, after some : coiJusion-and^delay, made their; appearance, accompanied by a stoutish individiU'.l to do Secretary. The Chairman having providedyhiniseK with a small sapling, beat; to/ : ordex>-and havinggot it; wanted to know what the meeting was all • about/ ; and called Ton the first speaker, who calmly rose, and having surveyed the. , surging sea of faces, wished to know if a ; reporter was present, as he objected to '. the G-rey River Argus being represented.'- --" as it represented jts own side. (N.B. — My extreme bashfulnoss prevented me rising to say I would report the other side for the "usual fee v)' -After abusing the ' ; Argus to his' hearts? content, • a gent connected with the: press-, rose and briefly returned thanks -for^? the Argus. After a burst o£ applause, which lasted fully twenty seconds,: the .first speaker again elevated himself and his voice and made a motion: to the effect, -" That the Improve-ment-Committee, kicking out a petition signed by hearly ajl/the Greymouthians,' is- deserving of censure, and that ■ the -Greymouthians, as one man, express their ' unqualified iiidignatiph >iri .consequence." The speaker haying run down sat down, and -was i promptly . followed • by his seconder, who, : dashed wildly,, into the Kissing affair. (N. B. —l .believe none of : the.f«air sex- were concerned.) He objected to. a : -' Hairystockracy," but" felt 'as an in-' . dignaht citizen should feel -when a petition, whidi lie and' another had cook ed up with.somuch trouble,- should have re--ceivedihe-dirty kick out. He could tell the: Gbmmittee ; or Commi-coffee that they - oughfclpbe ashamed: of themselves. VSe Becpnctep.'4the -motion.; it was all. that ' Argooiti,&<>., &c. The speaker here tainted iiitp jhearms of the mover, amidst the applause of the vast assemblage. ' Ordfcriibemg' enforced on the table, a I l ' licadi^ithpnt a hat here rose and bowed \- to thi^air. and the-public. - A voice pro- '%' ce v edldi^pm-it which thirded the motion. '. The petition was. right,, and the signatures -' were all there, saying which the aforesaid j y liead suddenly disappeared, A sandy- , ', bearded stranger^ occupying a prominent 2f' seat iirtront,- here quickly rose to his legs. ' He. assured the meeting he came there i unprejudiced, having just arrived. from V Victoria, and could. give a few arguments \ on it, (Tremendous applause and a *; laugh.) Yes, lie could: (Continued ap-, plause.) The speaker was here prevailed* % upon to turn his 'back to the chairman face the audience. ' Having bowed, ! piok up the' thread of his t' argu uients, which he took it -to be. (A

Voice : ;Hear, hear. Uproar.) He assured the meeting he was a snob. (Sensation, intermingled with cheers.) The Hairy> stockracy could go to Putney — (great uproar) — or to Victoria — (cheers) — that's' the place where your officials get their bread only buttered on one side. (A Voice- Hear/ hear. Tremendous uproar and groans, and cries of " Time, time.") The speaker having occupied fifty-four minutes, thirty-two seconds and a-half in trying to disentangle the 'thread of his arguments, the audience made up its mind to put up with it no lemger, the Chairman (Dear Castor) interposed by throwing "oil on the troubled waters," and limited the Victorian stranger to three minutes to enable him to wind up the thread of his arguments, and at the same time winking to the secretary to make a minute of it. The Victorian embraced his three minutes, and was loudly cheered on resuming his seat ; the audience were very much in doubt as to the side he advocated. A humble individual next appeared, having cleared his throat, blew his nose, and looked up to the roof, and being perfectly satisfied of his own safety, proceeded to move an amendment, at the same time giving the Committee a gentle " Wiggin" on the proper method of receiving peti •tions, and the parliamentary mode of kicking them out, which, if it had been adopted with this particular i^etition, would have shut up the indignant citizens who had signed it. It was all a mistake, but as the Committee were all jolly good fellows, his amendment was to forgive them this time, which was seconded by an individual who had signed ; tlie'petition. He was sorry for it, and shouldn't sign it again. (Cheers and counter cheers.) Several other noisy customers having blown off their stoam, . the .Chairman thrashed the table to order once more, and violently demanded the Improvement Committee to defend themselves, whereon there beiug cries of " Fish-er-live ph. !" a corpulent being ascended, and wiping away a tear, informed the audience he was "virtually elefunct." (Great sensation, mid cries of " Where's the undertaker. ") During the lengthy period of ten days that he had held office he had doiie his best as an Improvement Committeeman, but it hadn't improved him, and he had resigned, as he couldn't stand it. A petition was Tcicked out; he felt he had been kicked out too. (Great cheering). If he Jiad remained it would have been the death of him. (Tremendous applause,' during which the exchancellor resumed the nearest seat). The noise abating, a terrific cry resounded through the spacious building for Strike, but he wouldn't Strike; Order was restored by the appearance of a Councillor with a flowing beard, who denied the soft impeachment that he took his bread buttered on both sides. (Here the Victorian made a leap of fully ten feet to a point of order, but was ordered to his seat b\ the chair J Official or no official he was a citizen, and would act as a citizen; After an eloquent oration of some length, the Councillor took his seat amid the cheers and counter cheers of the audience. Several other Councillors rose, contented themselves with a. few words, bowod and disappeared. An indignant citizen here interposed that there was a Wull-flower present who hadn't yet presented himself, whicli elicited yells for " Wall- Wall," in answer to which a thin, dark-whiskered, and modest looking individual at the back of the room ascended the form (N.B. —No platform being provided), and having unfolded the latest -issue of the Grey lliver Avffiis, examined' his copious notes, looked straight at the'tablcyancbsaid Mr Chairman, Sir. - (Deafening chetrs. N.B.— lt was really refreshing the way he sired : the chair during his speech, reminding one of the House of Commons. I've since been told he's -an M.P.C., whicli nccounts for the "milk in his-.cocoaurit.") After , a long and eloquent harrangue on personalities, the.Cr.jß.J.. and its leading articles, and other subjects, apart from the question at issue, the honorable member .resumed his seat (Query. — Do they call members of the Provincial Council honorable members ?), amid the plan clits of his supporters and the groans of his opponents. After a little cross-firing about a "tossup" for a "section, much to the' amusement of the meetings the Chairman beat up to order, recited the motion and amendment,' and jumping "on the table called for a show of hands. After a short scrutiny, and having proved his sums in arithmetic, informed the audience (now in a breathless state of excitement) that the amendment had got it by a majority of eleven. (Prolonged- and ■ continued applause, with cheers, counter cheers, groans and hisses.) Ainidthe;uproar, the chairman secured a vote of thanks, and "having replied expressed a hope.: that a chair would be provided next time ; ; lie clidn ? t-care what land, but should prefer a cane-seated one for tlie summer, and a warm easy one fe)r the winter. The Improvement Committeemen present -undta'took to see tliis i n provement darned out.' - "There being no other fun before the meeting the assemblage, which could not have numbered more than two thousand,five hundred and seventy-six and a-half adults, and two hundred and one dogs, quietly and orderly dispersed to " liquor up" at the adjoining hotels. . • . Walter.