A WORD OF ADVICE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 196, 15 September 1888, Page 2

A WORD OF ADVICE.

Now that the heat of the recent election ie past, we take the liberty—or the privilege—of giving a word or two of advice to the defeated candidates, mainly in the hope that they will not be the only ones to take it to heart, Aa a journal which (how successful or otherwise it is not for ue to judge) professes to be a leader of public opinion, or at any rate a guide, we consider it our duty to ignore no public matter, end if there is any matter above all others on which comment is required in a young place like Gisborne, it is the conduct of our local governing bodies. Such subjects as the “ Melbourne Boom ” can be dealt with at any time—if readers are supplied with faithful reports on such matters those readers are perhaps quite as competent to consider the question as we are, because each one naturally judges from his own standpoint, and that is really the best way to judge in such a case. As a necessary sequence we considered it our duty to advise the ratepayers as to which of the candidates in the recent contest were likely to be the most serviceable : our choice was announced at the proper time, and was fully endorsed. But what we wish to particularly refer tq ie the attitude which some people assume in an affair like thia. In the ordinary course of business our canvasser called on the (subsequently) defeated candidates with regard to their election addresses, and in both instances a refusal was given because wq did not happen to have supported those ganiiataen, Now if such is the principle by which men aspiring to a public position are to be guided, wall, we need say nothing further, excepting that we strongly object to the imputation that we were influenced by such a mqtive Our selection was made before any candidate bad come forward with his advertisement; though we may add that we consider it a matter of common courtesy, when no oppor, tunity is allowed to do it from the public platform, for the different candidates to address themselves to the ratepapers through the best channel available, the Press, Had we tor a moment supposed that because we felt it our duty to oppose Messrs Ponsford and Taylor, those gentlemen would have

taken it up in so arbitrary a spirit, our canvasser would have been forbidden to approach them. As we have previously stated, if men are not able to stand fair criticism they should never aspire to a public position. We can always admire an opponent, if the opposition is honorably conducted ; if others cannot view us in the same light, then we look upon it as their weakness and not our fault—we have not yet descended to the milksop, “ scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch-yours ” class of print, and will never do bo.