The Two Candidates.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 382, 26 November 1889, Page 2

The Two Candidates.

[TO THE EDITOE.] Sir, —Much has been written, and more said, about the respective merits and demerits of the two candidates who are seeking the suffrages of the electors of Pover>y Bay. Whilst the contumacy of one candidate in freely spoken of, the shortcoming, of the other do not escape remark. Judged from an ethical standpoint there may bo some truth in the allegations made, yet too many are spt to forget—although it may be written that he who would sit in the councils of the goda must be both socially and morally pure and above suspicion—that the vitality of human error and human folly are existent facts, and few (if any) are so strongly wise as to he above reproof. A mind given to reflection must perceive that whilst society le in the throes of a progressive unity a large amount of charity must be exercised aud duo allowance made for the failings of others. Thia leads me to refer to a leading—but which would ba more correctly defined aa a misleadingarticle that appeared in the columns of your contemporary last week, aneut Mr Rees. The author or instigator ot that produetion seemed to have ransacked every conceivable hole and corner in search of something fancied or real to mar the chance of Mr Rees' success, markedly forgetting the many good qualities of which he is the undoubted possessor. If candidates for public honors are to be subjected to the searching eyes of social oritieism with respect to their private life, and if this is to be made one of the planks of their chance of success, let each be treated alike with the same searching enquiry. Can Mr Arthur boast of a larger amount <?f social parity than Mr Roes? What is the public verdict ? Granting that Mr Rees beg exceeded the bounds of prudence through the influence of a generous heart, the public oan judge and know what to eondone, and what to condemn. To err is human, to forgive divine; therefore let the mantle ot obarity cover the faults ot cither candidates, and lot them be judged according to their respective fitness for the honor each solicits. If we may take Mr Arthur’s prospectus as a ruls to judge by, the repetetive uu ot a synonym, and his own admission es fl bis unfitness for the honor he seeks, inasmuch ■s he distinctively says that he is wanting in the powers of oratory, condemn hia chance of success. Wall, just now the ratepayers do not want a dummy, [The writer hero makes a severe criticism on former members, which, though to a great extent true, we consider not altogether appropriate at the present time, seeing that the gentlemen referred to have been rather unfortunate in life, and it would only be a repetition of what the electors know too well,—Bn J Sorely.the ratepayers will nnt again insult their individual intalli. gence. and further damn their chance of get, ting for Poverty Bay what rightly belongs to it, by electing an unsaleable representative. In other parte of New Zealand public money has been lavishly spent on works of ntility, necessity and art, and sometimes in a way the publie verdict has righteously condemned. In aid of the construction of those works this district ha* contributed, whilst its own interests have been seriously neglected. It would be an act of justice for the Government to remedy this evil, and I know of no one better qualifi*d than Mr Reas to gain the desired end. The speech delivered by Mr Pees in McFarlane's Hall on Friday night will arrest the attention of every thoughtful voter, and his persistent and dlstinotiva ability to make our wants known are too well under, stood to ba disregarded, and it may be truthfully stated that aa a public man in public matters be has met with a consider, able amount of success. In conclusion I ask what are the fundamental principles of fiolitics in New Zealand ’ Oh! Mr Editor,so ittle do men cultivate the ethical side ot their nature that we must make a very large allowance for human error. Speaking for myself, I have found it so hard to pull ag unst the stream that I am going to pull with it this time at least, by giving Mr Rees my vole, and if there is any No. 1 In it, ask the other candidate to wait for the settlement of hie block of land, as others have a block to square, and their patience has been sosely tried.—l am, etc., Settler,