The Minister of Lands.

Hastings Standard, Issue 155, 26 October 1896, Page 4

The Minister of Lands.

A COXSLIJVATIYK'S OI'IXIoX

(OAMi iir MAIL.)

li wo* quite refre<bin£ to read Mr Duncan Sm'lh i l.i ;i«i" - eulogium of the Hon. John M'Kenzie. Vv'e have been so thoroughly accustomed to hearing and reading abuse of the Minister of Lands from all and sundry of the political party to which Mr Sutherland belongs, that we were really unprepared to tind anyone on that side saying anything particularly (lattt.-ring to him, much hiss paying so high a tribac to his political wisdom ami patriotism as has been paid by Mr Duncan .Sutherland. Tin re is no man in New Zealand who has been more roundly

revili d by the Opposition writers and speaker-* than the lion. John M'Kenzie. and no policy s'> unsparingly condemn? d by them as that which he has introduced and brought to fruition for the cl"-er settlement of the land. i>ut Mr Sutherland does not sympathise with his political associates in these matter •. He thinks a good deal of Mr M'Kenzie both as a man and a Minist- r. and says that his name will iive long in our political history " on account of bis Land for Settlements Act."'which the Opposition have consistently and persisu ntly <knot;nc< d as legali--ed rubbery. Test Mr Sutherland was not content with affirming the wisdom and beneficial character of the Land for Settlements Act. lie applaud. d its administration. All the purchases, he said, bad been good and profitable, the power of compulsorily n sinning land for settlement had been used discreetly, and even the muchcondemned ballot for Argdowan was a good thing when viewed aright. \\ e hone that Mr Sutherland's confession of unbounded admiration of the lion. John M'Kenzie and all bis works will meet with the appreciation of the i political party who are trying to get | Mr Sutherland into Parliament. Of course, after having exhausted their extensive vocabulary of abuse in a vain endeavor to discredit Mr M'Kenxie and his land policy, the Conservatives will find Mr Sutherland's testimony as to the honesty of the man, the wisdom of his measure, and the purity of his administration, a bitter pill to swallow. But they dare not refuse to

swi'.l low it. and wo now openly challenge tlx ::i to do on'J of tv t iiiii'i- whhdraw nil the i;-:: nasi v • th«'y havo hah! of Air M heii/'ie and liis 'policy and show tljt; bona (ides of Mr Sutherland's remarks upon th;- .s'ji'jr-t. or declare tli.it Mr Sutherland d"tes 11U m r -n wli.it lie says, and that they, as his supporters and opponents of the Ministry, are not preparrd to recant anything tlmy have said against the Minister of Lands. Common honesty den lands that they shall do one or other of these things, so that the electors may have a clear understanding of the position. If they fail to act in accordance with the dictates of common honesly. wo and the electors of the district will he under the necessity of viewing Mr Sutherland's prononnciment as insincere, and as an attempt to cast dust in the eyes of the electors and hl'md them to the purpose of his candidature. We hav<>, too, justification for suspecting Mr Sutherland of being actuated more by adesiro to. catch votes than to do an act of je.-'tier to tin- Hon John M'Ken/.io, and that justification lies in the fact that lie has not proclaimed dissent from the course pursued by his party and its organs until lie. at the solicitation of the County Council Conference 1 , became a candidate for the representation of Wailaki. if Mr Sutherland he sincere, how comes it that lie has allowed his friend, the Minister of Lands, to labor all these years under a heavy load of unmerited abuse and contumely without uttering one word of rebuke to his political a-so,dales '? Why did he defer the discharge of such an act of friendship and justice, and such an obvious duty as a lending citizen, until he became a candidate for a, seat in Parliament '}