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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 5, Issue 256, 15 February 1862, Page 3

' To the Editor of the HawTce's Bay Herald' Sib — Who that witnessed the conduct of William Colenso, Esq., M.P.C., M.H.R., &c, in the Provincial Council the night before its adjournment, would have imagined that man to be the celebrated tribune of the people — the friend of the working classes — advocate of the poor man — and the man that Napier delighted to honor? It was really refreshing to see him, in a moment of forgetfulness, break out in his true color, snap bis fingers at a class that he so long humbugged, and exert all his might and main to ruin the poor settlers at Clive, by cutting off their direct line of communication -with Napier, and make them go some three miles out of their way ; because, indeed, the present road is some half a mile longer than the proposed one that our inland gentry are desirous of being made; and last, though not least, perhaps because Mr. Colenso has a large property of Havelock, and little or none at Clive. The working men of Clive should well remember this, that the motion for repairing and completing the road was lost through the violent opposition of the tribune of the people, in spite of all that Joe Rhodes and Tom FitzGrerald did to see justice done to the Clive people, in whose welfare I am myself much interested, though not a resident at that place. The conduct of our sleepy donothing Government in the matter is by no means blameless. It .was their business to propose and carry through, some feasible plan that would not destroy existing interests, and that would at the same tittle, afford the necessary accommodation to the public generally. Instead of this, they abandoned all responsibility, and left it an open question in Council, where one party proposed one thing, and another something else ; and the result will be, that the winter will be on before anything effective will be done, and of course communication will be stopped by and bye. Oh! defend us in future from high-minded tribunes of the people and working men's friends, like Messrs. Colenso and Donaldson ; both of whom, whilst quietly enjoying the fruits of official, life, pretend great interest in people they never meddle with but to injure when any fear of their official superiors comes before them. Remember the conduct of both at the public meeting for the leasing of native lands —a matter far more important than any ever previously brought before the Napier public, — and think how much dependence can be placed in them in times of emergency. Mr. Colenso's conduct in withdrawing, hia support to the movement, because Mr. Buchanan uttered some wholesome truths that others were afraid to give vent to, is unpardonable, in a public man having the good of the constituents at * heart ;— whilst •, Donaldson's was that of a pig-headed ass, acting, as a tool for otherjs— nominally; friendly to the movement, • per-haps,-but only so as long as it was guided by per-

sous whose leadership would ensure its destruction, or coming to nothing, and as they acted on this occasion, so will they act on others ; and the electors of Napier and working men will see too late they have only been used by them as helps unto power and place, to be then cast off and disregarded when no longer needed. ANTI-GAMMON. Eeb. 11, 1862.