THE OTAGO SUPERINTENDENCY.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 11, Issue 827, 23 February 1867, Page 3

THE OTAGO SUPERINTENDENCY.

MR.-JAJIES MACANDBEW AT THE: PRINCESS THEATRE, DUNEDIN. " On Saturday, the 2nd inst., Mr. James Macandrew, MfH.R., addressed r .monster public meeting in a speech of three hours' duration, frpm which we*, make the following extracts :--~ > - .. , '; : lies.aid.:— -,.- \'--'^' .'. - ' : , 1 Probably there is not a man in the province whose name has been more in every man's mouth, for praise or for censtire, than my own~(A voice : For censure) ; and there is no matt in New Zealand who has met with more undeserved misrepresentation and abuse on the part of the public Press of the Oolonyj aye, and of this province, than ; l have. In the year 1861 1 had the honor of filling the office of Superintendent of this province. Unfortunately, however, at that time, the dark cloud of v adversity came across my path, and I became politically defunct; my sun may be said, on that occasion, to have gone down;— (A voice: It'll rise again, Mac ! Applause.) Pardon me, but the fact is that these matters bring reminiscences to my mind somewhat calculated to overcome one. — (Hear hear.)- My- sun went down, just at the time when I was engaged in maturing plans for an enlarged and extended system of immigration — for the construction of railways, or rather of tramways, into the. interior of the country—^for the construction of a dry dock — (applause) — for the introduction of salmon into the country — for the establishment of the Panama route, with the terminus and head quarters in the Port; of Otago.- Just at ; the time when all these schemes were in progress of initiation — thanks- to the untiring efiorts of those whose self-seeking I had-al-ways thwarted, and some of whom are now moving the spheres in the endeavour- to keep my head under water — -(applausej and a cry of "Shame !")^ — thanks to the persevering efforts of those men f I became politically defunct, and the schemes I have enumerated are still in the womb- of futurity. (Hear, hear.) It ia because I think I see some prospect of being placedin the position of head of the Government — (applause, and a <jry <?f " JTq doubt gf it ") — and of carrying out those ideas, or at all events of accelerating their realisation, that I come forward on the present occasion. lam perfectly confident that had I remained in the Government for four years,i all the schemes I have enumerated, and probably many more besides them, would have, been accomplished ; even without the gold discoveries, the population of the province would, probably, now have been double what it is, and Otago would now have -been second to no colony in the Australian group. We have, alas ! allowed the flood tide of the gold discoveries to pass away, and public spirit has been all but extinguished. (After recapitulating the various acts of his career as Superintendent Mr. Macandrew : continued) :— I was in 1861 the victim of a political conspiracy — I might call it a diabolical political conspiracy. (Loud applause.) That conspiracy was one by which it was tried to fix upon me this stigma in a way which, I confess, it is very difficult to confute. I -will tell you why. From the fact that, unfortunately no doubt for, me, when I assumed the reins of Government I was mixed up as a private individual with the Government in very large pecuniary transactions in connection with steam subsidies, immigration contracts, and such like — from that fact, it is very difficult for me to controvert the stigma which it has been attempted to throw upon me. But, notwithstanding this, I most emphatically and indignantly deny that ever I took, for personal purposes, a single farthing of the public money. In the Auditor-General's report, published in the Times of this morning, my enemies assert that I have tampered with the public money. I defy any one to read that report calmly and dispassionately and say that I did so. The Times alleges that I was in difficulties, and could not resist temp-tation.-(Groans for the Times.) I was in difficulties ; and I should like to know if that is a crime ! — (No, no.) That I could not resist temptation, I emphatically and indignantly repudiate and* deny. — (Loud applause.) I can tell the writer in the Times that if I could not have resisted temptation, there U no man who had the same opportunity of feathering his nest as I had. — (Hear, hear.) If I could not have resisted temptation, it is not likely that I should have earned my bread, for the last six years, by thesweat of my brow. — (Loud applause.) I tell the writer in the Times, that had I consented to dacrifice the public estate, I might at this moment have been wallowing in wealth : and I thank God that I resisted the temptation ! — (Loud applause) — resisted the temptation under circumstances which many men, perhaps, would have found it difficult to resist ; and Ido not know whether the writer in the Times is au exception to the rule. I can swear that while I was in the midst of my troubles — difficulties brought about, mark you, by my having been more regardful of the public interest than of my own — (hear, hear,) — difficulties which I attribute entirely to a breach of faith on the part of the Union Bank of Australia — difficulties which would have brought down any other man besides me ; at this time, I say, I was offered a cheque for three thousand guineas! — To do what ? Simply to sign my name : simply to put a certain piece of land in the market ; and if I had chosen to have made my terms, I could have got £20,000 for tlie transaction. — (Loud applause and a cry of "Name.") No man would have been the wiser ; and I should have been thought a great deal more of at this moment, I have no doubt.— (Cries of " Name," and " Order.") That I have been guilty of errors, I am not here to deny. All that I can say is, if it was fault, " it was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Ctesav answered it." I aui not here to palliate my own errors or mistakes — call them what you may ; but I ask you — are there no good deeds of mine to counteract or mitigate those alleged evil deeds ! lam bold enough to avow that the one, as compared with the other, are " as small dust in the balance, and less than very nothing."—^(Hear hear.) Even assuming, for the sake of argument, that I had countenanced irregularities — assuming hypothetically, even that I had been guilty of irregularities ; am. I on that account, now that I return like the Prodigal Son to my father's house — that house which I have done my best in aiding to build — am I, on that .account, af the instigation of one or two Pharisees, in comparison with whose antecedents my own, I do not hesitate to say, are bright as the noon-day sun-^-am t

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