MR ORMOND'S MEETING.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6917, 22 July 1884, Page 2

MR ORMOND'S MEETING.

Ma Ormonb was in " grand form " last night. He set himself to demolish the misrepresentations of Mr Sheehan with regard to himself, and he literally hacked to pieces the statements of his opponent, and supported his assertions by documentary evidence. It is not often that Mr Ormond is roused, but he was so last night, and it was a genuine treat to hear him demolish, one after the other, the dibtortions and untrue statements of Mr Sheehan and his friends. We can give only a condensed report of Mr Ormond's speech, but it is well worthy of careful perusal by every voter before he goes to the poll. lie avoided personalities as far as possible, but he exposed the weakness of his adversary in slashing style, and the enthusiasm of his supporters was unbounded. Towards the end of the meeting a body of Mr Sheehan' s supporters came in and at once set themselves to prevent Mr Ormond being heard. For half -an-hour there was a scene of such rowdyism as we have never before seen in Napier, and hope never to see again. A large number of ladies were in the gallery, and some of them were terrified almost to fainting, but they could not leave owing to the packed state of the Theatre, and the roughs and bullies below paid no attention to them or to appeals for order. After the scene of. last night no lover of fair play can vote for Mr Sheehan. He first broke an agreement made with Mr Ormond that if he (Mr Sheehan) were allowed to have the Theatre on Saturday Mr Ormond should have an opportunity of replying on Monday. Instead of this Mr Sheehan held a meeting elsewhere, to prevent his supporters hearing his misstatements exposed, and when his meeting was over the rowdy part of his following, including several of his committeemen, was turned loose to prevent Mr Ormond being heard. Suoh tactics are simply disgraceful, but they are, we regret to say, only too much in accord with the manner in which Mr Sheehan has conducted the whole campaign. We are glad to say that scme-of— the— more— respectable ol—Slr Sheehan' s supporters did their best to secure order, but they were powerless to quell the rowdyism of the majority. Many of them afterwards expressed their regret and disgust at what had taken place. Doubtless they will to-day give the best proof possible of their disapproval of the tactics adopted by Mr Sheehan by voting for Mr Ormond.

I On the fourth page will bo found some quotations from Shakespeare apropos to the I two letters from correspondents, the results at fourteen polling booths of the polling for the Keaßtern Maori district, a report of the football match last Saturday, and our Hastings correspondent's letter. The auction and other announcements of Mr Edward Lyndon, Mr M. B. Miller, Messrs 0. B. Hoadley and Co., Messrs Banner and Middle, Messrs Monteith and Co., Mr O. L. Margoliouth, and Messrs A. T. Haultain and Co. are inserted to-day on our fourth page. Thera was no business at the Beeident Magistrate's Court yesterda/. We were wrongly informed yesterday in stating that the committee of the Holiday Association had met and decided not to advertise a holiday to day. No meeting of the committee was held. A slight error crept into Mr Harker's letter in our yesterday's issue. He was made to say : — The more so as that gentleman (Mr Gladstone) is engaged, as we are aware, in a glorious struggle, Ac." The word italicised should hare been left out. The polling booth was not beseiged yesterday in. connection with the Eastern Maori district election, and the two policemen on duty- held sinecure posts. It is to be hoped that the numbers who will record their votes to-day will be as orderly as the Maori voters were yesterday. A large number of well-executed cartoons have been issued in connection with the present elections, and have helped to cause some tun. The whole of these " skits " have been produced at the Hbbald office, which possesses the only lithographic plant between Auckland and Wellington. The nuisance of straying sheep at Petance still continues to anmy travellers. On Sunday night, as a gentleman on horseback was breasting the top of the Petane hill, several sheep that were lying down in the road, and tkat could not be seen by the rider on acoount of the intense darkness, suddenly sprang up under the heels of the hone. The result was that the frightened animal shied aud reared, aud nearly, threw his rider. It seems a strange thing tlul the ranger cannot see to this -matt ;r. - We hear that attempts hare been made to obtain promises from a number of Captain Russell's frionds to vote for Mr Desmond. Those who vote for that candidate will simply be waiting their votes. The Hawke's Bay constituency is not so silly as to send to the House a man who, as a representative, would be the laughing-stock of Welt lington. But every vote diverted to Mr Desmond will weaken one of the other candidates, and thus may indirectly affect the election. The contest lies solely between Captain Russell' and, Mr Sutton, and.electors, if they wish to have' any direct influence, in the choice of a representative, will vote for one of them. The returning officer for the Napier election has made arrangements for having two copies of the electoral roll for the district hung at the gate of the Government Lawn, im« mediately opposite the entrance to the polling booth. Every elector's name has a number 'opposite it, and it is desired that' voters willasoertain the numbers opposite their names, and apply for. a .paper by gin»g f a number as well as ,riame; This will greatly , facilitftte.the returning pffioer't task of :semag dub ttie voting papers; and thui enable a greater , number of m^!^^^of^\:^^^^olo^ may, rely^abifplfiiteljr, npo,nithe eortpletoS ; Bebreoyfof jbiie Ballot; npperaon^npM^^ ii&urnin#offloe^b>i|£^^

For the benepk of Mr Button's short memory, and to show those who have read our statement (denied point blank by Mr Button) that Mr Sutton voted for an increase of £200 to Captain Hume's »alary of £600, we give the few following extracts, from Mansard for July 24th, 1883, page 119:—" Mr Maoandrew noticed that, in the first item, the inspector's salary was increased tmis year by £200. He scarcely thought that ( in the present circumstances of the colony they were warranted in agreeing to such a large increasa as that." Mr Oonolly (a member of the Government who proposed the increase) admitted that the inspector "was engaged for three je^rs,. which would expire in September next, his salary being £800 per annum." There wa3 considerable discussion on the proposal, rome members supporting it and others opposiog. The item was finally struck out, on a. division, by a majority of Oae, Mr Sutton voting in favor of the increase. Statements mide by Mr Sutton to the effect that he voted as he did because the inspeotor already received £800, and that it was propjsed to reduce him to £600 —or any other statement except the bald truth that Mr Station voted " straight " for the increase— are absolutely devoid of truth.

The Hawke's Bay County Council met yesterday morning. Present— Mr Button (ohairman), and Messrs J. N. Williams, P. Dolbel, Gk Rymer, and W. Oouper. The tender of J. Quealey for No. 1 contract, formation Okawa-Tunanui-road, at 80s per chain, was accepted 5 as was also that of W. Dabbs for . the Tunanui-Mangawhare contraot, at £784 — Messrs Harding, Hudson, and others asked for the establishment of a pounddf; Hissington. !his was agreed to, and W. "Williams was appointed poundkeeper. — A petition from Petane ratepayers asked that the Boad Board should be merged in the County. The consideration of the petition was postponed until the next meeting of the Council. — Two communications relative to the Havelook pound were received— one from Mr Reynolds, requesting permission to remove the pound ' the other from several residents, objecting to the removal. The matter was adjourned for a month. — A number . of Meanee settlers petitioned for the clearing out of the Purimu creek drain. Mr J. N. Williams objected, as the drain was not a public one. It was. ultimately agreed that if the drain were made a public one the Council would vote £l for £L towards the work,— Mr Dolbel presented a petition asking the Council to take over the road from Puketapu to Fetane. This question was also postponed. — The Council then adjourned. Mr Desmond addressed the electors at Tar adale last evening. There was a large attend* ance. Mr Drummond occupied the chair, and briefly introduced the candidate. Mr Desmond, who was greeted with applause, touched upon points of his political platform that have already been reported. He was in favor of a system of local government based upon manhood suffrage, and would abolish the Upper House as a useless inoumbrance. As an instance of .the way in which Upper Chambers clogged progress, he referred to the

English House of Lords throwing out the Franchise Bill brought in by Mr Gladstone. Mr Desmond favored the abolition of plural voting, and objected to Protection, but would support bonuses to local industries. He objected to the Government interfering with the labor market by bringing out immigrants at the public expense. The first duty of the Government was to treat with justice the people already here, and others would be sure to follow. He favored the taxing of Maori lands, and strongly objeoted to the present incidence of taxation, which out unfairly, and placed the chief burdens of the State upon the shoulders of those least able to bear them. He opposed a property tax, and favored aland tax. He quoted John Stuart Mill and Pro- : fessor Fawoet*; in support of his views upon a land tax, and to prove that his views were in accord with those of practical politicians, he referred to the fact that Messrs Ormond, Smith, Sheehan, and Sir George Grey all supported a land tax. . Mr Desmond favored a fund tax upon large estates, especially upon those owned by absentees, and favored borrowing for publio works —the land tax to provide interest and sinking fund for the money borrowed. A vote of thanks to the speaker, carried amid loud applause, brought the meeting to a close.