INANGAHUA ELECTION.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1273, 18 May 1883, Page 2

INANGAHUA ELECTION.

■ — ;■ _ » _ (From, the Grey Argus, j There is now no doubt at all as to the Jnanganua, election..,. Wliatever little shred of hope. Mr Wakefield's friends may have ' "been buoyed up. with has disappeared; ' ItVas a hardfought contest, and a close finish. Very little would have turned it the other way. Probably Mr Wakefield's friends may have been rather confident and looked upon victory as too certain. Still it would be untrue and unfair to them to say they did not work as well as they might. His fri«nd& exerted themselves to the utmost that could be expected, and considering all things they achieved wonders. We all knffr&e influences that were brought to tail* against the election of Mr Wakefield, and' without stooping to refer to. these at present, we may go the length of saying that those who voted for him have no reason to be dissatisfied with themselves or the candidate. We regret the issue, but there is. consolation, in the fact that because an indifferent member or two may be returned to Parliament it does not necessarily follow that the colony suffers injury. The House will miss Mr Wakefield, and would be all the better if he had a seat in it. Yet we have no doubt that the business of the country will be conducted quite as efficiently as if Mr Shaw were not another cypher added to the House and Mr Wakefield an integer taken from it. It is to be hoped the Government are satisfied with the part they played in the affair. It is said that they exercised all the influence they could bring to bear, and we all have an idea of What that means, to secure Mr Shaw's return. We are loth to believe it, but the evidence is strong. If they have, however, done anything of the kindj they have done a foolish as well as a wrong thing, as they may find out to their cost some of these days. Although Mr Wakefield has been defeated in this contest, all the governmental, all the financial and commercial influence in New Zealand cannot keep him out of Parliament if he is willing to go there as a representative of the people, as go he undoubtedly will before long. So far as Mr Wakefield is conncerned the contest has revealed nothing that he need be ashamed of ; on the contrary, he has every reason to be proud of it. He came here a perfect stranger to the district, and to everyone in it ; and simply and solely an 'account of his reputation as a public man and a politician he received a hearty welcome and met with warm friends wherevmhe went. The relations established

between him and the public were of that nature that should always attach electors and representative. Whatever success he achieved amongst the electors of the constituency, whatever popularity he may enjoy, is not due to mere social qualities, to the faculty of being " hail fellow- well-met " with everyone, as to his knowledge of the politics of the country and bis capacity of laying it so much before his hearers in a plain, and intelligible manner. Mr Wakefield should bear this in mind, and not forget the loyal and hearty support that he met with on the Coast. We have certainly lost him as a representative, for the present at any rate, but we hope at least that, we have secured in him as a friend. Having made the acquaintance of the West Coast people, and seen their best side, we indulge in the hope that he will not soon forget us, and that the friendly feeling created by his visit will endure. It is to be hoped the Keefton people are satisfied with the result. It was their election, not ours, though really our interest in the contest was scarcely • less than "theirs, fmtMuhe voters in theGrey Valley might have controlled it, as at one time we thought they would, and as they doubtless would have done had they looked at the matter in a different light. There was one ' feature about the contest that for the credit of the Coast we should be glad not to have to record. The election was made a gambling medium. To a great many it was neither more nor less than a huge pooL It may be said that if the spirit of gambling was displayed on one side, it might have been quite harmless unless tie other side responded. This is true enough so far; but the book-making element was predominant on one side : the air was full of cries, and bank-notes were flourished in the faces of the people. It is not a hopeful sign to see the politics of the country conducted and controlled on the same principles as, the turf or the prize ring; and ,yet when an election is made a huge, gambling medium, as the Inangahua election was to a large extent, what else can we expect? And yet we pass a Gaming and Lotteries Act while we gamble over an. election. There Was another feature about the election that it is not necessary to refer to now, though we may have to do so on a future occasion; but we may say that while such influences are brought to bear we need not expect to obtain a free, unfettered, and independent expression of public opinion.