Colonial.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 535, 19 December 1857, Page 5

Colonial.

LIBEL ON THE REFOBMERS.; : ! : ; •

(From the Spectator, Nov. 28.)

The Press of the.•.-neighbouring province? has been passing in. l'eyiew.the startling events of our recent political history. In another column will be found a aeries of articles on this ; subject from the, Nelson Examiner,' Like that'paper; •the 'Lyftelton Times]' upr 'to a recent period| had preserved 'a reputation'-for' moderate and courteous language;: 'and for good taste in ab-l staining -from taking- an .active ,part in the po-' litical warfare at any' rate 'of, the provinces which it does not represent:'' When it did retail news . from- this- province,' it used to be in the habit of giving ; its authority at the same'time/'so that the reader could judge of;its authenticity. It could not do wrong in quoting-the opinions of Dr. E'eatherstbn'sr party -in /the ; ' Wellington pendent,' ,pr. those, of. its f opponents fronuthis journal. And even,a letter from a Wellington correspondent, of either side in .Wellington I politics,' sbmetiine's appeared' in its columns i■. without1 being open tP objection, provided that any reply from the other side were also admitted. Nor could there be anything wroiig-in the 'Lyttelton Times' expressing its own opinions,-even an the strongest language, as to public transactions here bearing on-the interests of .the,colony atlarge,and involving matter-for the discussionoorf r the General Assembly or the interference 6fthk;Geiieral'Governments But that paper,-on 'the--18IK instant, has suddenly taken a very different-course: Without quoting any auth6rity:"for what; it alleges to be'a state* ment of facts, it plunges'headlong into the arena of Wellington provincial politics, in its leading article.- ■■■ '-; ■■■■'■ ••■ ;_••■;•■: '.; ; ! . [Some1 extracts^are here made from our Leading Article of the 18th ulfc., of those passage? which have reference to the Wellington Elections.] ■ ' •• "; . We really do not' think it necessary to contradict all ;the glaring misstatements of which so many are crowded into a-few of the above lines. But we should be glad to learn who was • 'the. reporter '61" informant of the :'•Lyttelton Times,'which, not being on the, spot, could not have had the advantage of personal knowledge of them ? Even the!' Independent' has not couched its' false:'accounts of 'the contest in such extravagant language. Both the false statements, and; the. comments upon them, coming editorially from the ' Lyttelton. Times,' amount '4o insolent, if it were not childish, presumption. "Who appointed its Editor." mad doctor "to the political majority of .this province? Has,he ever felt its pulse P Can he judge of its sanity? Does he rely on, his own judgment, as to whether .the tvyenty Opposition members are acknowledgedly the inferiors,of Dr. Featherston and his associates in every ; requisite to form Councillors?" or if not,,by whose judgment has he„been guided? What does he mean by whining that he would not have been " astonished," if the opposition had _.been. organised " oii definite, principles ?"' t Has he read the resolution stating the chief objects of a Radical ■ Reform of the tProymcial Government P Where can he ;shpw■ us anyVprinciples'half so fair, honest,., 'or. ■ definite,, ..ever ] put forth by. Dr. Peatherston andhis : associates? ; What does he' know about our local politics? As to the. "slander ".and the "idrmk," and,the "infuria-.. ted mobs,"—-if the writer had made proper inquiry, he would have learned,that the two first were most used by the Government party , : and that ,the.,third never-existed at all except-jii his ronVantic imagination. ■ The .'whole cost of the: elections to the popular party has been, probably about one-fifth; of the Isum spent by the other; side; and the principal'expense on, the Reform side has been in pointing,and disseminating Information.'. We wish, the Lyttelton editor joy of his good taste, in calling' the chosen men. °f a large majority of the people of this prb-: vince "designing leaders," "mere nobodies," " new creyy^of members," " a lower party than that of' Dri Featherstpn.-', Who told him, so £ Again, when he accuses th,e reform, party of something dreadful, because they are determined to get rid of the present Superintendent, a« he allege?, "by hook or by crook," and praises Dr. . Featherston's "honesty and cour-\ age,"—he entirely omits to mention the rea-'. sons which that party advance for constitutionally getting rid of Dr. Featherston, because he has shown anything but honesty in refusing to

SyUiS h T nS- le G 9vernment faithfujly,-. E£ : ¥ -ik -cdWrniiilting-in a A\[ t IZT t^ te^ opponents', motf {£ 1 P ? ■°i- the -wtwlesouna* -like .the W il? SdSS t getting someb ody in.a simiW 5 stnW ? l r?V' le hls >"queror S from a S m. language which even the beaten uXirS^^ 8 ' wil wiSJ'wW^T*,1 '^^ the artic^ together w,th:what W e do know of the' Canterbury poli■SS,?, i W US t0 ? U6SS whJ:^e LytteL ri piess has been so ready to discharge somebody elsesb.le Although the writerprofesses.to be sat lS ned on the whole" with' "the recent eUriions m Ins own province," he draws his readers attention to the dangerous tendencies' which always develop themselves oa all sides in a popular election; asks them .."to consider! again whether there is not too' much fear lest a - cry judiciously worked hy intriguers 'and demagogues would hot-carry.away a iargeipor^ tion..ot s the .electors .against.their better iiid°--ment; ,; ani; winds'; up with--the fblloWin^ moj-al:— ■, ■ . , „ ... . °

„-: . Ihe political and social: stoVm^fro'm which our neighbours' are now suffering ought to makers prepare for aday^-whiehj yet we, may hope is far distantr-when unscrupulous traders m political agitation ,may be .activein stirrin°- ; up all; that, is/- lowest = and basest among ■us to: fatten on .the : spoil while; they laugh°at the credulity of their victims." . ...; ..,'-,.. .■: , ; If, we thouglit that the «Ly ttelton Times * represented the real, feelings of the .people of Canterbury, we should haye-to regret that at! the very time -when the , Radical I Reform party! here, representing the, Majority of, ; the : inhabit tants of the province, nave been expressing; their desirefor :the adoption of ;m6re' concilia"; tory behaviour towards the sister provinces ; that of Canterbury should. have adopted to-j wards that majority the very1 "unfairness and vulgarity'-'-; of which: their* paper 'accuses' But we know that this is not the case. ■ 1

The fact is, that a "revolution^ 1 of a some-! what similar character; but less demonstrative: because^ the evils to-be^removed had not been sol oppressive,;has taken place at Canterbury. Thej elections there, both for Superintendent and. for; Councillors,, have been of a popular " reform-? ing" character. "The popular"nieri qf fpuri years ago", have hot ib'een elected: in ja ma-1 jority there... Some.'of them arenas,bitterly dis-| appointed as thejrejected candidates here. Mri Crosbie Ward, the proprietor of the.^Lyttelton' Times,' has. fallen?,between 'two stools .to thd ground, and been rejected by both Lyttelton' and Akaroa. Has poor Mr. Charles Clifford^ while on a visit to Canterbury for change of ;air,fstrolled into ; the.." Editor's. Box," ,and^ex4 .changed condolences with ;him ? : . AndjEave ;the two. naughty boys * who couldn't get in on the would-be aristoci'at side, rubbed their fingers in their eyes, and their hoses together, and conj cocted the, ill-tempered whine of the,•:•/ Lyttel? ton Times'' ;ove'r the horrible qualities of' these mobs?' ' ;' -•■'■'•'■ '-"-•:-'• ■'■ ': '■ : > We :turn/ from this -exhibition of Idis? appointment .badly endured; to' the Nelson pressl We have' given? at/ full-rength ;! so/much of th^ 'Examiner's'artielesas relate to-our politics ;-and .we,are.bound;to,add ( that,tinlikercthe: Lyttelton writer, that paper shews faix;ness:by-extracting accounts, ofj the. elections from the newspapers ojf both sides here^;;; vV-r .'I .?■ j We have little to complain of in the comjments of the ' Examiner.*1 He is, perhap^, rather hard,upon the Radical- Refprm part]' when he speaks', of, " utterly .condemningftheijr unscrupulous tactics'and unjustifiable lang-uage." But some" allowance must be'made for want of local knowledge. We need only refer to the period when the opponents of Mr. Robinson, the present Superintendent of Nelson, assailed his private character, when first a candidate— (so coarsely and violently that a public meetingwas called specially to rebut those attacks) —tb prove that such terms would apply to the conduct of one party in Nelson not very long ago. But this trifling error is amply atonecl for by the reasonable manner in the writer subsequently states tlie only alternatives left to Dr. Featherston and his party, in order to "show that deference for enlightened public opinion which they' have always insisted upon !s6 strongly :wliilst- that- opinion %as: in /their favour:" namely, for him to " eat his le6k', drop his old,supporters, and take tip" as gracefully^ possible with the new men imposed upon him by the popular will;" or elsefqr him and them, "to resign and 'goirito opposition;';' for which, the -Nelson writer -says they are " best .fitted by their natural .disposition to find-fault-and to criticise the acts, of others." ; ... ,: , .