MR C. A. DE LAUTOUR, M.H.R.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5611, 18 February 1879, Page 6

MR C. A. DE LAUTOUR, M.H.R.

PEB-FAVOUB OF EDITOE OF LYTTELTON TIMES Dbab Sib,—Though I am not quite able to see what has induced yon to confer such a great honour on me as to address me a letter, per favour of Editor of Lyttelton Times , I hope the unexpected notice my httmble Utterances have attracted,, will not so entirely destroy my equilibrium as to unfit me to send' you a suitable reply by the same distinguished medium. ' *

: You singularly-underrate the sense I entertain of my own,standing and consistency ns a : Liberal, when-you suppose it possible that I should consider 'jfysejfy included- 4n your derogatory remarks at'Naseby, arb j ,present Parliament is only liberal under nressuro-” lam only too consoioasrof> beings far too liberal for either yourself or : the Government you support, and could not, therefore, have fancied that you included ; me in that condemnation, unless for present Solitifcal, or ratherpersonal objects, it is your itention to reverse the meaning of that ‘ hackneyed and much-abused word Liberal. I am very sorry that you appear dissatisfied with the manner in which. I alluded to you, I assure you that I meant nothing derogatory. I can understand that the term “scorpion” might, under some circumstances, sound harsh, but in the House you know it was used to distinguish the greater from the smaller whips, and when 1 placed you at the head of the larger whips, and described you as the chosen unofficial mouthpiece of'Sir (Jeorge himself, I thought I was giving you all the honours you would think of claiming for yourself, and placing you in what you at least must think a very useful position, and one which, if your party is successful, must naturally lead to further promotion. I certainly spoke of you as “ young,” and if you think that a reproach I will not do so again. But when speaking of the lawyers in the House, accuracy required that 1 should distinguish the from the halffledged lawyers, and I thought youth was at once the most probable and the most . charitable reason to assign for a man of so much ability and promise being still among the latter class. You will possibly remember that even Sir George speaks of you .in the House as “ My talented young friend.” You say that you forbore to read your past speeches. I think that was an act of very wise, not to say necessary, forbearance on the part of any speaker who undertakes to support Sir George Grey through all his changing policies. I hope that I shall always be able to quote my past speeches, to show that I am ever ready to forsake any man or any party that has proved its readiness to betray the principles I have advocated through a long political life. Ido not understand the latter part of the same sentence, where you say, “1 forbore to glory in manipulating other members to obtain a district railway.” Is it possible that you can mean this to refer to my grateful acknowledgement for the efforts made by members more experienced and better informed than myself, to compel the-present Government to give some attention to the continuance of the Main Trunk Line through this Island? If 60, I fear that I must conclude that none of your talents have been directed to the study of New Zealand geography. I believe that I did speak of your speeches as fluent and polished, though insipid, and I must confess that in doing so I was not very original myself. You will remember How cleverly and wittily Mr Wakefield expressed the same opinion when he told you, in reply to your threatened chastisement, that if you fancied that you could punish him, he should be happy to so far depart from his wonted practice as- to remain in the House whilst you were speaking; but that it was quite beyond his power to undertake than he would not go to sleep under the infliction.—l am, &c., ALFRED SAUNDERS, Avonbank, Feb. 17.