COLD COMFORT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIX, Issue 11593, 31 May 1898, Page 4

COLD COMFORT.

Oeetaln' Conservative journalsare showing a good deal of the Mark Tapley temperament in their endeavour to extract 'comfort from the result of the Mataura election, but it cannot be said that they are altogether successful in demonstrating their happiness under depressing circumstances. Their chief source of satisfaction appears to lie in minimising the party significance ot the return of Mr M’Nab hy ascribing it to his opponent’s weakness on the education question. That is the line taken by two of the leading Conservative papers in the South Island, one of which, the “ Otago Daily Times,” expresses its regret that the election should have turned on the question of denominational sm in our system of public instruction. Apparently, our friends of the Opposition would rather have seen an advocate of sectarianism sent to the House, provided he were a Conservative, than a sound Liberal and supporter of the best features of the education system. Such being the attitude of the Opposition, we feel certain that they will find very little sympathy with them in their lament over the defeat of Mr W. F. AVard. The other methods adopted of discounting the Liberal victory take the form of insults levelled at Mr M’Nab, and at the constituency. The electors are accused of preferring a political “ wobbler ” to a straightforward candidate, and Mr M’Nab is by turns called a Conservative, a “ slavish ” Government’ adherent, and a member of the Left Wing, He cannot be all three at once, and apparently the explanation is that it is beyond the power of the average Opposition writer to conceive of an Independent Liberal with convictions of his own, yet animated by a sense of , loyalty to the party that most nearly approaches his ideal. The arguments and statements of the Dunedin morning journal are rather amusing. “ The fact really is,” it remarks, “that Mr M’Nab is on the wrong side of the House,” and it proceeds to express its-genuine surprise that a man who “ has inherited great wealth, has received a good education, and has considerable ability,” should he found identifying himself with the cause of the people. This cool assumption that all the riches, culture and cleverness are, or ought to he, on the Conservative side may provoke a broad smile ; but the bait held out of “a distinguished and honourable place in politics ” is not likely to tempt the member for Mataura to espouse the cause of privilege and class legislation. The Dunedin “Star” and the Timaru “Herald” are more candid in their view of the election. The former admits that the Government “ scored heavily,” and the latter calls the victory of the Liberal candidate “more prqnounced than the most sanguine of the local prophets had ventured to predict.” The “Herald,” however, finds compensation in the reflection that “ Seddonism is on the wane both in

Parliament and in most of the constituencies.” How the feeling of the constituencies is ascertained is not stated, bat it is usnal to take the results of by-elections as fair indices to the mind of the country, and, applying that test, we have shown, that the electorates are more strongly Liberal than they were at last general election. If we believed our Conservative friends to be as jolly as they pretend they are over the result of the polling at Mataura, we should give them credit for out-Tapleying Tapley. As it is, we can only credit them with assuming a virtue they do not possess. The real ground for satisfaction on the part of all patriotically-minded people is that the new member for Mataura is a gentleman of education, experience and high aspirations; who is, moreover, possessed of sound views on the fundamentals of democratic rule. To have confessed this, and to have gloried in it, would have been better than to derive cold comfort from attempts to belittle him andl those who chose him as theirrepreH sentative.