The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1868.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 233, 1 October 1868, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1868.

Much astonishment has been created by the statement conveyed in the telegram which appeared in our issue of yesterday, to the effect that Mr Stafford, in reply to a taunt uttered by Mr Fox in the House of Representatives ou Tuesday afternoon, had announced his intention not to recognise the validity ot the resolution carried at the public meeting, held at the Provincial Hall, on the 14th uit., and requesting him to resign his seat for Nelson, and had alleged as his reason for doing so, that be had received communications from a considerable number of influential individuals in Nelson, and, amougst others, from the chairman of the meetiug, urging him not to comply with the request contained in that particular resolution. The surprise felt by tbe public at this announcement has been considerably increased by the telegram which appeared in the columns of our contemporary the Examiner this morning, stating, in addition to the fact to which allusion has already been made, that Mr Stafford had at the same time denied that ,he had received any official intelligence whatever of the Nelson meeting. No one will question the right of any elector to forward a representation of his own individual wishes in regard to Mr Stafford's resignation to that gentleman, but we find it very difficult to credit the statement that the chairman ofthe meeting, as such, should have thought proper to forward an expression of opinion directly counter to that so plainly enunciated by the assemblage over which he presided. We think it quite possible that Mr Edwards, in common with many others, did not approve of that especial resolution, and therefore took some piivate meaus of acquainting Mr Stafford with the fact, but simply in his private capacity and wholly apart from his position as chairman of the meeting, with the general objects of which he was known to sympathise. During Mr Edwards's absence at Auckland we shall act most wisely to suspend our judgment ou the matter, to which his attention will doubtless be directed immediately on his return to Nelson. As regards the latter portion of Mr Stafford's statement, in which he absolutely denies baying received auy official intelligence whatever of the meeting, ifc is perfectly plain that some very gross culpable j carelessness bas interposed to prevent the transmission in due course to the Premier of the four resolutions passed at the meeting It was distinctly understood by every I person present that they were to be transmitted immediately to his Honor the Superintendent, to be employed by him, if need were, during the debate which was to be resumed on the following (Tuesday) evening, and also to be communicated to Mr Stafford by the chairman, an opportunity for which presented itself by the Phoebe two or tbree days afterwards, of the message. We gather from the terras of Mr Stafford's speech that he had nofc received any official intimation of the resolutions adopted at the meeting, a position which is the more to be regretted, . as it places the meeting/under an imputation of iutentional discourtesy to Mr Stafford, which, so far from being the fact, was guarded against by the request conveyed to the chairman that he would forward the resolutions to him. There can be no question that a full and satisfactory explanation of the circumstances by which the object was foiled that the meeting was especially convened to serve, is due from those who undertook the responsibility of communicating to the Premier and the Superintendent the decisions arrived at by so large and influential a representation ofthe public feeling.