JOTTINGS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXI, Issue 221, 17 September 1887, Page 4

JOTTINGS

(From The ftelson Weekly News.

I don't wish to take any credit to niyself for foretelling what to all who have had any experience of a Nelson audience at a political meeting must have been a foregone conclusion, but I may take this opportunity of pointing out how entirely my prediction was fulfilled that Mr Hursthouse would receive an attentive and courteous hearing when he delivered his address in the Provincial Hall. But he is fully entitled to share the credit for this with his audience, as that which they there listened to was undoubtedly the speech of the present political campaign, for the interest of his hearers in what he was saying was maintained throughout the whole of the hour and three quarters which it occupied. I am not prepared to say with the mover of the vote of thanks that it equalled the best efforts of Stafford or Monro, whose speeches in the days gone by may still be perused with pleasure and advantage, nor do I think it was a very high compliment to compare him with Alfred Domett, who never shone very brightly as a public speaker, though as a writer he had few equals, but the epithet " brilliant " was a happy one to apply to it, for it was decidedly of the "fireworks'"' order.

It is a pity that with " the member for Motucka as was " the disposition to " chaff "

is not kept a little more under control. Clever, witty, jolly, genial, and at all times what is called capital company, he oi'tens weakens his influence by the indulgence in untimely banter. A more notable instance of this could not have been afforded than that which he gave on Saturday night. There was immense humor in his inimitable description of the honorable Legislative Councillor <: who was never known to shout a glass of wine for anybody," inviting the more weak-minded of the members of the Lower House whose votes he wanted to secure to relieve him of a responsibility of £35,000 to a charming little supper where champagne flowed freely, and the rivers and moors of Scotland were laid under contribution for the salmon and the grouse, and the stubbles of England for the partridges, and one could almost picture the host as he sat at the head of the table feigning to be jovial and hospitable, but all the time calculating the cost and wondering to himself whether the pound notes that were being swallowed by his guests in the shape of liquids and choice entrees would, like the bread oast on the waters, return to him after many days, or whether all that expense was to be added to the tens of thousands that were trembling in the ba'ance— there was real humor, and a delicious touch of satire in the picture thus drawn, but the whole effect was destroyed by the mgyestio J'ahi which was put in as the finishing touch in the shape of the question " was the honorable member for Nelson that was at that dinner I " Knowing that he was not present at the costly banquet, knowing that the contradiction would immediately follow the implied charge,knowing too that at a public meeting a love of fair play is always the prevailing feeling, it was the height of folly to spoil the dramatic

effect of the sketch so cleverly drawn by the introduction into it of a figure that ought not to have been there. Up .to this point the only sounds that had come from the crowded audience he was addressing and delighting •were those of approbation and laughter — not at, but with, the speaker —but then came the groans which were the sure indication that he had transgressed the rules of fair fighting by an innuendo which he knew to be unjustified. But it's no use remonstrating. The lesaons of experience are all thrown away upon him,and Richmond Hurst* house will be Richmond Hursthouse to the end of the chapter.

What could have possessed the Returning Officer at the late municipal election when he made such a blunder as to turn the result of the poll upside down, and so place the Hope of Nelson at the bottom instead of the top? That there must have been a mistake somewhere is, I think, beyond all question, for the ratepayers would never deliberately place a rising and talented young man in such a position. Conscious as he is of his own surpassing abilities— I ; none know them better than himself — it must have been more in sorrow than m anger that our own Lock heard from the outside of the Chamber, from which, he was excluded by the crush, that he was not among the placed candidates, for it must have grieved him to the soul to find that his fellow-citizens were so blind to their own interests as to decline the opportunity of availing themselves of the services he was prepared to place at their disposal. Ah, well 1 never mind Willy, but console yourself with the reflection that Full many a gem of purest ray serene The deep unfathom'd caves of ocean bear ; Full many a flower is borne to blush unseen And waste its sweetness on the desert air.

It's not the fault of the gem or the flower, any more than it is of our pushing young citizen, that their merits are not appreciated as they ought to be. Rumors are afloat, however, that some of the ratepayers are determined to endeavour to remedy the mistake made last week and to put the last on the list of candidates for the Council seats at the head of the poll for the Mayoralty. Already, too, is he coming forward prominently as Piper's papa in politics so that there is no occasion to give way to a feeling of despondency lest he should be crushed out of public life by the temporary check he sustained over the Council election.

A good story comes from Wellington. One of the candidates for Parliamentary honors was addressing a meeting of electors and blowing a bit— as they can blow across the Straits— about what he had done, could do, and would do, if they would only give him the chance, and at the close of his speech he expressed the customary willingness to reply to such questions as might be put. Thereupon a solemn visaged elector was seen to leave his seat in the body of the hall, deliberately advance to the platform, and hand to the Chairman a card. The Chairman carefully inspected the handwriting, and then decided that it was not a question. However, the crowd were not to be baulked in this way, but demanded in those gentle tones that are so characteristic of an election meeting that the contents should be made known. The Chairmnn. seeing that they were not to be denied, read the writing slowly and with due emphasis thus —

" I'm a bit of a liar myself." Whether the writer merely meant to make a confession of his own weakness, or whether he intended to imply that he recognised in the candidate a master of the art, and could not refrain from letting him know that he had at least one humble follower in the room, I know not, but the effect produced was electrical, and the shouts of laughter that greeted the reading of those few simple words were only equalled by those which arose in our Provincial Hall last Saturday, when Mr Hurethouse delivered a home thrust to the gentleman who once resided in Motueka, but for reasons of his own deemed it advisable to seek a change of air.

I don't exactly understand the position of Mr Piper and Mr. Gilsbs in relation to the Temperance section of the community. One day we are told — with an apparent show of authority— that the teetotal three hundred, which is alleged to be the number of the Temperance Brigade, have resolved to go to the poll in a body and give a block vote for Jesse. Then, a few days later, there comes the announcement that the same party have sent a deputation to the erstwhile candidate for Motueka, who has recently, acting upon the advice of his supporters in that electorate, chucked over the country for the town, asking him to retire in favor of the namesake of King David's papa, whereupon W.B.G. is reported to have — figuratively speaking of course — placed his thumb to his nose, spread out his fingers, and replied, " Don't you wish you may get it I " Now if the three hundred had previously made up their minds to have a Piper of their own, no matter who opposed him, what did it matter to them whether the MotuekaNelson candidate went to the poll or not 1 They had publicly stated that under any circumstances their votes were going all one way, that way being in opposition to the new comer. Having declared this, what possible claim had they upon him to do them a favor 1 Or, on the other hand, how could his retirement be construed into a concession to the party, seeing that they had already made up their minds not to split their votes between the two candidates who had assured them that they would fulfil all their requirements, but to give the whole of them against the gentleman whom, having thus conciliated in so peculiar a manner, they then requested to do them a good turn. All things considered, I cannot but think that Mr Gibbs was perfectly justified in putting his back up and saying, " Xo, gentlemen, it is all very well your coming 1 to me under a flag of truce, but you have declared yourselves my enemies and as such I mean to regard you. and I have not the slightest intention of consulting your interests." Some of those youngsters who came out here five or six and forty years ago want looking after, or there's no knowing what pranks they may perform in the exuberance of their youthful spirits. One of them,»who has just seen his eighty-eighth birthday, lives at Stoke, and a • day or two ago he rode into town, and having some business to transact he vaulted lightly off i his horse and hitched him up to a post. The j animal wanted to be off again to his paddock, so while his master was at the office into which he had gone, he contrived to divest himself of the bridle and gaily trotted off home. On discovering what had happened, the young fellow was not in the least disconcerted, but tuking the bridle in his hand just started off and did the four miles to his farm on foot ! More power to him. If I live long enough I hope to see him dance Sir Roger de Ooverley on his centenary, Manfred.