POLITICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 687, 26 January 1866, Page 4

POLITICAL NOTES.

Under the above heading the Nelson Colonist of the 23rd publishes the following article. In addition to the candidates for the several seats therein mentioned, we may notice that the Superintendent of Nelson, Mr. 'Saunders, is in the field as a candidate for the TYaimea district. Mr. Saunders, it is said, will support a self-reliant policy in regard to the natives, will vote for sending home the troops, and oppose Separation. He will favor an income tax in preference to Stamp Duties. It is not thought in Nelson that his chances of success are very great. Mr. Stafford, the Colonial Secretary, has arrived and, ere he returns to Wellington, will address the electors of the Oily of Nelson. We long ago predicted that as time passed on, and the system and practice of tho \Y eld Administration were more closely examined and considered, any belief in a return of that administration to power would rapidly decline. A change ia coming even over Canterbury, and former Ministerial coadjut -rs of Mr. Weld are being driven to the conviction that there is no hope of that gentleman again forming a < abintt. notwithstanding that singular document whieli men, whose seats in the new Parliament are yet to be won, scrupled not to sign and so pledge themselves to bring back Mr. Weld to ofilee. Apart from the explanations and revelations which we expect from Mr. Stafford, in defence of his proceedings, at;d descriptive of the basis of Ins policy: a return of tli-: Weld management is a commercial and financial impossibility, and they who are straining e v ery nerve and distorting figures to prove the wisdom of that management, and its superiority to that now inaugurated, are doing neither more nor less than running full ti't against a wall. When we find Canterbury men, in their addresses, telling tho eloctors, as Mr. Lancelot Walker has done, that he will strive to bring Mr. Weld back to office, while wo know that that the late Attorney-General (Mr. Sev.ell) deems this a perfectly hopeless task ; when we find people saying, as £>i\ Walker dues, that a return of the Weld Ministry would cause the shipment home of soldiers, while it happens that the Stafford G-ov.vrnment have eent home three regiments, and Mr. Weld sent not- one soldier; when we find n vspaper writers nearer Lome making a mess of figures in order to prove that Hack is white, and that under Weld the Provinces would receive a greater share of the Customs revenue than they eould under Stafford, while the fact is that for the last six months the Provinces have received from, the Stafford Ministry the f ill half of their customary rliroß-eighths. which the Wold Ministry desired to appropriate a.together ; -when we find 'all this and much more as astonishingly illogical, the birolen rcei on which 1,-an rliose who think to bring hack Mr. Weld to ofli 'e, is seen to be the frailest description of crutch. halo time and all this will be more and apparent. We have hinted that a change is cemi»ig ovfir the opinions of Canterbury people; but a mors

laartsd change is arising in "Wellington, although the rewspapera there, having gone so for in the antiStafford direction, are not yet sufficiently clothed and in their right minds to properly reflect public opinion* Dr. Featherston, tli6 feuporiiitcndentj will, according to our advices. tiiiain stand for the city, and wiT. throw the wholo weight of his influence in favor of Mr. Stafford's policy ; Mr. Waring Taylor ■will probably be again electid for the city, as will alio, it is belie vol, Mr. B. Rhodes Mr Borlnse and Jlr. ,J. s. Wright, are also up far the city ; they are arsti-Sinfford men. Mr. Lunnv, who supported Mr. Stafford will most likely be returned again for Wairarapa. For the single seat at Wstigauui thorn are four candidates, among whom is Lieutenant-Colonel Rookes, who goes in far retaining every Imperial soldier in tHe country mtil the Maori is quelled. This is a high bid fir Wjnganui, which has largely benefitted by the military expenditure, but the doctrine is rather lati, seeing that the, men are half gone, and that it .s against the spirit and feeling of the Colony. M:. Harrison, tlio pre.-:en member, is supposed to hart a tolerable chance of retaining his seat, but Mr. Lovce is expected to run hira hard. Mr. Gower, the tmrth candidato will be nowhere. At Rangitikei, Sir. Pharar.yn, whose early promises, exhibited in his address, endoi in disappointing fruits during the seision, stands a great chance of being ousted by Mr. "Watt, of the firm of Taylor and Watt. Mr. Pliarazjn has been an ex'ravagant Weldite, and evimped himself often to make bad speeches in the Hoise in defence of a bad case, that required talking. \Mr. Watt's polices we have no means of knowing, bit it is probable that he would support Mr. Stafford ; iri/act, business men are now generally admitting that 'in his hands our finance may be freed from existinj ravelment, great as that is; while in Mr. Weld's, and tiios- he gathered around him, it could only\have become hopelessly entangled, and have led to tcter bankruptcy. Coming nearer lvme wepbservo that Mr. Seymour, one of the members ofVhe Upper House, created by Mr. Weld, and one 'if the forty per cent, additional nominations of theWe Minisfy, has declined to oppose Mr. for Victim, and very p operly so. for we can see no riasons for one of the " Lords " albeit of late creationVlescrnding from the " other place," in ordor to oppoA one of the " faithful Commons." Mr. G-. Levieri a storekeeper at Have kick or De?p Creek, ha 3 iore b dduess, and although lie aoknowlcdg-s that le knows nothing whatever r.f polities, he replied to Vgniall requisition in the affirmative, feeling an inwaA call of duty to go to the poll for Picton. s'.e will yot much injure Mr. Bemchamp whose election ma\ be now considered certain. \