THE BOROUGH OF DEVONPORT: A PROTEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7656, 5 June 1886, Page 3

THE BOROUGH OF DEVONPORT: A PROTEST.

TO TUB EDITOR. Sir,—Now that our pretty marine suburb is to be elevated to the dignity of a borough, we find a large number of our local magnates on the warpath, aspirants for seats in the Council Chamber. It behoves the ratepayer! of Devonport to consider carefully the qualifications of the various candidates, and nob allow themselves to be hoodwinked by party prejudice. Although but a short time located here, I find a large amount of personal feeling and oliqueism imported into local politics. As an instance of this, I heard a well known and thoroughly rabid blue-ribbonite boasting yesterday that the whole of the blue ribbon influence would be brought to bear against those of the candidates in any way connected with the Jockey Club, and also against everyone not on their tioket, Now, air, if this be true, I, as a life-long teetotaller, raise my protest against any such arrangement, and I trust that many of our ratepayers in Devonport upholding Temperance principles will refuse to be bound by such iniquitous and narrow-minded party measures- If, in my opinion, any of the' candidates who may not be on the Temperance ticket, possess superior qualifications to those who are, I think I should be making myself a tool to my party, besides perpetrating an injustice to the community were I to endeavour by my vote and interest to exclude them from the Council. What connection the Jockey Club has, or can have, with the duties of a councillor, is utterly beyond my comprehension. Not being what in oommon parlance is called a sporting man, I have no particular sympathy either for or against the gentlemen who conduct the business of the Jockey Club, but in common justice I fail to see why they are not as equally respectable and as qualified to stand (should any of them desire so to dp), as any of our own Temperance party. It is important that; we get the beat men in, quel and to do so we must sink all denominational, sectarian, or party feeling, especially as with the increased powers will be incurred greater responsibility.—l am, &c., Fairflat, Devonport, June 2;