WITH PEN AND PENCIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8062, 1 October 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

WITH PEN AND PENCIL.

A VISIT TO THIS POLLING BOOTHS. The one universal passion pervading all humanity is the delight in seeing intense energy in action. A battle-field, a dog fight, a bull fight, a cricket match, a football match—all these are attractive spectacles. But I do not taink that anything could be belter fun than a contested election. It has been said that a fox hunt is capital sport for the men, for the horses, and for the dogs, aud some ingenious writers have been so tar carried away by their enthusiasm as to contend that the fores enjoyed it. They might feel relieved when they managed to elude the bounds, on the principle of the sailors who were happy because they were not flagged, but otherwise I am inclined to except them from the general hilarity. In the case of elections, I suppose the candidates represent the foxes. To be truly enjoyable to me, aa election contest must be fought with as much force and vigour as possible, but with good humour throughout. I have seen a few which were just a little too much in earnest, for example, the great Superintendency contest at the Tiiarnes between Gillies and Williamson.

Not anticipating suoh stormy scenes as I have witnessed, and indeed not: wishing to see them repeated, I strolled up Q ieen-street on Monday, just to observe how the tree and independent exercised their glorious privilege. The shops were all open as usual, t'ae Mayor having declined to grant a holiday, but there seemed very little disposition to do business anywhere. .Numbers of men loafed about, ready for anything humourous th«t, might turn up. It is usually said that elections promote the consumption of liquors, and they must also do the same for tobacco, for every second man had a pipe in his mouth. I had for a few minutes a friendly chat witiu one of the most quietly-sensible men in the community, lie is a man of

weight in Auckland. Perhaps he ii not very agile as an electioneered, but he is a most useful ally for all that. So well balanced is his mind, at all evsnts, that I do not remember any oocasion where his opinions, and we have generally compared sentiments, have ue»n wrong—thst is to say, when they have diff .red from my own, which is all the same thing, you know. " Well, Mr. Carr, how are the elections going ? " " Oh, all right, I think Tole and Withy are having a hard struggle in Newton, but I think with good luck and good work Withy will just do it. In City West, lam so sure that timber will beat rags that I am thinking of looking up Parnell to see if I can do George any good. In City North, Thompson will just manage the railway reformer." Cabs, private traps, express carts, and all sorts of vehicles were rushing about. Beside each driver was seated a keen, anxious-eyed man, glancing eagerly from aide to side, now and then stopping the driver, and rushing on to the side walk, sometimes running in a voter,- and then when the vehicle was full, driving off to the polling booth. The City Hall was the oentre of operations for City North. Each candidate had his ''committee room " in a coffee stall drawn up in front of the door. Thompson was all there, 'but I did not see Vaile, George Leahy was preternaturally active as lieutenant to the old member. Voters were passed in at tba Q ieen street door and out at the Victoriastreet entrance. Over the ballot«box presided

Mr. S. Y. Collins. The little closets to which the free and independent electors retire to mark off the name of the man whom they did not wish to vote for were very unpretentious structures. Many of the voters, when they gut to the b ick of the erection, seemed to become very much distracted in mind. Thev permed the too elaborate instructions printed on the ballot paper, and even then seemed to be in doubt whether thev should not exercise the pencil pi! the name of the" man they intended to vote for.

Here is a picture of mental distress. Having completed my survey of the business here, 1 went on towards Wellington-Street, the City West polling plade, at St. James' Hall. I got to the top of Wellesley-stregt just as a spring-cart was bowling along rlobson-street, driven by that well known

express cart Jehu. Antonio de Huso, better known as Tony. Tony w»a plying his whip vigorously, smoking a huge pipe, and managing to yell out vociferously at interval*. Ido not know in whose interest the vehicle was running, but I think in Morrison's, No questions were asked, and any man wauling a ride, had simply to hail it and jimp in. Kven a small boy who ran after us was seized by the head and shoulders and dragged in. One man kept saying, " Morrison's the inan." Another cried out, " I go for Shera ; he's a good man." " A good man I Do you mean a good politician ?" " Don't know anything about that, but 1 find him a good man." " Are you in his employment?" " No, but [ have had dealings with him for yearn, aud always found him straight, bo I am going to vote for him."

Tnis kind of reasoning is perhaps not quite perfect, but I am not sure that a man's personal qualities ought not to weigh considerably when he comes before hia fellowcitizens. Tony drove up to the polling place in splendid style. Here all was business. Primitive tents made tho committee rooms. Shera was here, smiling, with a r>-d camellia in his coat, and looking quite happy over the confident anticipation that he would he at the top of the poll. Inside the hall Mr. Cotter was presiding,

while Mr. H' '<{e was the keenest of scruti*

neers on behalf of Mr. GoiHie. Morrison and Goldie were also looking after their interests.

Pushing along to where the content of the day was being waged, between Tula and Withy, I found things at St. George's Hall much quieter than I expeotedj Mr. Glover was at the door of the hall, crying nut, " Vote for Tole and plenty !'* and "Vote for Withy and starvation !" but the voters, as it turned out, paid no attention to his calls. At Ponsonby we hid the same

arrangement of.rough and ready and moveable committee rooms ; while inside the hall we bad farther proof that election business

tends to promote smoking, for the poll clerks and scrutineers were all "blowing a cloud." All the candidates were " buzzing around," and Mr. Peacock had the active aid of

a well-known solicitor, who seemed to take a pride and pleasure in his work. Up til' that time, about two o'clock, Peacock had polled the majority of the votes, but Wright ran up smartly in the evening, and only a small majority was left. Making a swoop over to Parnell, I found that the handiest booth in that district was the old church and schoolhouse in Parlia-ment-street. That building has ancient memories around it, but

it is now almost a wreck. It is tumbling to pieces, and the windows are almost all «mtshed in. That building was a Weaieyan native church once on a time, then it declined in the world, and became a schoolhouse, and now it has reached the lowest point in being a polling booth. Mr. George was active in polling the voters from town, while Mr. Moss confined his exertions to Parnell.

I closed my peregrinations by a look at the front of the Herald Offije as the returns were published, and in imagination I penetrated to the sanctum sanctorum, where from all quarters, from Waikomitj, Howick, Onehunga, the L«ke, and twenty other place* in oity and suburb*. the returns kept pouring in by telephone. 1 have the best authority, however, for saying that in this case

I have drawn solely on r/iy imagination for the portraits, and that they are (he exact opposite of what they should be. In mam oases the returns had to be conveyed several miles on horseback ■

to reach a telegraph station, and I felt pity for the poor devils who were scudding through the rain. Then I recalled a familiar scene. The candidate before the polling, eagerly 'doting;

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Cine of the great unwished with genial bone'aommie. Then after the election a change comes over the spirit of the member's dream, and he passes haughtily on,

forgetting that we have triennial Parliaments now, and that a time soon comes for revenge. But the change in the successful candidate is not more striking than the change in the unsuccessful one. Brisk, alert, excited, happy, confident in the morning, he is full of hope and energy. He looks forward with glad anticipation. Ho pictures how he will receive congratulations from all parts of New Zealand, how his old chums will look up to him with envy, H« has visions of how he will patronise Bill, and Tom, and Jack, how his wife will olasp him in triumph, and his children scream with delight, wnen daddy comes home ; what a figure ho will make at the balls at Government House, and how Mrs. — will be able to out all old acquaintances. But when the numbers are announced, and it is found that he has come off second best, he feels enraged at all creation. He curses human nature, which appears to him a most despicable affair. Has tie not in his pocket the record of 1000 promises, and now he has only 300 votes. He specially detests all newspapers. He wonders how the dickens he is to manage to pay the bills, which he knows will be awful. He is afraid of the jeers and sneers of nis enemies, and he looks forward with special dread to the sympathising condolence of his friends. And, above all, how is he to face the partner of his joys and sorrows, with her attempts to oomiort him. X.