THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1901.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11634, 23 April 1901, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1901.

To-morrow, Auckland elects its Mayor. Since there is to be an election, in spite of the practically unanimous expression of feeling which led to the acceptance of nomination by Dr. J. Logan Campbell, it is the bounden duty cf every approving citizen to record his vote in that gentleman's favour. Those who have sought to see our ciiy fittingly represented during the momentous days of the coming June owe it to Dr. Campbell to place his position beyond doubt or cavil. This they must do, not merely by electing him, but by giving him such support as will demonstrate to him the esteem in which he is held, and be a real indication of the regard of his fellow citizens. Since the great compliment of unopposed election has not been allowed, he should receive the even greater compliment of an overwhelming and record vote. To secure this, every citizen must bestir himself. No voter should say to-morrow night that lie had not thought his vote necessary for election and so had tailed to help swell the majority which should be the testimonial, of the people of Auckland to one whom they have asked to serve them. Dr. Campbell has not sought election. With the self-depreciation which has ever made him underestimate his standing in our community, and which has ever left it

to others to proclaim his worth, he resisted for some time the altogether exceptional requisition presented to him. When Mr. Witheford withdrew in his favour and everything ! indicated unanimity, he yielded to pressing solicitations and consented to become our chief magistrate. The reaso.is proffered ove/came his reluctance, for they appealed to his civic duty as they should appeal to the civic duty of every man who has a vote to cast for him to-morrow. We have younger and more active men in our city, gentlemen who are worthy of our civic 'esteem and entitled to our civic gratitude, but these younger and more active men were foremost in demanding of him that he should enter again our civic life and in pledging him their assistance in discharging the manifold end wearying duties of the Mayoralty. To give the names of any of his supporters would be invidious, for every name which carries weight in our civic governance and in our political life is borne by a supporter of D ; J. Logan Campbell for Mayor. They support him for the reasons which compelled him to yield to their urgent solicitations: because it is our duty to put forward as the civic head of our city, when the son of our King enters our gates and passes through our streets, our most representative and most honoured citizen ; and because when Ave look around us for the possessor of these qualifications, wo see that Dr. Campbell is the only possible unanimous choice. He pitched his tent with the pioneers of our fair city and built his hut with his own hands when our Auckland was born. He has passed his best days among us. He has seen our city grow to its present strength and has given freely of his own strength so that the future might be open to those who are to come. He has kept a stainless name and lived a blameless life among us. He has. shown ua that the founders of new countries can be courteous gentlemen and loyal citizens amid all their inevitable hardships. He ha? seen those who worked shoulder to shoulder with him pass away to honoured graves and those whom he ushered into the world grow to manhood. He has served us in civic life. He has journeyed in foreign lands. He has been identified from the beginning with the city he loves, and is known familiarly to every man and woman freeborn of Auckland. And he has won free of all parties and nil politics; he has reached the honourable age when such men as he is stand aside from civic and political dispute and watch with broad minds and tolerant eyes the doings of those to whom they are leaving the fruits of their labours. We have other honoured pioneers among us,, men to whom this younger generation owes a debt it can never repay, but there are none so representaI tive and none more honoured than Dr. Campbell— in choosing him for our rhief magistrate on this eventful occasion we shall give a satisfaction to the few remaining pioneers which in itself is enough to justify our choice. Now, when our choice seemed unanimous, ; when Dr. Campbell's consent was secured to a requisition which he had every reason to suppose was a general one, a contest was forced on us. Dr. Campbell, having been assured that the overwhelming desire of the people of Auckland is that he shall be their Mayor, agreed to leave himself in our hands. Every man who wishes him to be our Mayor must vote for him to-morrow so that the contested election may not minimise the compliment we sought to make him.

Dr. Campbell is not canvassing for votes ; he is not making any speeches or issuing any address or endeavouring in any way to influence the ratepayers. That is well and good. But it is the duty of those who wish to have him for Mayor during our Prince's visit to see that nothing is lost by the carelessness of his friends in refraining from voting because they look upon his election as certain. If all his friends do that an insignificant minority may imperil the desire of an overwhelming majority. If many do that we miss the opportunity of giving to our fellow citizen a unique expression of our regard and esteem. In the wards where elections for councillors are taking place, we may expect that all candidates and their ■ supporters will see that Dr. Campbell is remember but we would | urge even those who might otherwise neglect their civic duty in the contested wards to go to the polls and vote for our next Mayor. It is to the ratepayers of the North and East Wards to whom we would more particularly point out their imperative duty to express their wishes re the Mayoralty; they have no contest for councillors ; they may be inclined to look upon Dr. Campbell's election as secured without them and so excuse themselves from taking a little trouble. No man should say to-morrow night that he did net think it necessary to cast his vote for Dr. Campbell. No man should say to-morrow night that he intended to vote for Dr. Campbell but put d off from hour, to hour Until too late. Each and every citizen should make this uncalled-for election for the Mayoralty a personal matter,, should vote at the first opportunity himself, and see that everyone of his friends similarly vote, so that to-morrow night we may be able to show Dr. Campbell that the people of Auckland have not forgotten how to make a compliment even of a certain election and have taken some little trouble to assure him that they earnestly and unanimously wish him to be Mayor.