NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, December 2, 1857.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 1287, 2 December 1857, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, December 2, 1857.

Tub Independent still continues in its old courses, and foolishly thinks that it sufficiently vindicates its patron Dr. Feather, ston by indiscriminate abuse of Mr. Wakefield and those who act with him ; and affords by its own conduct an opt illustration of its own words, that “scurrility and low insinuations are convenient weapons for those who have the baseness to own them.” For this, in substance, is all that the Government organ offers by way of apology for the Superintendent’ll absence,—that Dr. Featherston hits a right to do as he pleases, and asserts that those who are opposed to him are a set of “ignorant uneducated small hucksters,” who are guilty of great presumption in finding fault with the Independent's patron, or daring to think a better man can be found to supply his place. It is certainly edifying to notice what a sudden fit of affection for Ahuriri has possessed Dr. Featherston just at this particular time. During the whole of his previous term of office he and his colleagues treated the settlers of that important district with such systematic neglect as completely to alienate them, and to cause them to turn from Wellington with feelings of aversion. If they complained, their remonstrances were laughed at, and were spoken of as “ a tempest in a teapot," and in his after-dinner pleasantries at Wanganui, Dr. Featherston could only speak of them as the ’’ Ahuriri croakers." But now that his calculations about the ’Wellington election arc completely at fault, since the town has chosen to be independent of his dictation, it becomes his policy to ingratiate himself with the country settlers, and to play the Country settlers off against the Town ;—suddenly additional labourers are sent off to Napier to be employed on the roads, and the Superintendent goes up to assure the settlers there, ns well as those along the coast, of the warm interest he feels in their welfare, and of his great anxiety to secure their votes in the event of a fresh election for Superintendent. It always happens with Dr. Featherston and his Colleagues, if there is any electioneering to be done in the country districts, that very conveniently some urgentpt- blic affairs at the same time rdquirc their presence in the country. It is notorious that for some weeks past Mr. Fox has folitnd a great deal to do at Wanganui, to the neglect of the public business of the Land Office, and like the Superintendent, after sustaining a signal defeat in Wellington, suddenly sets off on his travels, mid does not appear in Wellington again until he has secured his seat for the Government borough of Wanganui. Of the same character is the Independent's abuse of the present Provincial Council. If there is anything ” notorious,” it is the superiority of the present over the late Provincial Council in independence of character and in all those qualities which the Government writer denies to his opponents. In point of intelligence, what could bo lower than the Government parly in the last Council ; —why the only voices that were hoard were those of Mr. Fitzherbcrt and Mr. Fox, with an occasional word from the Provincial Treasurer. The rest of the Government pack were dummies, whose only value was their vote, andwhose “intelligence” was so greatthat, though thick and thin supporters of the three F.’s, without the vigorous prompting of the official whipper-in they were not always clear as to which way that vote ought to be given. Nor were even the heads of the party, the three F.’s themselves, much in advance of their tail in personal and practical acquaintance with the condition of the other parts of tho Province, since, if we remember rightly, it was not until the commencement of this year, when their tenure of office was drawing to a close, that cither Mr. Fitzherbcrt or Mr. Fox visited the Ahuriri, and it does not appear from the result that their visits, as far as tho Ahuriri settlers were concerned, produced any satisfactory impression ; —they certainly did not improve upon acquaintance.