MR. WATERHOUSE AND THE WANGANUI CONSTITUENCY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4768, 4 July 1876, Page 3

MR. WATERHOUSE AND THE WANGANUI CONSTITUENCY.

A Wanganui telegram informs us that the remarks of Mr. Waterhouse anent Wanganui election have been treated tv itli that indionation which a community of hone»t men wasldcely to evince. Mr. Waterhouse spoke on the address in reply, and on that occasion sa i,j . “ X refer to Wanganui, a district which, I may say, at a very early stage in tte P™' showed that it was m the market and open for purchase. In that constituency there resides a prominent citizen who made himself still more prominent, a few years back, by an attempt, as honorable m bersj- are aware, to— I think _ 8 ■'feifterm bribe the Secretary for Crown Lands; Mr. Haughton, and "'ho. sequently, was obliged to throw up P tioft ho held in connection with the Government at that time. That gentleman, early m the stage, came forward and expressed a hope that the district of Wanganui, upon the occasions of elections, would look closely after own interests, and elect persons who would advance those interests ; and he "'°und up.an ardent address by saying, I ha nn OflO tion in saying that a vote of at least £IOO,OOO might be obtained next session for harbor works for Wanganui by the election of Sir Jnlius Yocel for this district, and colleagues who would on all great national questions work and vote .with him.’ It was evident that that constituency was in the market. Shortly afterwards we were favored in-the papers with an account of further proceedings. A gentleman occupying a high position in the Ministry—Major Atkinson— went up and addressed that constituency; and he told them that if theyexpectedto have their public works done, he could not do better than advise them to elect their old member, Mr. Bryce, and Sir Julius that he would again say that, if they secure their interests, they would elect Mr. Bryce and Sir Julius Vogel, and, if they desired to do so more effectually, they would elect them unopposed. Now, if that is not an attempt at bribery and corruption, I do not know what it is. It is not bribery in so coarse a form as putting money into the pockets of individuals, but it is none the less bribery, because it is an offer to buy a constituency by works to be done for the promotion of theninterests. I say it is a disgrace to the constituency of Wanganui, that, after such an appeal, they should have acted as they did. The result showed that the political conscience of Wanganui was essentially corrupt, and that there was a state of corruption in that borough that called as much for legislative action as the state of matters in Boston, Norwich, and other places in Great Britain.