The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1884.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 7222, 18 July 1884, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1884.

The nominations for the next parliamentary elections having closed on Wednesday, the list of candidates is now complete, and was published by us in yesterday’s paper. It is quite long enough, but not nearly good enough. Wo fear that, after all, notwithstanding the copious discussion which has taken place respecting the recent political crisis, in consequence of the disturbing elements introduced the coming election will furnish scarcely any test whatever of public opinion on tho one question put to the constituencies —whether tho Atkinson Ministry do or do not command the confidence of the colony. First of all, instead of there being only two well defined political parties, that of the Ministry and that of tho Opposition, there are the Atkinsonwns, the Geetites, tho Vooelites, and a miscellaneous collection of Opposition members, who will combine with none of these, hut adhere to defunct leaders, Montoomeets, Macandeews, &c., and retire to a select Cave of Adullam, and “ swear at lairge,” as the Scotch would say, at the existing Ministry. This, however, is only part of the present confusion. Several constituencies appear to have forgotten altogether the question referred to them by the last brief Parliament, and fight tooth and nail for or against the cause of some sheep inspector who has been dismissed, or in favor of or against some local sludge channel which ought or ought not to be widened. And tho muddle does not end even hero. Several fanatics, with benevolently enthusiastic or selfish crochets, and with no lack of assurance, interview the candidates and chase them about to secure support for their own little schemes for renovating society or for filling their own pockets, as tho case may ho. To divert the election thus in a direction quite foreign to its true purpose is thought superlatively clover, and the bribery of promising votes to some candidates, and intimidation of others by threats of withdrawing support, are practised for some small object utterly unconnected with the present political contest. The carrying out of an appeal to the constituencies on one particular question, as resolved upon by tho Legislature, sinks into insignificance besidethegreat object of promoting tho success of the .Grand United Order of Scavengers’ Apprentices, or the Society for the Supply of Soap to the Maoris, or some such association. Candidates are waited upon by tho secretary or other officials of the Grand United Order, &c., duly fortified with strings of cut and dried questions in writing, and the aspirant for Parliamentary honors is told that if he will support the cause —still better, if he will personally become an honorary Scavengers’ Apprentice—the block vote of the association will bo recorded in his favor, and that if, on the contrary, he declines to have anything to do with the Scavengers’ Apprentices, it will be made uncommonly hot for him. It is idle for him to tell the interviewers that the question now before the colony has really nothing to do with the thriving or depression of Bcavengering,butis, altogether,whether Major Atkinson and his colleagues are the most suitable men who can bo found to form a Ministry and govern the colony. To these pertinacious boros their little tinpat association is tho whole civilised world, and they glory in pressing thus its claims in season or out of season, but especially out of season. It would, perhaps,} surprise them- to be told that the bribery and intimidation they are attempting to practise, and actually practising successfully with weak aud dishonest candidates—political prostitutes, willing to sell themselves at any time for a few votes —is just as reprehensible morally as any breach of the Electoral Act, and equally deserves the usual penalties for infringing that law—disqualification, fine, or free quarters in Mount Cook Gaol. Tet that would bo really tho fact, and if they were onco shown the door by any candidate who felt himself insulted by their attempt to coerce or bribe him, they would be only treated according to their deserts. With regard to tho enthusiastic officials of such associations as those to which wo have referred, it seems impossible for them to understand that, even granting that the object they are aiming at is both useful and important, it would be grossly improper to press its claims on every occasion. An association speech of the most fiery eloquence might be excellent enough at a public meeting of the body held at the Theatre .Royal or the Athemeum, but utterly out of place at St. Paul’s Church, on Sunday, when the Archdeacon was reading tho service, and equally out of place in tho Supreme Court, wheu Judge Richmond was summing up on a difficult case. There are times and places for all things, and tho best things are not beautiful out of their season. Parliament, the supremo council of the nation freely chosen by the whole body of electors, has, in its wisdom, thought proper to refer cue question just now to the electors throughout the colony, and any attempt to prevent them from performing that duty unimpeded and uninfluenced by any outside pressure, is just as disgraceful as it would be to howl down a clergyman when performing divine worship, or a judge when administering justice from the bench of the Supreme Court. From such disturbing causes as those to which we have referred, we believe that tho object of the recent appeal to the colony with regard to tho merits or demerits of tho Ministry will he utterly useless. So far us can

be seen at present, there will bo a fair number of Ministerialists and also a fair numbcrofOppositionists returned nest week, and as regards the probable majority, most likely the relative position of parties will be numerically very similar to what it was at the close of the last Parliament. The worst part of the matter is that, as a general rule, it is the best Governments which suffer most by what Edward Gibbon Wakefield calls u an organised anarchy.” Though it is well known by an overwhelming majority of the people of intelligence that the present Ministry have done very useful though, not very showy work—and though it is admitted that in three instances, those of Major Atkinson, Mr Bryce, and Mr Holleston, the three departments of the Treasury, the I Native Department, and tho Lands, the administration has been as good as it ever was before, if not better—in tho existing confusion most people will lose their heads and vote at random, and the present Ministry may bo displaced in favor of one far inferior, if not in ability, at least in soundness of thought and honesty of purpose. Wo trust for the welfare of the colony that such an evil may be averted.