The Poverty Bay Herald AND Estst Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Saturiday, September 6, 1879.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 883, 6 September 1879, Page 2

The Poverty Bay Herald AND Estst Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Saturiday, September 6, 1879.

After a severe and protracted con " test, the electors of this portion of the East Coast, greatly assisted by the electors of Tatiranga and Opotiki, have succeeded m placing Mr. Allan McDonald at the head of the poll by a very large majority. One great desire on the pai't of the electors of the Bay has been to return a local candidate, and' we have succeeded contrary to, and much beyond the expectations of a very large number of the voters The majority would have been much greater had Mr. Woodbine Johnson's Mends been able to persuade him to withdraw from his candidature. We do not blame the local candidate. He asserted that he would " fight it out to the bitter end," and he did so, only *to meet with disappointment. He had, doubtless, deceived himself upon the strength of the many bogus reports and telegrams which had been so freely circulated even nearly up to the hour at which th% polling closed. But Mr. Johnson's friends and supporters must feel that if they have not beeen able to send him to Parliament, one will go there with an honest intention of doing all that will lie m his power m the interests of his constituents. It must, however, be borne m mind that, like Mr. Johnson, he is only a new hand, and that he has much to learn before he can allow himself to make a prominent stand m open Parliament. We believe that Mr. McDonald's influence will prevail more m the lobbies than m the House. He is well known to many of thp leading men who have or will be returned to Parliament, and we have no doubt whatever but that her will turn so much that is in' his favor to good account. ? During the excitement of the electioneering there were those — they were not many — who accused the Herald of having turned m favor of Sir George Grey after having so bitterly denounced him m its columns. This charge is very easy for us to refute. On the 7th August last, when the contested election was about to commence, the following appeared m our leading columns : — As there will certainly be much interest felt, and possibly no little excitement running through the community during the coming election, the plan the Herald proposes to lay down for itself will be a very simple one, and we are sure will meet with general approval. All the candidates shall have fair play — a clear sttge and no favor. All shall have their claims fairly and impartially laid before the electors, and their addresses and public deliveries shall be correctly and as fully reported as our columns will allow. This having come to pass toe shall exercise the usual editorial rigid to make our comments without allowing any undue influence being brougld to bear upon us ; and our columns will at all times be open to those who may desire to make use of them m support of candidates ; always, be it understood, if they do not come m the form of such as should only appear m our advertising pages. Those who have watched the election conteßt|which has now terminated will Aye feel sure give us credit for having stood faithfully to our words. Every speech bas been fairly reported ; every letter for and against the candidates has been published without erasure, alteration or excision. Then, when all the candidates had spoken m public; when their friends and supporters had written what they

had to write m their favor, we advocated the return of Mr. McDonald as being a more desirable candidate to send to Parliament than Mr. Woodbine Johnson. The electors have fully endorsed our views, as shown by the returns of the polling officers, and we rest quite content with the result. We have all along opposed Sir George Grey, Premier, but we have never opposed his policy. We may dislike a preacher, but we may reasonably hold what he preaches m high estimation. We cannot place any confidence m Sir George. His word is not to be accepted for anything it guarantees. He is overbearing, dictatorial, and ever insisting that his will shall be absolute. He will deal or treat with no one who will not bow the knee to him, and men worthy of public confidence refuse to bow the knee. He is a champion stump orator ; a George Staines of a higher stamp, but not a bit more to be trusted. He is long past the sere and yellow leaf; for those who know him more intimately than the outside world, do assert that he is now m his dotage. There was a time when Sir George Grey was forcible m speech, prompt m action, decisive m measures. Now he has come down to be a poor wretched driveller, going about from town to city and from city to town, pouring out with an eloquence which never fails him, feeble inanities, addressed to the ignorant, and unreflecting. His is now the niling passion strong m death — to promise things which of himself he is unable to perform, and which abler men must take out of his hands whatever of them ai'e to be done. It is a melancholy thing to contemplate — that of a man once great, powerful, commanding ; a man rendering great services to his country — at once a soldier, statesman, orator, explorer, the Governor of several colonies, now being permitted m his dotage to traverse the country, making a wretched spectacle of himself to the deep grief of every personal friend and relative^he possesses. We may respect him for his deeds m the past. We may pity his decline and fall from bis former high estate, but he must no longer be allowed to rule the country with fair promises made with the certainty of their being broken, or to tyrannise over hiscolleagues when they do not happen to fall m with his views.