VARIOUS SUBJECTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 4898, 25 June 1887, Page 2

VARIOUS SUBJECTS

WOIIKIJNV. MEX IX A HIGH PLACE. "All that the poor have to do do with the law* is to obey them." This us -d to bo the "ood old true-bluo doctrine of the Tories when government was a perquisite of a small class and the great bulk of a nation was, as to political power, only a trifle removed from serfdom. "In my diocese the common people eat grass with the cows," said one of the gay courtierbishopa of Louis XVJ., when millions of pounds were frittered by a Co >rt while hundreds of poor wretches died of starvation, till the roll of Santerre's drums was the signal for bringing tho great down from inhuman exalta'ion and raising ihe poor from a condition worso than that of beasts. Tilings have changed wonderfully since then, and now 100 working men take their places in Westminster Abbey with foreign kings ami princes atid great statesmen to witness the Jubilee servic > ! What a wonderful tale is expressed in that simple little fact ! What an immense range of history and record of progress it epitomises ! It wants a Buckle to deduce the marvellous lessons to be got from the fact that Queens, princes and statesmen '.•ive plico io working men. Surely tha 1 is a s'upendous fact, and y^t one thit Masses alinoii unnoticed.

THE POPE - IRELAND — BOLTING. Perhaps oven a yreJit' r evti t 113 t> tlit* rvinditinn of livland that the passing of ihe Crinus Bill is the sending by ih« Pnpe «f a special agent to briui? up 'he Irish cbray with a round f.urti. But fur the attitude r>f the bulk of ttie priests the Irish trouble would nob have been so .great or have lasted bo long, and it haß

always been a wonder to those who know anything of Roman Church history that the Pope has allowed his Irish subordinates to go to the lengths they have. Rome has ever been the most powerful and determined foe to anarchy and communism, and things have so near that in Ireland that tho Popo has found it necessary to intervene and assert tho invariable Papal policy. The li iah bishops and clergy have taken the bit in their teeth and havo done much in encouraging disorder that must have been intensely distasteful at Rome. Very broad h'nta they disregarded, but they will stop short when they find that going on would involve tho tremendous consequences of schism and provoking the vast ecclesiastical power of the Holy -See. Ihe Pope's wrath can be well understood, and besides sending his delegate to bring the Irish priests to their senses he has shown his feelings by ordering special jubilee services in honor of the Queen. There is an immense significance in these facts, and we shall probably see now that the Pope, working together with the Crimes Bill, can soon pot a very different face on the Irish question. Leo XIII. and Lord Salisbury will more than hold their own against th<3 National Loaguo and the dynamitt-rs. Great events may be looked for in Ireland very quickly. Another significant event is the burst-up of tho Clan-na-Gael Society in the States. This society has been a prime mover in the Irish trouble, and has done much towards it in supplying funds to pay for murders and outrages. There has been an enormous fall from blatant patriotism to a mere bolting with thy funds !

WHAT ABOUT IT? Is there not such a thing as an election about, ur something of the kind impending I There is a popular impression to that«ffect, but there is no very tangible fact t > support ir. For all that is visible to tha naked eye, the nearest election might be five years hence and politicians might be in a Rip-van- Winkle sleep. Something has been said about candidates, but nobody knows anything certain of them. Occasionally an item comes over (he wires which aoems to bear out the popular impression aforesaid — such as that Stout will really stand for Napier, and that JSallanco tells his constituents the Government will stand or fall by Protection. Parenthetically, it may be observed that in that case it will be fall, as sure as Queen Anne is dead ; and, though there ia no need to go to the trouble of refuting, it may be hinted that Stout's and Balance's protection craze now can be amply refuted by their own speeches of a few years ago. Stout will not beat the cold and non-attracting Ormond, but will go away from Napier with a flea in his ear, after a lot of amusement for the whole colony has been got out of him. The Dunedin folk will not care for Stout making a convenience of thorn to give him a sure seat while he tries for another, and as the great Liberal Grey will go to Dunedin to do his best for the great rival Liberal Stout, it is not at all unlikely that Stout may come to grass between the two stools. Probably there is, after all, not much need for candidates to hurry ; beouso polling cannot come for ten weeks, and if they started now it would be impossible to keep up the pace and the excitement to the required pitch for so long. If they start in a month they will find it quite long enough.

THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. Mr Matthewson and Mr Dickson knew nothing about the obstructive and "shot" litigation against the Harbor Board. They had nothing to do wi h it. They said so themselves lust night — and that settles it It is well that this should be known, as i< may removo wrong impressions, because of course wrong impressions are often formed. According to Parliamentary practice the denial will be at once accepted, and those who havo ever had misgivings will mentally apologise. The denial is satisfactory — very ; and as an election will be an event of the early future there may be more denials. That will be only politic. And the denials to come will not put anybody's belief to the least strain. Not a bit of it. Everything in the bustedup and broken-down business was proper mid square and what the surface of things showed it hi be. Exac lyso. By the way, could Mr Dickson's motion last night; have been the last dying kick of the obstructives? What tho motion was about can be seen by the report, 01, if not, Mr Dickson or Mr Matthewson might or might not able to explain it. But it does not matter cii her way. Obstruction is now as dead as a door-nail, and no one need bother ab ut it. Messrs Dic!;son and Matthewson mi^ht now pose as rare specimens of an almost extinct class. The poor obstructives could not come to time yesterday and they will not come to time any more. Nevermore. There has been noise, lying, and slander enough to sink a flee f , but when it comes to a matter of £100 they were not there. Poor beggars, —if they could only convert their strength of lung and lying into strength of finance what rich people they would be !

The new electorate to be defined in the vicinity of Wellington city is to be called "East Wellington."

A cart of hay tipped over whilst going down the embankment to the Loan Coo store this afternoon. Fortunately no damage was done.

The Ruapehu has completed a voyage to England and back without a single stoppage of the machinery except for the purpose of entering port.

We have handed to Mrs James, through her brother-in-law, Mr L. Steele, the sum of £7 ss, including a donation frem Mrs Willshire of 10s and 6ve guineas from the Union Company. Further assistance in the cause wil be gladly received at this office.

There was a very good muster of the members of the East Coast Hussars last evening, and they sepm to be making good progress with their drill. A meeting was held afterwards, and it was decided to join the New Zealand Cavalry Regiment,"and also to get an undress uniform made at once in the district. D"nng the late strong gales from the east, the inhabitants of Tauianga have experienced a curious temporary affection of the eyes, which seems was due to particloa of sulphuric acid, ejected into the air from White Island, being carried across the sixty miles of sea to the charming little watering place

The report on the Tauwhareparae blnck, presented at the Harbor Board meeting last night evoked many complimentary references from the membfirs, as to the admirable way in which it had been complied. It took Mr Botirke (the Secretary) sixteen minutes to read.

Tho Union Company, with their usual generosity, have, through the local agent, Mr Dougherty, handed in a cheque f>r £5 5s towards the fund being raised for Mrs James. The Company granted Mrs James and hei children free passages from Tologa, so that this last graceful act on their part was hardly to be expected of them, and ia an example for others to do likewise.

Knowing that the Mararoa would not be in till low water to-day, t#T Snark made an attempt to get out two hours before that time, but on reaching the bar the greatest depth of water was found to be only one foot. There being no channel to be discovered, the launch had to return to the wharf. On the arrival of tho big .steamer a boat had to be taken out to land the pa"Bengen in. There not being enough water again nn f i' seven o'clock the den.irture <>f the !asfc l much has bea- postponed from five till tha l ". t ; me.

Wukiiv Men'pp litic*l Association — \Io«t it Ood Temp'ar'.'* Fbll Monday night, 7.30. VV. Tharrat •■■ (Advt.)

New Z altnrl Alliance — A public meeting of the a h ove will he held in M.itawhn-n School, Thursdiy, Jane 30'h. at 7 30 p tn. Addresses hv Revß A. H. Waltace and J Luxford, and two laymen. All cordially invited.— (Advt.)