Southland Times. PUBLISHED DAILY. Luceo Non Uro. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8.

Southland Times, Issue 3292, 8 January 1879, Page 2

The Southland Times. PUBLISHED DAILY. Luceo Non Uro. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8.

The Mataura electors may be congratulated on the simplicity of the issue presented to them for solution at the forthcoming election. Politics,, properly speaking, may be. regarded as entirely set aside for the nonce ; for the "political sentiments of the two rival candidates appear to be absolutely identical, if we are to judge from their published manifestoes. " Liberal" views, are advocated by both, as a matter of course, for nothing else will go down m these days ; and a candidate who said his views were not liberal would have no chance of success at all. These "liberal views" appear at the present juncture to include belie! m a land tax, which is now an accomplished fact, and an income tax-, which -is still m the future. Both are no doubt very good methods ot raising a certain quota of the. public revenue ; and even if a number of ignorant and spitef al agitators would like to make use of them m the way of a general crusade against property,'there seems to be no reason why sensible men should thereby be frightened "out of the legitimate use of these wellknown.'.financial expedients. Both Mr Shanks ' and Mr Kinross acccordingly profess their belief m these measures; and so far, of course, there is nothing to choose between them. Then, as to the land question, both are for promoting settlement m every possible way. There is really nothing else to be expected from any public man of the most ordinary common sense. The promotion of settlement means the promotion of the prosperity and progress of the community. Everybody knows that ; and nobody knows it b.etter than those who try to fasten upon their opponents t!ie nickname of "land monopolists." What is a land monopolist? A man who either has ■ acquired, or hopes to acquire, a large slice of the public landed estate, at a low price, for re-sale at a profit, and not for cultivation or reproductive use. There are such people, no doubt, and to trust them with legislative power would be very foolish indeed on the part of a constituency whose interests lie iv quite a different direction. But neither Mr Shanks -nor Mr Kinross have anything whatever m common with the class .of land monopolists. Both;., of them are friends of , settlement ; both of them would like ; to/Jsee the country covered with smiling homesteads, arid inhabited by prosperous and contented yeomen. So far then, there appears to be nothing to choose between the candidates m the opinions "they profess. The question accordingly narrows itself to the simple. one of whichis the best mail. On this point :we are sure there can .hardly be- two opinions. Even' Mr Kinross' best-friend^ will, scarcely pretend that he possesses either-; thel intellectual ability or practical force of character which distinguishes Mr Shanks. Mr Kinross has been before the public of Southland m time past, and has been chiefly known as a very shifty politician, and a notoriously unsuccessful one. Lately he has -been promoted, through the influence of his friend MrMacandrew, to a seat on the Land Board—a position of some emolument. He now : aspires to a seat iii , the House ibf Representatives^ ready, no doubt, to repay this kindness by attaching;himself; to the Dunedin clique who have lifted him cut of his recent obscurity, by -this appointment. But the electors of Mataura are hardly likely to play into- the hands, of the Dunedin Ring by returning- <their : nominee— even although he professes to be the working man's Mend. They are likely to remember that the interests of their magnificent district, and of its harbor at the Bluff, have never been objects of great solicitude to Dunedin men. On the whole, we think there is little" doubt they will prefer to entrust the duty of looking alter their requirements m the Assembly to Mr Shanks, whose manly common sense and rugged independence command the respect of all Avho meet him, whether they agree with every one of his special ideas or not, and whose important stake m the Mataura district and extensive and active busmess connection with it afford a sufficient guarantee that he will always use his best endeavors to promote its prosperity and advance the interests of all classes of his constituents. Mr Shanks', business capacity is acknowledged by all ; -his energy is well known ; his familiarity with the local wants of the Mataura district is probably greater than that of any other single "individual ; his recent experience of the local government of the district is a capital preparation for advocating its claims m -i'arliament ; and, above all, his sterling honesty and independence are ample guarantees „ that whatever trust the electors may choose to place m him will never be betrayed. On every ground of personal/ fitness, -there cannot be the slightest doubt that, of the two candidates now before the constituency, Mr Shanks is far' and away the- -more "fit and proper person" to represent, Mataura! • .> '