DIPTON.

Southland Times, Issue 4156, 25 October 1881, Page 3

DIPTON.

(KUOM OUR OWN COItRESPONDKNT.) ■We'vcs got it, ihcre's do mistake about that; (lie symptoms are well developed and the election fever now becoming epidemic all over New Zeulan-l is ra.^injr in all its fury among us. We broke out in what may be termed the mildly eruptial stage when Mr Patterson came and stirred us up about the County election; we listened to all Mr Patterson ha<l to say and we cheered him,- and then we got five shillings out of him and suffered him to depart in peace. We got the fiv« shillings in this way. Mr Patterson had arranged to hold his mcetin«- at the Dipton Hotel, but our school committee, with an eye to business, represented to him that the schoolroom would be a much better place in which to hold it. Mr Patterson changed tiie venue, and then our committee charged him five shillings for the use of the room— 'cute men of business these. There is not much doubt as to how the county election will go here. One block vote for Mr Patterson will, be the result of the polling at Dipton, as far as tlie local votes are concerned. But as the measles are mild compared with small-pox,Bo is the excitement over the county election mild compared with what will be the fury of the fray for which we are now girding on our armor to fight to the death pro aris et focis against the Dunedin invader. For my own part I have been hitherto engaged in the interesting occupation of sitting on a rail, but as my rail happened to haves the feather edge upwards I have thought it advisable to curne down. As 1 sat upon my rail I had plenty of time to study the political situation, and to me there appear to be three different interests in the iield, Liberalism; Nihilism, and the Agricultural Company. My natural inclinations would, of course, lead me to join the Nihilist party, but then that party only appears to consist of one, viz. the candidate himself, and I never forget the advice of the immortal Mr Pickwick "Always shout with the crowd, and if there are two crowds shout with the larger." Moreover, I bethink me that I 11 hae gotten a coo," and if Mr Finn should come into power I suppose my cow would have to be divided among the many who have no cow, so I fear 1 cannot join the Nihilists tliiatime. Then there is the Agricultural Company— well, I have no interest in Dunedin nor «yen in the Waiinea Plains Railway, nor do I yearn after land at £12 per acre, so 1 can't join with that crowd, but must just cast ia my* little, lot with the band of Liberals under th« leadership of k Mr Cowan. ! As',l sat upon my rail surveying the situation I thought the political millennium had come. 1 saw the roaring lion of squatterdom lying down peacefully , beside the gentle little lamb of Radicalism, and it was a soul-stirring sight to see the latter playful little varmint get up and skip and wag bis little tail with joy as he thinks that at- last he rides a winning race. I 'thought I must be dreaming till I heard from afar the trumpet of the enemy, and then I found that what I saw was not the political millennium but the gathering of all the clans of Southland to defend their land from the rash invader. Even a Southland Hussar could hardly resist such a call to arms as that, so accordingly, in common with all who have the welfare of Southland at heart, I've cast in my lot with Mr Cowan's aupporters. Mr Oowan addressed us the other night aud we applauded him and cheered him and patted him on the back generally to such an extent that if such encouragement gives a man pluck he ought ' to have cpurajre enough to carry him right to the top'of the poll. Since then some of his friends have formed ; a cqmmittee to; watch over his interests and have invite! " his suppoiters throughout the district to do the same, and to communicate with them, 80 that if any strategic movement' of the enemy should call for united action on the Dart of the SouthUnders such action may! be/ taken without delay, No doubt we '-> shall have an exciting time of it for the next fsw weeks ; even now there are many who can neither buy with you, sail with - you nor evea comfortably cheat you without doin^ a little bit of electioneering at the same time. Of course Mr Finn's candidature is looked upon as a joke, and no one expects him to go to the poll. It is a good thing for us that a merciful Government ' has decreed that the elections shall take place betqre Christmas; if the holidays found us in the present state of high pressure we should have to let off that vote or burst. By the bye, I wonder if there be time enough between this and the election to untie ttae«red tape knots in the way and arrange to have the country telegraph offices open for an hour two on the -evening of the election. As at , 1S nobody s ■business to look after iVI suppose it won t be done. . .Dipton,. Oct. 22, 1881.