THE TIMARU ELECTION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1209, 26 July 1884, Page 2

THE TIMARU ELECTION.

The official declaration of the poll in Timaru took place last Thursday, about 500 person* being present. Mr Howley declared Mr Turnbull elected by a ma jority of 188 orar bis opponent. Both candidates addressed the assemblage. Mr Turnbull thanked the people for placing him in the honorable position he occupied, and su'd it was the people’s victory, not his. He dwelt on the advantages of the ballot box over the old system of voting. If he had lost this election it would have been null and void, for the amount of coercion and intimidation that had been used was something beyond what her could have imagined in sush a place as Timaru. The coercion they had resisted would

have disgraced the worst days of boroughniongerieg. He hoped that all who had not their names on the roil won Id bars them pat on at once. He hoped to see a Liberal paper started in the place. Two or three liad promised £IOO each, they would have able contributors, and he hoped to see it soon established under an able directory, ably conducted and well supported. He was getting an old man and this might be the last time lie would sit >n the House. —Mr Kerr said that although defeated he thought he occupied a more honorable position than his opponent. If he had particularly wished to be elected, if ha had promised “Everything! Everything!” if he had begged and prayed them to give him their votes, he would have been in a very different position. Mr Turnbull had a majority of 168. That meant that if he (Mr Kerr) had polled 85 more ha would have been at tha top of the poll. He could have secured 100 more if he had prostituted his political opinions in Order to get them. He would never do that. This election had been a very serious election for the Liberal cause in New Zealand. Where were the stonewallers? Only two of them had been returned—Mr Turnbtril, for Timaru, and Mr Seddou, for Kumara. Messrs Sheehan, Fish, Bracken. Ivess, Feld wick, and a number of others had been put aside, relegated to private life, and the rankest Conservative Parliament that ever sat in New Zealand had been returned, simply because the extremists had made themselves obnoxious, and the people. > had risen against them en masse and put them down. On every occasion on which be spoke, Mr Turnbull delivered'a harangue upon some aide issue, raving about “The People! The People! The People 1” If he were never elected for any constituency, he would never pander to one section more than another. He had fought the election -fairly, and he would conclude by saying that if he lived be would fight it again. A vote of of thanks to the lieturning Officer terminated the proceedings.

THE GLADSTONE ELECTION.

The official declaration of the poll for the Gladstone electorate took place ye«terday at Washdyko, at noon. Allthe candidates were present and about fifty electors attended. We take the following account from the Times : Mr F. W. Stubbs ascended the platform and announced that the votes polled were as follows :—Sutter, 282; Anderson, 134 ; Twomey, 129, Morris, 5. Four informal votes had been polled. He therefore declared MrJ. H. Sutter duly elected member of the House of .Representatives for Gladstone. (Applause). Mr J. H. Sutter, the member-elect, came forward and said he had only now to return his sincere thanks to the electors for having placed him at the head of the poll ; the more so as he had already served them three sessions, and his reelection he took as a sign that he had given them satisfaction. During the con test he had studiously avoided any allusion to his opponents-—he preferred to stand or fall by his own merits. Nothing had given him more pain than to observe the abuse which some cand'dates had seen fit to heap upon their opponents. He was still more disgusted to find that some candidates had done their best to set class against class. For his own part he declined to do this. When he went up he should represent all, rich and poor, high and low, small and great. (Applause). This scheme of buying out banks was a mere gas bubble. (Mr Twomey : Bntyou promised to support it). He hoped the people would take no further notice of it, for it .was not feasible. Cheap money was not an unmixed blessing, for it meant dear land. If money became plentiful and cheap, land would be continually changing hands, and would rise in value. As to Government having a bank of issue, that was sheer nonsense—it was bound to end in failure and muddle. Ho had seen 4s fid dollar notes sold for IsSd, and, in fact, everywhere it was the same, if you had not a sovereign at the back of every note, the note was valueless. The Government had now a minority, and for his own part he should support a Cabinet that was strong and would do well for the colony, not by leg-rolling, but by real merit. Once again, he thanked the elector* for ineir decision in his favor, (Applause.) Mr D. Anderson thanked ins supporters, and bowed to the decision of the majority, as sincerely as if ho had been elected. He was beaten, hut he was not conquered, and they would hoar of old Davey again—(applause)- for there were weak points in the Government of the tolony which he had shown them, and h-'d studied over. It would always be his aim to find old links and make new ones. (Applause.) Mr Twomey said he had nothing to regret; he had never expected to win the election, and was not disappointed, for he bad done what he wanted to do—he h'<d shown the people something worthy of attention. He had endeavored to act as a gentleman throughout, and he believed he hail never uttered a word to

hurt any unes feelings. He gave Mr Sutter credit for similar good feeling. That gentleman had merer indulged in dander, i hough some of his friends had. He (i he Kpeaker) however, stood in a proud position, for in one week more nofire had been pa d to his utterances than of all Mr Sutter had said in his life. (Laughter and applause). It was very well for Mr Sutter to denounce Irs ideas as bubbles, but if he (Mi Sutler) were rot the wealthy man be was, but placed in his position, and had to live bv- people who were financially overburdened, he would speak quiti* differently. Mr Sutter talked about a bank of issue w'thout knowing what he meant—it was not a bank of issue that he wanted, but. for the Government to be its own bunker. Once more he thanked

his supporters for their votes, and the electors in general for their courtesy. Mr Gladstone himseif, if he had been contesting the Gladstone election, could n< t have been received with more respectful at ention. Mr Morris thanked the five voters who . had supported him ; if he knew them he would punch their heads—(laughter)— for if they could not do better than that, they should not have taken away their aid from the successful candidate. He had now only been playing with politics—(a laugh)—but for the future he should read and study political affairs. Ho had not oeen so well received as Mr Twomey, but never mind, better men bad been petted.

He was new introduced to the public, though, as far as the Herald was concerned, not .in-a very favorable light. (Laughter and applause).

Mr Sutter proposed, and Mr Morris seconded, a vote of thanks to the Returning Officer, which was Carried by acclamation, and that gentleman bowed his acknowledgements. The proceedings then terminated.