OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XII, Issue 3437, 6 October 1879, Page 3

OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

(FBOH OUR OWN OOBBEBPONDENT.)

Wellington, Sept. 28. The political situation is the only topic of moment here. Each possess confidence in the ultimate issue of the no-confidence motion, and I he issue appears now to b' narrowed down to a few doubtful ones and would-be neutrals, to win over whom the whipi are now hard at work, aad have no enviable task before them. 'Ihe Opposition miss their old, well-seasoned, and useful men, Capt Morris and Hir K Douglass, who did their work with skill and pride The new men, Messrs Su>ion and ''ursthouse, do not take to the task half so naturally, and require to serve an apprenticeship befor« they are up to all the'' ways that are dark and tricks that are" a gain (shall we say), But their duties will not perhaps be so onerous as their predecessors' were. Many of thoso old stagers who required so much coaxing and shepherding when a division was imminent are no longer members of the House. The Barfis and Maunders and Joyces' of the House are no more the terror of whips, oausing them nights and days of anxiety. It is true we have a few men whose politics are of the rail kind, such as Waimea Sheppard, Bruce Murray, &c. f but_ these will simply be left to their fate if they refuse to nail their colours to the mast. We have a host of men who come to the House pledged to scramble for a large share of the loan. One member from the extreme South told his constituents that if they would only return him he would get them £90,000 in one year, and another from the extreme North assured the electors that he would get them more money the first twelve months than the district had received for 25 years past,—in fact, he confessed he could do a swindle with any man in Wellington—and by hook or by crook, or a fluke, he was bound to get a large slice of the loan. The firßt named is sitting on a rail, although if he votes it will be with the Opposition, He succeeds the most honorable member of the old Parliament—the man who gave the Treasury some trouble and annoyance because he refused to accept his honorarium cheque, and would insist upon takiug out of it £5210s instead of the 200 guineas which the clerk begged him to accept. Poor Dr Hodgkinson received only three votes—honest as he was—against 178 recorded for McCaughan in the principal polling place, because the latter would promise anything to get in, and the old man would insist upon promising with economy. Such is the fickleness of public feeling. The man who makes reckless promises goes down, rather than the prudent man, who has some pretension to political honour and honesty. For the credit of the Thames it is to be hoped that a different feeling will oontrol the result of any contest you may have. The! standing and integrity of the candidate should outweigh senseless promises or bombast, and above all he should be an honourable man if he is to be a credit. There is far too little principle or sense of honour amongst our politicians, but, on the whole, tho new House seems an improvement in this respect. I he drunkards and card players have ujven place to Good Templars and Metholist local preachers. If tho latter will only spare their eloquence we shall eet on Iv-tter, because we shall no lonpt witness the disgusting exhibitions which the former created, and the great Auckland card player is no longer here to carry atvay his hundreds of pounds at the close of the session. It is true he always dis tributed his honorarium amongst the libraries of his electorate, and was alway.. libnral during the session oven to the extent of treating the porter of Mb hotel to a half-sovereign or half-crown nightly, according to the extent of his winnings,

lie was once asked by a fellow-lodger 'vhy ho gave these amounts so regularly, and his reply was, " Why, raon, it's a vorra guid thing to hao a follow praying way liko blazes all night that yo may win a heap!" Tho same worthy exV1.H.1i., with a p-nohant for or 100, was onco down on his luck, and finding that his companion tvas a good Presbyterian, and went to kirk every abbith Jai S. astonished his friends one Sunday by appearing at tho same church, although ho had not been known to go for years. When interrogated on the subject he said, "Well, ye seo, that fellow W— goes regularly, and for somo weeks he's carried awa' all before hira; so I thought I'd come to kirk to change my luck." [Here follows.the probable division list which gave 43 for tho Opposition, and what turned out to be, as his telegrams indicated fully, tho correct card.] What will be tho result of the adoption of a no-conddenco motion? Sir George will take time to consider his position and impress upon his colleagues the duty of resigning, in order that he may have the opportunity of gathering round him the men of his choice, when he will go back to tho House with some fresh faces, and challenge the Opposition once more. Sir George is not so readily shelved as gome people imagine. The newspapers here are in a peculiar position, and no wonder tho two morning luminaries take such opposite sides. One is subsidised by the Government to the tune of £25 per week, and the other is supported and owned by great Oppositionists, two of whom are now negotiating its purchase in order that it may be more j directly under their control and guidance. It is said Mr Wakefield is to be its editor. I think I informed you by telegragh of Sir George Grey's swearing in, and the missing credentials. In order to find out which seat Sir George was sitting for, your reporter proceeded to the Clerk of Writs after the opening ceremony, in order to seo the parchment he had given in like every other member. Major To Wheoro was obliged to stand back be. cause bis credentials had been mislaid by the postal or Native Office officials, but Sir George, it seems, was sworn in with' out producing any, assuring Major Campbell that he had left them behind, because it waß so convenient to do so. It is un« derstood that the Thames will be disfranchised for 14 days after the opening, tho full time allowed by law in which to make tho declaration. If there is any prospect of Mr Whitaker being returned —although the whole colony might desire to see it-Sir George will bB inclined to thwart him by sitting for Christchurch instead, and of course the Thames electors would calmly consent.