The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1908. POLITICAL APATHY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13708, 24 September 1908, Page 4

The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1908. POLITICAL APATHY.

It is a wearybusiuessto toyat\dftrous« in en apathetic people a healtliy m6e|*afe > even in affairs which; considering tMir intimate, relation 'to *he material .Vq.il < mental welfare ot the country's population, ought- to .command the intclli^ntij^Mention of every good citizen. more depressing ence" to which a refers. _ this morning in commenting upon t<he ; lack of response to the suggestion tbafc ' has been "made, not only by the* " Timaru. Herald," which does not expect to influence tie Government, but also by snei* an ardent Ministerial journal .«» ,tße u I.yttelton Times," that, if ilr Hall-Jon« } intends to retire from the stress of active ' politics to the comparative calm, of the High Commissionenship,' it is time fop, the electors of this district to be admitted to ther great secret. However, ) vva are not going to labour the • We still think the people of Timaru are hot being properly treated, ovj®;vtbJ® ■.■■■•> matter, as it would be a very easy |hing for Mr, Hall-Jones, it ho is not |fomg - Home, to follow "the exiuiiplc py the Prenikr, and give- an a»4 authoritative denial -to £he ruujours which .maintain at , the very seat of tjie Government* W« do not blame* V of itlio promise hj& made after lie had been given an tjtelistv general "elect ion.<. With Jht\ best* will in the World, ha could hardlyiiaVA spent jnuch time in Timani, or made Jbimself.» 1 little less of a stranger to the constituency which Jiits stuck to imn so well. Tlitt . death of the late >tr fitting, Qm> absence of Sir Joseph Ward from the country, «\ade it imperative that Mr Hajl- : should remain in Wellington, and hi* subsequent iftnessj traces of which jKrhapn amy stilt be discerned in, tlitt 1 obscurity into which .he <o ha.ve mired, put it out of the question for htm to «nter into any lengthy residence here. All that, however, does not> account for his remarkable sueneei in tit* face of the repeated assertion* that in a little whilo Timaru is know him no wore, but, if his friends an 1 * satisfied to remain in the dark Uf they are in tlto ; dark), why xhould anybody else complain? His political opponentsaw, of eouroe, entitled to no consideration that might give them any assistance in the coming election ; in fact, they can expect nothing else but to be kept in ignorance of what is to happen until it, is impossible to maintain t he* veil of secrecy any longer. There may be tactical advantages to b« gained by the party in power if th» trannlation of Mr Hall-Jone* is kept- back until the eve of the i>olls, and certainly there seems to be nothing to Ik> lost by thfe policy of reticence. The people, as ottr correspondent says, or* either not «ufflciently interested polities to care whether he go*w or stay*, or >!.«« tf»*y «iv quite natislted to lie treated as ha (it t«> iix-at then*. W« are afraid siiat apathy is the real nwit. 'hie sees signs "of it in all directions. The mo*t viulfut invasion* <>t |#r*«ual right* long cherished by other N»iti*h eommuni(j, s fail to ,-xcilo any appaivnt N-nenUiH'itt in the mind of tin* average New /»>aland*r, and we stwpei'i that the appeal tjwdc by , the Canterbury Kxecutiw of tlw> Farmem' Union yourday will fall u|x»a deaf earn, S(,me people blame the Opposition for this unhealthy indifference. Thfe Wellington "IV.!."' which ha* done ail in its power to damn Mr Marty's party, lament* tha*« "the Opposition, weary of vain effort., luih grown reconciled to it* degradation, and i* impotent," while Uio Mini,-try " for most purpose* lrw» become nothing n»or» ihan a Cabinet of opjx»rwithout d«-tinit«> or |k>Ucy, without even lio|»\ and without d«tcrntinaUnn s-iv.- the «U-ter»nlnation to t«v iii.ua «i the head of affaiio." A ni«,t» colktp*) «>f ail tiie high hoj»s the Wellington [tn|)*-r had form«l of it«> pet h'aneiirild CnbilH'l. And V<< jf <«lltuti)v}y on the Mii.ill band of jwi|it»ri;»n« wh« have fsSufk !<> th« colour* which it has deserted, an<l njihraids !hcm v»th Wing impotent, Ijecaww, forvooth, liit.**a iwi) r.iti !►.- t iU.rd down and outvoted by 65. It ifi Do to hiatus the i »t), Jf ih« want a i»;OnvenuiKot. and a (.'•ruhtf Opp»-.ition. formittj; lonelier a J'atliatHOit, 'Jicy rouvi wake aj» u.iy public ijih-ition", and ttidocA men of brain*, of rinhu»iav«a and <4 -ty to f}i«-ti»*elve* f«r ihv lnii>!<n <•'. p\iidie bf-\ Th«< h>*torian, \fr !•: Freeman, haA (Hiinted out tint in •'•.ifly Jtiifiiin th«- popular a*»fnhly djwt" OioMi ii"in ii.! iu.*i ratwt uhsrh nuy i«i ibv. A i* t*t nmny pm)i|« «ot tired, and vnd " W« wdl li'jvo lltrw to twaU the jwditician*," The people that i* '<"» tlus?g!*h to wratill i*i in ahtady on I!m road t<9 ruin.