The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1916, 23 February 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1875.

Mb DAB»Avii.iiE has publicly announced that lie is again a candidate for the Superintendency. At. present no one else has come forward, but it is not to be expected that the election will result in a walk over for any candidate. Haying entered the lists, Mr Dargaville is hot the man to retire in favour of. another—that is, if anything of the firmness and persistency > ■ with which he fought out the last election remain to him. At that time, as a thoroughly untried man in politics, he made a respeotable show all through. He prosecuted his canvas with zeal and ability; and, although he made . some mistakes at the beginning, his reception throughout the country and the position he occupied on the poll were evidences of what he had been able to accomplish in a very short space of time. Mr Dargaville proved that, with application and a little more experience, he would soon distance some, of the veterans in politics, who have grown grey under the heavy responsibilities attaching to them* as Provincial or Colonial Legislators. We are glad, therefore, to see Mr Dargaville again in the field. The only other gentleman whose name has been definitely brought forward as a candidate is Mr O'Eorke, to whem, the New Zealand Herald rejoices to learn, a requisition is already being numerously signed, and also, that it will be promptly

accepted. The Herald no doubt, speaks with authority, when it says the J requisition will be promptly accepted, so we may assume that Mr O'Rorke will be a oandi date. The journal which has thus early taken Mr O'Rorke under its care follows up the mention of his candidatuie with loud peans on his disinterestedness in leaving the Ministry as he did, and his selfabnegation in not trying to make political capital out of that circumstance. There are different opinions as to Mr 6'Rorke's conduct on that occasion, and there will always be such, until some clerk of the Executive Council shall publish his memoirs, and amongst them a verbaticttj report of what took place at that meeting of the Executive at which Mr O'Korke expressed his dissent from the abolition proposals. But this episode in Mr. O'Rorke's ministerial career should no more be ; allowed to} operate/unfavorably against his candidature for the Superiti* tendency than it should be advanced as ?a his, sincerity and disinterestedness or a recommendation to the positidn he may now be seeking. Mr O'R6i*ke left the Ministry because he could not support the proposals for abolishing Provincial Governments. He has since joined the Provincial Executive of Auckland. All his public acts — the very circumstances of his political training have- conduced to to make him an ultra provincialist; an;d if he comes forward as a candidate for the Superintendency it will be as the nominee of that party which, would perpetuate Provincialism and oppose the movement for its abolition. The contest —if there is to be one, and we trust there will, if only for the reason we are about to indicate—will be between Provincialism anil Centralism. It will be but the foreshadowing of that struggle which will probably ensue before the final abolition r of Provincialism takes place. In Auckland city no doubt the .Provincial party will have their stronghold; in the country districts a different feeling will be manifested. If there should be but two candidates—one declaring for Provincialism and the other for its abolition as soon as a scheme has been devised ta supersede it by providing for the extension of the principle of local government into remote districts* we have no doub;t of the?resulk These are mere speculations at presents The candidates! will no doubt:soon declare themselves, and it will then be seen what value they attach' /to the proposals which were carried during last session of the Colonial Parliament, affirming the advisability of abolishing the Provinces of the North Island. It is probable that the contest fbrf the Superintendency will not be confined to the two gentlemen named. We have-heard others spoken of, but until they announce themselves it would be invidious io mention them, especially as one .or two of • the gentlemen named have not Had, we 'are assured, the smallest idea of accepting such a position. For ourselves we should like to see a candidate who would be able to make the best of Provincialism while in lasts; to administer its functions so as to secure for it respect during its declining years, and do his utmost to bury it decently when the end shall come. A man who has the ability and will exerMse it in making the transition state from one form of government to another as easy and as agreeable as possible; who will strive to tone down the objectionable features accompanying violent changes, and divest them of anything calculated to be obnoxious to the feelings and opinions of a class., would be the man for our next (and we hope last) Superintendent* Such an one would receive a Jarge measure of support, in this district we can affirm.