POLITICAL REFORM ASSOCIATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5990, 27 July 1887, Page 4

POLITICAL REFORM ASSOCIATION.

Meeting at Woolston. Thanked and Sent Home Again. Last night a public meeting was held in the Oddfellows' Hall, Woolston/ for the purpose of hearing several gentlemen set forth the viewa of the Political Kef or m Association on the political questions of the day. At the appointed hour; the hall was well filled. Mr J. Biohardson was voted to the chair, ,and briefly stated the purposes for which the meeting had been convened. He asked for a fair, impartial, and respectful hearing for the speakers, and called on Mr H. J. Beswiok to deliver the first speech, and apologised for the absence of Mr AotonAdams. Messrs Beswick, Hopkins and Denham having addressed the meeting, Mr Cliasold thought, as the time was late, he would not detain tbe meeting, and he would be brief. They had frequently seen some Btrangely dressed persona in the street. We had very little dilliculty in discovering that these newly arrived persons were globe-trotters— male or female. He would call them female. Now suppose that one of these ladies— and he knew some of them— took up a newspaper in one of the hotels and read an account, and expressed surprise of what was in it. They found in the paper there was a Eefortn Aesoiaijion, composed of a men of a terrible ch^raofcer.. •they were desirous oldoing all the grievous

possible injury to the Colony. The ladies then took up another newspaper speaking about the Electors' Association. We were suffering from what we might call a political fever. He (Mr Clissold) had caught it about three years ago. He went to Lyttolton, where he knew nobody, and addressed the people on political subjects. He did not get many votes ab the close of the election. He had been accustomed to send to the Lyttelton Times correspondence not under his own name. He frequently had put letters in the Lyttelton Times opposed to tho politics of that newspaper. He never in his life had a letter rejected by the editor, though he was opposed to hia , policy. (Hear.) He thought it was perfeotly unfair to Bay of the editor of the Lyttelton Times that he had endeavoured to stop free speech in this country. He is the last man in the world to do that. (Applause.) It wa3 an uufair thing for any \ newspapers to act odiously towards Mr ; Reeves for the action he had taken upon the j occasion of Mr Bruce's meeting. (Loud cheers.) Mr Clissold then thanked Mr Reeves for his treatment •towards him. What Mr Beeves had meant in asking electors to roll up when Mr Bruce was to speak in the Tuam Street Hall, was not to allow the Reform Association to gain a victory. When Mr Reeves had called upon his followers to go to 'Mr Bruce's meeting, he (Mr Reeves) had not the slightest idea that certain persons would' behave in the manner in which they did. (Hear.) He had never spoken too words in his life to Mr Reeves. He certainly belioved that Mr Bruce did not gain a hearing through the action of 40 or 50 foolish people, who did more harm to the Society to which they belonged than if they had kept away altogether. (Hear.) He was sure that Mr Reeves' and the members of the Canterbury Electors' Association, as well as the members of the Reform Association, would have been delighted to hear Mr Bruce Bpeak. They would have had persons to refute him. If Mr Bruce were to come into Christohurch within the next week, or even to-morrow, and he was to get up in the 'J'uain Street Hall, there would not be one tingle voice raised to prevent him making himself hoard. (Mr Beeves : " Hear, hear," and applause.) They had heard a great deal about retrenchment during the past few weeks. It did not do to ring upon a subject too much. He knew a gentleman in England who had an estate, but he had unfortunately got into difficulties and had bis estate mortgaged. His lawyer caino to him one day to try and make him take an interest in the property, but it was of no avail, as the lawyer could not get him to pay any attention to the property. He was once walking with the gentleman in his garden when the lawyer came along. The owner asked him to dine, and would do anything for him but listen to any arguments about economising or retrenching. At last tho owner died, but his heirs paid a hearing to what the lawyer had to say, and the consequence was the estate was soon in a flourishing condition. With regard to retrenchment, it was proposed to knock JBIOOO off the salary of the Governor. The Governor was the only link wo had with the Mother Country. We must not cut that link off. If we do we separate ourselves from England, and all we have i 3 a little island surrounded by vast oceans. Wo must retain our Governor. But there is no necessity to pay him so high an income. In England men fill public positions for honour alone. We could get men to undertake the duties of Governor for It was by putting one small sum with another that we made up a large sura. Let them compare New Zealand with Victoria. Victoria, with a population of ono million, has S3 representatives, and yet New Zealand, with only half a million, returned 94-. By this comparison we should only sand 40 or 44 men to Parliament. Let them compare this Colony with England. We were absolutely sending cine times the number of representatives to our House than they did in the Mother Country. The debt of Great Britain had been accumulating by wars of succession and wars of sbaine. We, for. our debt, could only show a paltry Maori war. Wo had also railways which did not pay. We had a few harbours to show for a debt which pressed more heavily on man, woman, and child than it did in that effete country— our Mother Country at Horce. He thought he was detaining the meeting, and would not speak much longer. (Cries of "Go on," " Speak on.") To hi 3 mind the We3t Coast Railway was the only proper manner in which a railway should be constructed. Our railways were not remunerative. The more railways we rcade tie less they pay. The more money we borrowed, the more taxes we had to pay. If we wanted line 3 o£ railway made we should form syndicates and give them grants of land that they might make the railways.. We should not borrow money in order to complete them. He would not. touch upon the subject of Freetra'de and Protection. People had fought so much over this question that you might fancy that any person who held one view was the most bitter enemy in tho world to hold such a view. But, perhaps, within six weeka' time they would be shaking bauds and forgetting that they had bnen enemies. He had no doubt but that Protection would pay. A few articles at first only should be protected. Forty years ago he had travelled over the United States. He was not sorry that he had travelled through the States, but that it was 40 years ago. Six or eight years baok he again went over the States, when Protection was introduced. The United States was about as dear a country as any in the world. In France wero to be found the most, industrious, economical, aud careful people in the world. There is no waste there. They grow fruit trees on the sides of the roads. They do not have any common dogs like wo do. Their dogs carry the milk down the hills. Every man in France has got hi 3 house to live in and his little plot of land to cultivate. One of the most melaucholy sights was to travel in New Zealand and see only bare plains and fcarbed wire fences. Mr ClißSold hero paid a tribute to Sir Julius Yogel. He said, he could give Sir Julius credit for. a good many things, but he could do so more especially for this one thing, and the people of New Zealand should do him (Sir J. Yogel) credit for it. .When the railways were made the present Colonial Treasurer tried, to make the people agree to allow that the lands through which the railways passed should pay $ro rata for the advantages they received. People should pay iv proportion to the advantages they received, and if they had done so we should not have had so great a national debt. (Applause.) If we we're to economise and retrench this country would, he was certain, in a few years be a far happier, brighter, and better country for every man, woman, and child who was here now. (Loud.applauso). Mr Allan wished to propose a resolution. Many of the planks oftthe Reform Association were on a par with the Electors' Association. He had decided to Bupport the candidature of Mr Jones, as a supporter of the Ministry. He wished to thank the speakers fjr their addresses, but at the same time he was sorry, that these gentlemen would have to return to Christchurch with the supposition that the views of the Reform Association were not in sympathy with them. Mr Allan then moved — " That this meeting, while thanking the speakers for their addresses, desires to express its! confidence in the Government." I

Mr Davis seconded the motion.

Mr W.K Reeves said he had been referred to' by name by one of the speakers. Ho therefore asked to refer to the references inside to him. Mr Clissold had been very* kind indeed in what he had said of him. He (Mr Beeves) thought it would be very churlish of him if he did not thank Mr Clissold from the bottom of his heart. When he entered on this contest some weeks ago, he had allowed his friends to put him, to a certain extent, in a very prominent position in the contest. He had very reluctantly acceded to their wishes. He was a young man, and a poor man, and he knew ho would get some very hard knocks if ho entered the contest. Men had given him credit for his sincerity and honour. He knew men who had come to him within the past few days and told him that. He would give Mr Clissold credit for the highest and best of motives. (Applause) It seemed to him that Mr Chssold was one of those antagonists who, being gentlemen them..

selves, know how to treat their opponents as gentlemen. (Hear, hear.) Mr Clissold was a little incorrect when he ssid he had never spoken 10 words to him in his life. They had often had the pleasure of conversing together. He was pleased to hear Mr Clissold's eloquent and manly speech that evening. Far from wishing to burk public discussion or free speech, his (Mr Beeves') friends and himself were always willing to Bee their antagonists go and speak to the people. Mr Reeves then briefly referred to Mr Acton-Adams' address at Papanui the previous evening, and showed how he, in his speech, and Mr Chryetall, in writing to the papers, had given their Association away. No man has put anything like the number of people on the soil that Mr Ballance has done. Before Mr Ballance'a time the average number of people put on the Crown lands was 800 or 900 a year. But now Mr Ballance was in the Government, the number of people placed on the land last year was more than 2100. That was what Mr Ballance had done, and that was what he had been attacked for doing. Mr Reeve 3 concluded a short address by exhorting his hearers, as they had an honest man for their member, to take his advice and stick to him. (Cheers.) After several questions of little importance had been asked, and as the meeting were not willing to hear "an explanation from Mr Hopkins, Mr Reeves rose and called upon the audience to listen to Mr Hopkins. An amendment was moved by Mr Bamford, a,nd seconded by Mr Jamieson — "That the word 3 'and desires to express it 3 confidence in the present Government ' be struck out of the motion."

The Chairman put the amendmant and motion. About six hands were upheld for the former, and an overwhelming number for the motion.

A vote of thanks to the chair, and cheers for the Ministry and Mr Jones, concluded the meeting.

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