REEVES AND THE RICH,

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6045, 29 September 1887, Page 3

REEVES AND THE RICH,

What the " Press" Has to Say. The following- appeared in the leader columns of the Press thi& morning _—■ The electors of St Albans committed a great error of judgment in choosing Mr ; W. P. Reeves in preference to Mr Garrick. ! They have lost in Mr Garrick a member i of unimpeachable integrity and of great ability, and who occupied a very commanding position in the House. Whatever references we have made to Mr Reeves during the contest have been fair refer- ; ences, and now that the contest is oyer we j have not much more fco say. Time may do j wonders for Mr Reeves. Hia occupancy of [ a seat in Parliament, though it may not jbe an unmixed blessing to the electors :of St Albans, may have a valuable j educating influence upon himself. We j hope a Parliamentary career will enj large hia mind and cause him occal sionally to look upon political questions I from the national point of view. Afc present his method and aims are more those of the vestryman than of the senator. Ifc will be well for him too, when he can abandon the habit of imputing bad , motives to his opponents, and cease to attempt to win political success by the arousing of angry feeling between classes. Of course if Mr Reeves could succeed in reorganising society, so that all men shall be absolutely equal, and the editor shall receive fche samo emolument as the youngest " devil " on the establishment class distinctions will cease to exist. But a3 long as thiß world's goods are distributed unequally there must be classes, and these classes being composed of human beings, must be to a certain extent prejudiced in favour of what they conceive to bo their own interests. But to preach, as Mr Reeves practically does, that the rich are all rogues and the poor all embodiments of virtue, is to preach a doctrine which is false, and which, if univerally believed in and acted upon, would be as injuiious to the poor as to any other section of the community. We can assure Mr Reeves that he has not among his class a monopoly of unselfishness. There are rich men, and men like Mr Reeves, who live and move and have thoir being among the wealthy classes, who have the welfare of the poor at heart quite as much as he has. Mr Reeves, however, is young and has much to learn, and we understand that Providence has blessed him with some brains to learn it with. He will not find in Parliament a chorus of admiring Spackmans to marvel ab his abilities and, open-mouthed, to accept anything he says as gospel. He will find his level there. Let us trust it ] may be a high one.