THE CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE FOR RICCARTON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5714, 6 November 1896, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE FOR RICCARTON.

In his address at Iticcarton on Tuesday night Mr G\ "W". Kussell read one or two extracts from the columns of our morning contemporary, which should be of special interest to the Hon William Eolleston and his political friends at the present juncture. We have mentioned them briefly in our summary of Mr Russell's remarks, but one of them presents such a striking contrast to the plaudits with which our contemporary received Mr Bolleaton's recent address that we may be pardoned tor repeating it here. It will he convenient to show what our contemporary snid twelve years ago, when Mr Uolleston's Ministerial career was fresh in the memories of the electors, side by side with what it says to-day : — April 22, 1884. Nov. 2, 1896. It cannot bo denied The country generally, that the three trillion we feel suro, will welloan of 1832 was forced come 'he re-appearance upon the colony' by the in political life of a Ministry of which Mr public man of Mr RolKolleston is a member, lesion's experience and for political purposes, calibre. • • • We The Ministers thaai- want a« our rulers men selves were unable to who will * * * endeajustify the BilL • * * vonr to administer the Bur. the Ministry were country's affairs on a in dire Rtraits for sup- sound and economic port at Hie time. Anew basis, with a single eye loan afforded every pro. to the interests and wolBpect of a coinfortablo fnro of the community majority on easy terms ; as a whole. If the Kicuucl the Ministry, in- carton electors return eluding Mr Kollestou, Mr Kolleston to the next yielded to the tenipta- Purliaineut we believe tiou, that they will do honour to themselves and confer a real benefit on New Zealaud. Our contemporary did not stand alone in the opinion it expressed twelve years ago of the public delinquencies of Mr Rolleston. At a public meeting held in Christchurch at that time to protest against the action of the Government in raising the grain rates, the speakers vied with one another in thsir denunciations of the Canterbury representative in the Ministry. Mr J. C. "Wason, for instance, the present Conservative candidate for Selwyn, who was just then posiug as one of those Independent- Liberals whom he now so vigorously condemns, said the alteration in the railway, freights was " the act of a Government which, ever since Sir John Hall j left it, had entered upon a career of bribery, corruption and spoliation." It would be interesting to learn when and how these patriotic gentlemen discovered that the salvation of the country now depends upon the restoration of Mr Eolleston to political power.