THE LATEX. J. DON.

West Coast Times, Issue 324, 6 October 1866, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE LATEX. J. DON.

•"KOM^HE JIKI/BO.TJRXE AUGTJS,SKPX. 29. -The death, on Thursday last, of Mr }on, who for nine yfar-s past — ever ince, indeed, the establishment by the \ T tw Constitution Act _6f responsible ;overnment in Victoria— has taken so arge a share in the political agitations •f the time, is a surprise to many who lid not know that his late comparative etirement • from public life was, occa ■ ioned by the steady advance of puliionary disease. Thus during the recent >olitical excitement caused by the atempt Jto establish arbitrary government >y a majority in the Assembly, his voice y vas missed from the accustomed place, md his stentorian tones were but rarely ieard echoing through the Eastern slarket, -where in-years* before he eclipsed he entire body of Victorian 'stiimp-ora-ors by. an eloquence, homely^indeed, >ut unsurpassed in the colony for its brcible appeals, expressive power, and ppropriate language, nor lessened by he northern accent of 'his native Perthhire. During his comparatively short areeijhe achieved a remarkable proainence, and actually, by his, fearlessicss and earnestness, compelled a repeet from his opponents never felt for iis rivals in the favor of the working ilasses, of which he was so complete a epresentative. He addressed his aulience, whether in the Legislative As;embly, or the more- familiar market>lace, with something -mere than ' mere insertions without proof, or endeavors o souse into action an uns&rupulous. ■elfishness, and sometimes with argunents as strong as his vituperations, vhieh were neither few no/ sparing. lis advocacy of a land policy, contained n the declaration that he would '• have ,he v squatters driven across the Murray ,vith their own stockwhips," cannot ;oon be forgotten, any more than his illusions to his other opponents, which, though of course overstrained and untrue, wore striking from their picturesqueness^ aud wit. His death has [eft none but immeasurable inferiors to represent the v interests and feelings of the working classes, who 'probably, with emulous gratitude, .will -pay him all possible funeral' honors on Sunday next. He, a widower, left behind him two children, a boy of ten years old, now in Sydney, and a daughter, abmvt eighteen, at home. Charles Jardine Don was* born "in Ooupar- Angus, Perthshire, in 1820. j His family belonged to the laboring ! cksses, and at an early" age he had to t earn his own living. At first he tried his hand at hand-loom weaving, \mt in a few years became a stonemason, to j which branch of skilled labor he subsequently adhered. With his characteristics it may easily be supposed that he was a prominent member of the village debating club, aud an enthusiastic Chartist : and probably he learnt in those times the knack of so addres sing a multitude as to secure general attention. That his public speaking achieved an early superiority over that of his fellows, is proved by the fact that it ivas a correspondence with George Combq, the phrenologist, who was struck by his language, that first induced him to pay such close attention to politics ' But it is his career in Victoria, where he arrived in 1853, that we are 1 mest concerned- with. For the first few years of.his colonial life, he was not heard of, and, we believe,, spent most of that time at the dig" in»s, Ballarsi^ especially* The New Constitution, which came into effect in 1856, providing for popular representation in the Legislature ; and also th£ adjustment of the vexed questions of the day, notably that of the settlement of the lands — the public agitation of these induced Mr Don to come forward, and. he made his first appearance in politics under the wing, of Mr Wilson Gruy. In those times public meetings were' held almost nightly in the Eastern Market, and Mr Gray, Mr Don, and a demagogue named Osborne, were the chief orators. Mr Don had a fine field ior tho exercise of his peculiar powers in the denunciation of the ex-

isting system, by which -the haul.-, had either been entirely locked from tin* agriculturist, or else sold in huJi ii way j as to throw the Jbest portions of the colonial soil into^ the hairls of the squatters. The consequence was that his name soon acquired fame throughoutjlic colony as the leading advocate of the working classes, of whose mr

tores ts ho soon became the- representative in a \yay never since imitated. It was in 1857 that the system of popular agitation-, which has since become a Ministerial weapon, first assumed anything like important : proportions, and when the llaincs Government succcedefl the iirst O'Shanassy Ministry, Mr D6u contested the representation oi' Melbourne —which was then one constituency — but was defeated. After a sharp struggle the numbers wferc — Michic, 2434 (elected) ; Moore, 2414 (elected); Don, 1182: and Edward Cohen, 1,029. During .the same year, he achieved still greater pro- 1 nnnence. The Haiues Ministiy, which i included Mr MTkilloch (the present ' Chief Secretary) as Commissioner of I ide i\nd Customs, and Mr Michie (late ,- jVinister of Justice)' % as Attorney- , GonesaU brougln 'forward a land bill, v Inch* excited the vfolout opposition of 1 the democracy outside {he House. Large meetings were held all over the country, <and it was veselvod to hold -.a convention of delegates from Ihc cliief centres of population, as well as frqm.. Melbourne and its suburbs, in order to opposo that bill by all available forces, to ventilate the land question, and adopt a land policy. This convention was composed of about sU'ty members, airl met in July, 1857, Mr Wilson Gray being president,- and Mr Don one of the delegates for Melbourne It held about sixteen sitthigs, and then presented a petition to 'the Legislative Assembly ; but the. final defeat of the measure in the Upper Hoirse ended the excitement of the public, and for a time Mr Don remained in comparative ob- ; scurity, except during some foolish torchlight demonstrations, when revolutionary placards were exhibited, and revolutionary music performed. Meanwhile, the Haiues Government went out, the second O'Shanassy Government , came in, procured the passage qf the Reform Bill, which largely increased the representation of the country — manhood suffrage having been previously made law, at the instance of the Haines administration. *. In the middle of 1859 a general election of members for the second Parliament of Victoria took place, and, strange to say, the democratic "ticket" was opposition to the. O'Shanassy Government, which hitherto had enjoyed quite a rage of popularity among the more democratic people. The elections illustrated the increased power given to the popular voice," and Mr Don was returned at the head of the poll for Collingwood. by a majority of more than 300 votes over his nearest competitor. This was considered by his friends as a triumph, for he was then a working mason, to be seen "at his work eveisy day during working hours, and for such a one to be also a legislator seemed almost a repetition of aucient Roman history. Parliament met on October 13th, 1859 : and on the fifst day of business MiNicholson moved a resolution expressive of want of confidence in the O'Shanassy Administration. On the 20th October, Mr Don first addressed the House in support of Mr Nicholson's amendment on the address, prefacing his re*n irks with the statement that he, a new member, was " one of a class hitherto unrepresented in any legislature within the British • empire, bearing their burdens, and living on equal social terms." His appearance on that occasion was best described in an article written by the late celebrated E. Whitty, one of the foremost members of the English ncwsp-iper press, at that time on a visit- to Victoria, where he died, and writing for the "• Argus " ;—; — , " After the merriment flatting over all tlu& came a serious sensation. s AIr. Don Tose amid the stares and stillness of intense 'curiosity. The incarnation of our dcYnocracy was before our statesmen/ami that was no joke. ' Mr Don is not iilivnhing in appearance, 'lie has a aulti xj.'l lace, and he dresses away from i his class. The turn-down collar, thro ni-off hah 1 , and jerked-back frock, do not assign him to any particular class; he seems' a cioss between the poet and the piiate, Byron- and his corsair ; the marauder, perhaps, slightly predominating. He began very well. He introduced himself as a new fact in the British empire — an actual -working artisan in a Legislative Assembly, -to speak and vote for his class ;„ and k is just to the House to say that Mi-D on, as the chosen exponent from among- the .class of the hopes of the great laboring population, was even welcomed, that he . was kindly and favorably listened to, and that he was encouraged \vi,th unusual attention, cheers, and laughter. Hebegau admirably that N is to say foi\ ab-nvjt five minutes he was quiet, steady, compact, and argumentative. But the Mountain ,is always the Mountain. In a little while Mr Don was. imaginatively, -on -the dempcratic stump ; his voice rose, Ms speed increased, and soon he shouted, screamed, bellowed, bullied, always talking with some point aud ability, but with such a chaos of confused sentences, - and with such abominable boisterousness and savageiy of manner, that the House and galleries, stopped their ears, shuddered, and shrank away from the tornado of the people's man. It was the fury and frenzy oi Feaigus O'Connorism, of the most exaggerated kind, revived." Nevertheless, the power of the man could not but be acknowledged, and while this Parliament sat 'his speeches were a feature of each important debate. If the reporters had to do their best to winnow out the superfluous chaff of his

ut'criiuccs, there remained pojiuyh pure grain that the labor wns not wast-d. I At tho same time he retained ;ill the characteristics of a demagogue, and lowered, himself so far as to express out of doors opinions and sentiments — especially with relation to his fellow senators — of a violent and vulgar kind, such ilfhc never attempted to introduce into ParliV.nicnt. After the O'Shanassy Ministry had bce;i defeated, the Nicholson i .ry came in, tvith, for Treasurer, Mr M'Cuf-. loch, who defeated Mr Wilson Gray for East Melbourne by 350 votes majority The new •Government introduced a land bill, which, pwiug to the pressure of the Upper. House, they modified somewhat, and this alteration excited^the warm opposition of the democratic party. Consequently on the -Ith June, 1860, a violent meeting was held in the the Eastern Market, and addressed' by Messrs Don and Wilson Gray. The* consequence Was" the assemblage next day of a vast mob of persons, who crowding.round' Parliament House, created a demonstration,' ending in the breaking of windows in the Houses and the violent expulsion of 'the crowd by the police. When Parliament reassembled after the recess, the Nicholson Government had ito succumb to the fiiot Heales Administration, of which Mr Don became a warm supporter, botli iiK and out of tho House, his tqugue frequently running riot in his denunciation of his and their opponents. A,fthirs went on. In July, 11381, Mr Brooke first issued the occupation licences, whiuh, gave rise to strong- op-* pqsition ; but Air Don found the idea to accord with the' principle of free selection before survey and deferred payments, which he had advocated when he first entered- Parliament. He gave up one of his then darling ideas, viz., an Act of Parliament making eight hours labor compulsory. In November of the same^'ear the third O'Sha- assy , Miuistry was formed, and Mr "Don went into the Opposition benches below the gangway. He was not apparently a virulent enemy to the new Ministiy, and when the Duffy Land Bill was proposed, announced his, intention of voting for the second reading, he perceiviug in the measure those advantages to the honaf^h settler which it professed to confer, and which, but for an apparently slight but really most important fault in detail, it probajbly would have conferred. The announcement of h^s intention gave rise, however, to such a storm of abuse from his quondam supporters that he' reluctantly gave a silent vote against tho bill when the division took place. Several causes, chiefly an attempt to establish himself as a publican in Fitzroy, /Combined subsequently to keep him from taking an active share in politics, and when in 1864 a general electioit occurred, he volunteered to retire from Parliamentary life. This was not permitted by his constituents, and he stood the brunt of a contest, which resulted in his defeat by 208 votes below the number polled by the lowest of the three members elected. 11l health now began itsi'avages upon his constitution,/ and dnring the excitement consequent ■ upon the attempt of the Government to carry their, tariff into effect without the consent of the Legislative Council, his voice was only occasionally heard ' in the familiar market-place, and even when lie lifted it up, it was with only •a tithe of his ancient fire aad eloquence. At the last electipn he did not even become a candidate, but, still 'supporting his party, devoted himself to his ordinary labors, which daily proved more and more beyond his powers. At last he was unable to pursue his avocations ; and the " Argus," announcing his hard condition, procured him the help of some pi' those who owed their position mainly to his unpaid-for exertions. His death' on Thursday last our readers know of. ,

Mr Don has left-a vacant place among Victorian politicians. Essentially a working man, he was acknowledged as the representative of his class in a way ■which no one else has been. When it avus an uphill fight On that behalf, his exertions were unceasing, and as he did not appear as a candidate for office : nor for those Ministerial iav ( ors which are dear *to Ministerial supporters, he. was made much of by r the more ambitious spirits of his party. It' was he who proved what power could be obtained by swaying the masses to whom umversal suffrage had given preponderance ; and when the ticle^ of success set in, he was superseded by those who without li particle of his ability or earnestness, knew how to reap what another had sown. Mr Don had this to distinguish hi,m ;, he was neither an apostate nor :i rencg.ule : neither a trickster nor a hypocrite. He never willingly allowed the class he represented to become merely the tools of a political party, or that the working population, whose' interests he so ably advocated, should be the instruments for ago-randising the position. of others who had naught in common with them. The time may come when those whom he most bitterly opposed will regret the death of one who w.is really a working man, and had all the characteristics of one.

Novel Combat*— The largest eagleliawk over seen by the- people of Yapeen, yesterday attacked a joung kid on the hill side near Stephen's Hotel. The, liawfc fastened his talons oir - the kid, and endeavored to raise it up, but. was prevented, by the .mother, "who, hearing the cries of the offspring, ran and butted the. { hawk over, and, whenever it ncared the ground, rushed afc t. Tho hawk then attaekpcl ! the motherland linally made a demonstration ' on a billy, who was so frightened that lie drew all four .of his legs together, rouuded irtmself-up like a ball, and stood still. After two unsuccessful eliots had been liretl afc the hawk, he slowly soared away. — '„' Castleinaine Daily News," Septemberil.9.