COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTION.

West Coast Times, Issue 1003, 9 December 1868, Page 3

COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTION.

To the Editor of the West Coast Times

and Observer.

Sir— As Mr Sale's friends are very wroth with those who refuse to support him, and as.it is very desirable to conciliate those gentlemen, if possible, permit me, through your columns, briefly to state the grounds upon which I withhold my support from him in the present contest. I db hot doubt fyt* a moment that lie is eminently a fit and proper person to; represent Us in the County Council. So also are Mr Prosser and Mr Bbnar. Sir Sale comes before us as anew candidate for the popular suffrage.. Prosser and Bonar .are old, tried! aiid faithful representatives. Mr Sale may, if elected,, prove an equally valuable representative, but of this we have no guarantee. We have his words in one scale and their acts in the other, and I find the latter by far the weightier. Indeed it may safely be taid that the ordinary run of mortals prefer deeds to words. Men .who have: served us, and are willing to continue serving us, are generally to be preferred to newcomes, who say they will serve us. As a candidate for popular suffrages, Mr Sale is a startling novelty ; and it is to this fact that I attribute the mental obliquity of the rabid section of his supporters. Like an aerolite he has been suddenly shot from his native element, and dropped amongst the people._ They have been pulling and hauling him about for the" iast' : week or more, and some of them jhink they, have discovered in him so many bf ; the elements of : a popular representative, t!- at they have determined tip'oh relinquishing former attachments, and clinging tenaciously to him. I have walked round and . round him myself, and have probed hi g here and there, and I must say that I have discovered in him much that is good, very good. I have not yet, however, discovered sufficient to justify me in throwing overboard old friends to make room for new. The Government did wrong in dispensing with him after he had served them so Jong and so faithfully. That, however, is ho ; reaspn ; why, the people should perpetrate a similar injustice upon the men who have served them with equal fidelity and rectitude. We all sympathise with Mr Sale in the suddenness with which he received his conge from the Government ; but we must guard against allowing cur sympathy to take the form of ingratitude to those who have consistently, . and for a period of years served us. .Now, as there are but two candidates to be returned, we can only return Mr Sale by rejecting either Mr Prosser or Mr Bonar — assuming, as most people do, that the election lies between the three. To reject either for Mr Sale, would be to ignore the great claims which both of these gentlemen have upon the people. Mr Sale has claims equal to either of those gentlemen — but his are upon the Government. He has served the Govern- . ment well; they have served the people well. Whom should the people support ? Amidst all the bunkum and clap-trap of the election, let the people seriously ask themselves this question. Let them consider that the effect of rejecting men like the two named, must flecessarrjly be to deter private citizens ft om offering their services to the public; as they may be at any moment set aside to make room for a Government official. A great deal is said about the fickleness of popular favor. I heed it not. I believe there is sufficient discernment and independence in this town to secure the return of the right men — and those two men are Prosser and Bonar. Let each elector think for himself, and hot be dictated to, or talked out of his vote, by the swarms of canvassers that now infest the town. Let him make no exchanges — " I'll give your man one, if you'll give mine one." This is exceedingly reprehensible. Vote conscientiously, and avoid the political misdemeanour of plumping. I ask you, Mr Editor, to insert this letter on the ground that you have admitted numerous others having for their object the extolling of one of the candidates only. I believe that my views upon this election are sound, and that their promulgation may be useful. They are at any ra!e quite free from personal bias. Yours respectfully, AN ELECTOR. Bth December, 1868. [In reply to " An Elector's" insinuation that we have admitted "numerous letter?, having for their object the extolling of one of the candidates only," we beg to state that all letters having a legitimate bearing upon the present contest have received impartial insertion in our columns. — Ed. W. C. 7.]