The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1868.

Westport Times, Volume 1, Issue 144, 16 January 1868, Page 2

The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1868.

The indefatigable, irrepressible Crate is before us once again, and it is a matter of opinion whether it is better to laugh at him or to pity him. There cannot be the slightest doubt but that he is afflicted with a monomania for hearing himself talk—a very harmless sort of mania, certainly, provided that it affects nobody but himself. He has an ambition to become a member of the Provincial Council; and has persuaded himself that he has ability enough to fill the position, and therefore he takes every opportunity to let the inhabitants of "Westport know that he, and 'ie only, in his own opinion, is " the coming man." The egotism of the man is truly surprising, for he stops at nothing to forward his object, and this can be easily perceived by anybody who chooses to take the trouble to peruse the precious epistle, called the electioneering address, of Mr John Crate, as published in our evening contemporary of yesterday. With Sir John Vesey, in " Money," anybody will exclaim who does so —"Humbug, gentlemen. its all humbug," and there cannot be the slightest doubt about it; for a greater piece of claptrap it is scarcely possible to read, and it is so plain, so palpable, tie "blaruey" is laid on so thick, that we believe it will be received with a smile, and any of the electors who attend his meetings will go there for one object, viz., amusement; Mr Crate commences with saying that " in compliance with the request of several of the leading gentlemen of this town and district, and also seeing that no qualified local gentleman has presented, or is likely to present, himself for your suffrage at the forthcoming election, I have the

honor of complying with such request." Mr Crate tells us that at the " request of several of the leading gentlemen," &c, hut he does not tell us who are those leading gent enen, neither does he say anything about the active personal canvass he himself has been making. Surely, in the long address he has issued, he might have told the inhabitants of Westport who were his requisitionists. Both Mr Graham and Mr Millen were not ashamed to publish the names of their requisitionists; then, why should Mr Crate ? But the overweening vanity of the man shows itself in a strong light in the succeeding sentence " and also seeing that no qualified local gentleman has presented or is likely to present himself for your suffrage at the forthcoming election, I have the honor of complying with such request." Is Mr Crate poking fun at the electors, or is he really serious in the matter. What does he mean about a " qualified local gentleman" has not nor was likely to present himself for the suffrages of the electors. Is not this in plain English saying " I, John Crate, am the only qualified man, and you must have me whether you like it or not." Such being the case, why go to the trouble of telling the electors that he has been requested ; or why address the electors, but simply notify that he is going to walk in at once whether they like it or not. Then he goes on to say that he shall " elucidate" his views on various local topics, and glance at the late sessions of the Provincial Council, the estimates for the financial year of 1868, the public works, and other matters. Here is a scope for "tall talk" in pulling to pieces the acts of the Provincial Council, andlettingthe Westport folks know his opinion on matters of finance. Verily, Mr John Crate's head must have ached while he was posting himself up on this very difficult question of finance ; but no doubt after having once been turned over and analysed by him a perfect scheme of " how to raise the wind" will be proposed. His views, he says, are well known relative to the local requirements of Westport. Everybody is pretty well aware of that, as for instance his idea relative to the opening up of the Mount Eochfort coal mines, and his modest scheme of taxation relative thereto, which was so lucidly explained in the Nelson papers a short time since. But he is great on tramways. He would have a tramway to Charleston, another to the

Caledonian Lead, and others at any i places where the "lectors might think ( lit to propose, but as Mokihinni is i rather down just now he says nothing i about " the tramway to Mokihinui," i which he also explained a short time since. He is not in favor of trackcutting, because it would not meet the wants of the district. Wo admit ahat tramways are better than tracks, but perhaps our sec.md G-ladstone , will explain how the money is to be raised for the purpose of making them, and what are the probabilities of their paying. So far as this statement goes, its all ' bunkum," and nothing else. Then follows a paragraph about wharf accommodation, and he tells us that he would justify the expenditure of £7OOO for this object alone. Nobody, surely, can doubt that we require wharf accommodation, seeing that we have got none at present, and so Mr Crate is pretty safe on this head. Mr Crate believes that a railway between Westport and Cobden would be a great benefit; but he doubts the ability of the present G-overnrnent being able to raise the funds to make it. 80 do we ; and supposing that they did, is there any prospects of it ever paying itself? and so he says that he would not support a Bill that was not satisfactory to his ideas of finance. Then he winds up with a little sop for Addison's Flat in saying that he has discovered the necessity of a Warden's Court for that district; and also states that the Westport Hospital requires improvement, &c. ; concluding in a most pathetic style by reminding the electors that his interest is their interest, and that his welfare is their we fare, and " should I have the honor conferred upon me of being returned as your representative (and who can doabt it for one moment, as he is the only quaified gentleman that has presented himself or likely to present himself ),my time and attention will be given to the one object—Westport's benefit." How sublime! What thorough abnegation of self is there contained in the last paragraph. But then, electors of Westport, does it not look like, after all, as we have said before—" Humbug, it's all humbug."