ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1369, 4 October 1859, Page 5

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

(To the Editor of the Wellington Independent.)

September 29, 1859. Sir, —Eiery one who lias paid the slightest attention to the proceedings of the Council, raiist have been struck by the evident desire of the Wakefield majority, to appeal to every tribunal, but that of the constituencies of the province, for a verdict upon their political career. Notwithstanding ihcir Radical pro. fessions, their constant endoivours has been to erect some barrier between themselves and that " many headed monster," the people, first they hope to find this barrier in a Judge of the Supreme Court, and disappointed in this, they (to use Mr. Stake's expression) " appeal to the the one itself" by an address to the Governor, not requesting him to put the machinery in motion, by which the people will be euabled to decide for themselves, but entreating him to save them from tills dire alternative, by the exercise of arbitrary authority ; Burke, (in his letter on the dissolution of Parliament), says " It would be dreadful, indeed, if there were any Jones in tho nation, capable of resisting its unanimous desire, is even the desire of any great or decided majority of the people. The people may bo deceived in tbeir choice of an object; but I can scarcely conceive any choice they can make to be so very miscbievious, as the existence of any human force capable of resisting it." That which Burke considers dreadful " these self styled radicals highly approve of," save us from the psople " is their constant cry ;" tho wretched expressions which ilow so smoothly from the mouth of their leader, the acid remarks, which appear to set Sir. Stokes' teeth on edge, as he utters them, the volumes of " words full of sound unci fury, but signifying nothing" which roll from bigBoanerges, all contain tho same idea ; however much it may be mixed up with other matters, which they hope will disguise it, this secret fear of allowing tho people to decide for themselves, is always there; the whole thing is only a curious instance of the strength of the instiuct of self preservation. Men whose self esteem makes them declare, and perhaps believe, that they have the full confidence of the people, yet, have instinctive dislike to giving them the opportunity of showing that that confidence is vmdiminished, rather than resort to this simple and constitutional method, of solving a political question, they prefer the dogmatic decision of the Governor, who, I suppose, by some species of divine right \s endowed wilk Jones' and wisdom, infinitely supoiior to that of all the electors of the province. To use the words of tale wviter, I believe " that one main condition of the prosperity of a people is, that its rulers shall have very little power, that they shall exercise that power very sparingly, and that they shall by no means presume to raise themselves into supreme judges of the national interests, or deem themselves authorised to defeat the wishes of those for whoso benefit alone they occupy the post intrusted to them." This I trust is the opinion of the majority of the electors of the province, and when they are afforded an opportunity, I believe they will give effect to it, by turning out those who have dared to appeal to powers, over which the people have no control, reckless of the evil they inflict upon the people, and regardless of every principle of constitutional liberty. A voice Fnoji the Gat.i.eiu.'.