Page 4 Advertisements Column 4

Wellington Independent, Volume XX, Issue 2224, 27 June 1865, Page 4

TO THE ELECTORS OF RANGITIKEI FOR TITE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. r"\ ENTLEMEN,— In consequence of Mr Fox's " resignation, you will shortly bo called upon to elect a Member to represent you in the Parliament; of the Colony. It may perhaps appear presumptuous for one who is personally a stranger to most of you, to oiler his services unsolicited. But on the other hand, it would be still more presumptuous, for an unknown man, to wait for a requisition from yourselves, which aft cr all would be understood to have been got up by his friends. I therefore prefer to adopt the more straightforward course, of simply stating my opinions and asking you to elacl me if you tliink I can do anything to promote your intererfs so far as they are identical v ith tho=e of j the Colony as a whole. There id indeed another alternative, namely, ij refrain from coining forward at all. But though inaction is often safe, it is not always right. At the present juncture, I would rather expose invself to the charge of egotism than throw away the chance of being able to advocate opinions and principles, the adoption of which I believe to be essential to the prosperity of the country. These, only indirectly affect any particular district, and do not so much depend upon local, as upon general knowledge, of Colonial affairs. Your representative in the Provincial Council, must be intimately acquainted with the requirements of your district ; your representative in the Assembly, need only support the policy you approve. I fully agree with MrFox,f hatthe position of the colony is anything but satisfactory, and that; it is in one sense " melancholy to read the report of the jaunty debate in the English Parliament on the 17th of March, upon New Zealand affairs." Had Mr Fox been allowed fair play, we might have been in a very different position, and it is " melancholy" to find the Imperial Government so ready to take advantage of its own wrong, and so little inclined to treat the colony generously, or even with bare justice. But this only proves the necessity of adopting a policy of sclf-relianee. England was bound in honor, to finish a war which had its origin in tho mismanagement of the Colonial office and its deputies ; but she has failed to do so. It remains then for the Colony t) do the "possible best." It is useless to discuss the past, but tho future lies before us. I wish that the policy of 18C3 had been carried out. I tfunk that Mr Wold's policy is good, chiefly because it is the nearest practicable approach to that policy. To carry it out effectually, it is necessary to do without the troops, because so long as they remain, the Colonial ofllce insists upon its right to control the Colonial Government. I belong neither to a war, nor to a peace party, but to the Colonial Party. I maintain that for the safety of the colony it is necessary to enforce law and order. Ido not approve of any attempt to do more than is necessary to render life and property secure, but ani prepared to support any measures, that will practically place natives and Europeans on the same footing. For the past, I believe that the Imperial Government is responsible, and I am strongly opposed to the Colony paying any part of the expenses of a war, in the conduct of which it has had no effective influence. The Native question has occupied the public mind almost to tho exclusion of other matters of even greater importance. With regard to these 1 need only say that though 1 fully recognize the necessity of preserving the unity of the Colony, j r et lam convinced that local institutions arc quite compat iblo with a strong central Government. Provincialism though opposed to centralization in name, is in fact the surest, guarantee for that impartial legislation which alone can reconcile conflict ing interests. If provincialism has not always succeeded, it is because the principle upon which it rests has not been fully applied, and practical convenience lias been sacrificed to theoretical symmetry. For this reason, though thoroughly opposed to separation, I think the Assembly sliould carefully guard against the danger of the outlying settlements being neglected. It is impossible even to touch upon the many constitutional and financial questions which are certain to be considered during the next session. On some of those I have written, in a manner which I am proud to say, met with the approval of Mr Fox, and induced him to express a wish that I should become a member of the House of Representatives. But for this encouragement and that of several persons whose opinions arc of equal weight, I should scarcely have ventured to ask you to elect me to a position, which always honorable, is rendered still more so by having been occupied by William Fox. Before the day of nomination, I hope to meet the electors of the various places in the district, when I shall be able to stato my view* more fully than it is possible to ! do here. In the mean time, I trust that my motives will not be misconstrued. I havo no private interests to serve, though I have sufficient stake in the country to make m» anxious for its prosperity. lam ambitious of tho honor I ask you to confer upon me, only because it affordsmeau opportunity of being useful to my fellow coloj mats. If you elect me though I cannot pretend even to approach your late member in ability, I may in earnestness, and shall at any rate do nry ' best to prove thatyour confidence is not misplaced. In any event I shallhave tho satisfaction of feeling that I havo done my duty, and that it is no fault of mine if a policy which I believe to bo sound is not supported. Whether lam permitted to lend my aid or not, lam sure that the Colonial Paxty must at length be triumphant and that New Zealand before long will grow from a colony into a nation. I romain, Gentlemen, Your obedient sorvant, ROBERT PHARAZYN. Wellington, June 19, 1865. JUST PUBLISHED ! MADDOCK'S GENERAL CATALOGUE of BOOKS in afl departments of Literature, containing 240 pages, demy Bvo, with price and size of each book, also complete index. Price Is, by post !is. ■ WILLIAM MADDOCK, Importer of Books and Stationery, 383 Georgo Street, Sydney.