" A THREATENED DISGRACE AND HOW TO AVERT IT."

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 29, 16 November 1883, Page 19

" A THREATENED DISGRACE AND HOW TO AVERT IT."

(From the Toronto Advertiser.)

The discussion with respect to the Marquis of Lansdowne has established by the clearest possible 6vidence the fact that oar future Governor-General is a harsh and arbitrary landlord, and a mean, selfish, narrow-minded man, who whan the question of alleviating the condition of the Irish tenantry came up- in the Imperial Parliament, allowed ,'his prejudice and interests as a land-owner to overcome his patriotism and sense of justice. We are glad that Mr. Gladstone has chosen this kind of man to fill the poet of society figure-head at Ottawa — heartily glad of it, for the reason that such an appointment is well calculated to disgust Canadians with the whole rotten system) and strengthen the feeling in favour of Canadian independence. Meanwhile all the toadies and lick-spittles, the snobs and snobesses in the country are gettipg ready to pay homage to this worthless, pampered aristocrat. The Globe and Mail, agreeing for once in their lives, are beslavering the Marquis with their sickening gush, and emitting columns of loyal rant and cant in adulation of this vile extortioner — who comes hpre to recruit a fortune exhausted by extravagance and dissipation with the SO.OOOdols. 'pet annum -which Canadians are fools enough to squander ob these titled idlers. But this will not suffice we suppose. Lansdowne will want to make a vice-regal progress through £he country — at the Country's expense of course— and^theviiext thfag will be that our " loyal " City Council will be called'updn to vote, a large appropriation for his entertainment, and. to buy. champagne for all the snobs and ward politicians. We Hope The' citizens will protest against any such misappropriation of the public funds, and in such unmistakeable language that no city father when afterwards called to account for his vote can plead ignorance of the wishes of his constituents. There ought to be an end of this business of taxing poverty to gorge wealth ; of taxing industry to feed idleness ; of taxing the widow's mite and the orphan's crust, to pamper the swollen ptide of an aristocratic pauper ; of wringing ite scanty earnings from the hard hand of labour, to minister to the ostentatious gluttony and debauchery of a " noble " do-nothing and his attendant pimps and parasites. Ttere must be an end to it now for ever, and Lansdowne is a very good man to begin on. Let the citizens — those who are not " in society " and wko have no share in courtly revelries and cannot hope to bafck in the smiles of .vice-royalty — do their duty .and tell their aldcrmanic representatives plainly that a vote of money to entertain Lansdowne means tae loss of their votes at next election. " Not another cent from the city coffers for vice-regal junketings." would be a very good election cry.