strive to do his best for others as well as himself. He would propose that they be the two candidates. He certainly would not vote for any man whom the H.I.P.S. supported. He could not help noticing what was said about the drainage. Mr. Eldridge spoke about the bad quality of the bricks, but Mr. Bromley said it would hurt the credit of the contractor. What had they to do with contractor's credit that he should be shown favor? Winter said the work was so well done that it did not need looking after [ironic laughter] The work was really slobbered over. - The Chairman next addressed the meeting at considerable length, and said that he would tell them a little of the working of the H.I.P.S. Their first course at the formation was to appoint a secretary, who issued circulars to be held at some public-house once a month. There were only three of such meeting places - The Royal Oak, the Jenny Lind and The Hope [thus covering, as it were, the whole ground of Hastings]. Their first business at these meetings was to talk over everybody's affairs. They then decided that the town should have certain persons for certain offices. After referring to Ald. Scrivens as one of that association, he remarked that their meetings were on the Mondays preceding the Council meetings on Fridays; and if the Councillors did not do the bidding of the H.I.P.S., they were made to understand that they would be turned out at the next election. It was disreputable that a set of men should form themselves into a clique for evil. They were sixty or seventy strong, and were still desirous of adding to their strength. This, said the Chairman, was true, and he would defy contradiction to one iota to what he had stated. The present Mayor was one of the said H.I.P.S. - Mr. C. P. Hutchings, seconded Mr. Vennel's motion, and the meeting pledged themselves to support Messrs. Burchell and West as candidates.
Today's Council meeting will have a good deal of work to get through. The list of motions on the agenda is unusually long....One thing on the agenda may provoke discussions and stir up some unpleasant feelings. It is this -
That the fine paid by Mr. Eldridge in declining to accept the office of Assesssor be repaid to him!
There may be legal difficulties in the way of this, but there can be but one opinion among thinking men about the justice of the proposal. The object of the law in exacting such a penalty was, undoubtedly to prevent burgesses shirking a duty when fairly put upon them. It had no reference to the devices of party to carry out a faction's purpose, as in this instance. And be the man Mr. Eldridge or anybody else - it matters not to us - we reassert our conviction of the unworthiness of the ruse by which any burgess is mulcted £25 under the circumstances of this case. We know the retort "Would the other party have done it?" Very likely.
