Conclusion.

To avoid the absorption of wealth by a few and to lead to its distribution amongst the community they must frame laws which would encourage thrift, encourage home industries, encourage co-operation amongst producers, and promote kindness and self denial. He had talked to them of the three dangers to democracy, and pointed out how they might be avoided, and he would now urge upon them that it was their duty so to avoid them. Among those before him there were many who came out as colonists, and others who were born here. What did they come out for? To make money, they might say, and quite right too. But he hoped that some of the older colonists had a higher aim than that. They had seen the social state of Europe and determined to come to a new land where there were no vested rights, or should he say vested wrongs. They had formed an ideal of a, new social state free from the evils of the older countries, and they had sought to attain that ideal. And the younger ones who were growing up here and to whom we must look for guiding the future policy of the country, what was their ideal? Was it not to see a prosperous colony from which all vice, all crime, and all immorality were stamped out? And this they might do by procuring a better system of education in every way, by promoting kindness of disposition and self-denial in all, by cultivating self respect, and strong individualism—and here was the blot in Major Atkinson's scheme. They must learn to be true to themselves and to respect both themselves and others, He did not believe in a community which would boycott a man because of his belief (loud cheering) but he would strive to create in all the strongest manhood and individualism. That was the way to make good men, and to make good men and good women was to make a great and a good nation. Let them cultivate friendship and good feeling, and justice—justice to the Maori, and justice to the European. If they would guard against the three clangers he had specified let them exercise their political functions with a due sense of their seriousness and importance, not swayed by beer on election days, not actuated by partisan feeling. Let them fully recognise their responsibilities, and remember that in exercising their political rights they were performing a solemn duty, and doing that which affected not only themselves and their families, but the destiny of the nation for perhaps fifty or one hundred years. Let them form this ideal of their responsibilities, and always keep before than the three great dangers against which he had warned them, and determine to do all in their power to avert them, and they would thus be doing their share towards producing a finer social life, and a finer type of manhood than the world had ever seen. (Loud and continued cheering).

Mr. Pitt said that he considered that the citizens of Nelson were under a very great obligation to Mr. Stout for addressing them on this occasion, when with so little time at his disposal he might well have excused himself from doing so. He had commenced by saying that he would not enter the domain of party politics, but in a deeply interesting and instructive speech he had laid before them his own views on questions deeply affecting the welfare of the colony, namely federation, local government, the nationalization of land, and education. No doubt his speech would be criticised throughout the colony, but, as he told his Dunedin constituents, he had devoted so much attention to public affairs, that he could afford to be criticised. To only one word in his speech did he (Mr Pitt) take exception. Mr Stout had said that his Government had tried to kindle enthusiasm throughout the colony, and they had succeeded in doing so even in Nelson. (Laughter.) Perhaps when he knew the people of Nelson better, as he hoped he would, he would recognise that, although it was the fashion to apply to this place the misnomer "Sleepy Hollow." the people here were wideawake enough when occasion required. He would propose a hearty vote of thanks to the Hon. the Premier for his excellent and instructive speech. (Loud cheers.)

Mr. Rout seconded the motion, which was carried by acclamation.

The Hon. Mr. Stout thanked them sincerely for the hearty vote of thanks. He was not aware of the mistake which Mr Pitt had pointed out, but he supposed there might be occasionally a slip of the tongue as well as a slip of the pen (Laughter). He himself never did think Nelson sleepy, and he certainly should not do so after this evening. He wished to express his thanks for the kind reception he had met with, and the close attention bestowed upon his address. He might add that he had been thoroughly pleased not only with their city and its surroundings, but with the country where he had seen the settlers hard at work in their harvest fields and he hoped their reward might be great. He then proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, which was carried and the meeting broke up.