A BITTER FIGHT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XL, Issue 13251, 9 December 1913, Page 7

A BITTER FIGHT.

COMPLAINTS OF CANDIDATE. (Special to Herald.] OHRISTCHURCH, this day. In .tho course of an address Mr J. McCombs, the Social Democratic candidate for the Lyttelton seat, made reference to certain rumors which have been persistently circulated, concerning him, and incidentally made some rather sensational charges against his political opponents. "It has become a- very dangerous thing »m the country," he said, "for a man to hold political views of the kind I hold. I have been mixed up m some very bitter political fights, but this is the bitterest I have ever experienced. If you side with the^strikers you may expect to have your liberty *endanjjeri'd, lo have your character traduced* and you are liable to have your credit assailed. During the past week rumors have been persistently circulated through this town, with no other purpose than to attack me personally, because my opponents have been unable to find any loophole m the political platform T have been advocating. It has been rumored that even if I do win this election there are forces m this town that will see to it that I am made bankrupt. Have you heard a statement' of that sort!" Cries of "Yes." ] "Well, so have I. They hare not , been content to attack my credit and y my character, but they have not scrupled — and this is the most dastardly part of the whole business — to ring up my wife on the telephone and attack ? her." (Cries of "Shame.") "If she did ' not happen to be at home they did not r hesitate to attack my sister over tho telephone. They felt "quite safe at the other end. I want to know what you people think of this deliberate attempt cv at political assassination." I think it is s duo to myself and to thoso of my supe porters who may have been distressed c by these rumors to say that so far as :, any attempts have been made along i, the lines I have indicated they have r been foiled at every point, and there is not a chance of making me hankr nipt. There are scores of business men o m this city at the present moment who, ■j if the financial institution they deal . with" were oithcr directly or indirectly to A attack them and push them strongly, would have to go bankrupt. The position m this city is that tho Employers' Federation has 'declared war on ats cus- „ tomcTS. and is' spoiling its own local .. market. I cannot for the life of me understand why the business men, small II shopkeepers and traders m this community, are not showing their hands as they did m Auckland and the south, and sending m petitions to the powers that be, demanding that this warfare , should cease."