THE GENERAL ELECTION.

n 7. " Jic i- The official declarations of the results of the ali polls held in connection with the general elec- d° _ tien took place at noon yesterday. j.° '" DUNEDIN CENTRAL. o [, h The Returnixg-oiticer (Mr Ure) announced w j that the numbers of votes as previously do- t\ x . clared had been found to bo' correct, and.that r0 'J out of the Wi'J votes recorded mily seven were a f informal. Ho had now to declare Thomas su jg Bracken, Esq., of Dunedin, duly elected for j. Dunedin Central. Gi g Mr Bracken, who was rcceivod with cheers, jj ,„ then stepped forward and addressed upwards c 0 , t of a hundred of the electors from a window in i v " v the hall. He said that in the day of victory, m * as in the hour of defeat, it was prudent for t [, r t a man to bridle his tongue, and not ex- n! , Y1) press anything that should be left unsaid. „* In victories and defeats people were liable to o f bo carried away by their feelings, and make th , c rash promises on the one hand and unjust a o j accusations on the other. He did not himself c ] j intend to do either of these, but would simply , n ' thank them sincerely for the high honour they nt •L had conferred upon him—(hear, hear)—by w ; ~, electing him to the premier constituency of ]n New Zealand. He owed his position on the poll j K mainly to the- working classes, and all qucs- f a r" tions affecting their welfaro should receive his m ','. special attention. At the same time he would iv j. look after the commercial interests of this . M >c l great city to the best of his ability, and when ay "„ , he again came before them to give an account h, '' of his stewardship, he thought they would y, '„" come to the conclusion that their votes had re ,~ been given to the right man.—(Applause.) ot v Mr John Graham said that as he was the j only other candidate who had made his appear- ],', ance he would take the opportunity of saying __ irt a few words. It would probably be the last s ; ( n time he would make his appearance before ]~ v them. He was very glad that Mr Bracken re '" had been returned, as he was the only gentle- £ . man among the crowd. Mr Bracken's victory (( o f had, however, been in a great measure attri- p< • butable to him, owing to the action he had \ c j taken in getting so many working men to re- y ~ gister their votes. He (Mr Graham) had on ( [ ( . ' the polling day lost to a certain extent control 'L of his feelings, and it was no doubt owing to y this that he did not get a greater number of ; n votes. He thought Mr Bracken would repre- ; s 1, 0 sent them properly, and would see that justice bi H i was done to the people. m '.]. Mr Bracken then proposed a vote of thanks c ] " s to the Beturning-oflicer, and the proceedings m terminated. pi DUNEIHIN SOUTH, ■ fe Mr Jf. Taylor, the re turning-officer, an- jj f nouncedtho numbers to be the same as pre- \ v .. viously stated : — ai I l' Fish .. .. .. .. 565 ti "} Rosa .: ..' .. •• 233 h . ™ Injormal ... •• .. S w "." He declared Henry Smith l^sh, 31111., of Dun- a l edin, merchant, duly elected as member of the m House of Representatives for the electoral dis- se trict of D,unedin South. te rs Mr Fish, in addressing the few electors p, assembled, said he had to return his thanks to n] them for placing him in the proud position ho ss 811 now occupied. Not only had they elected him nl ;te to the House for three years, but they had y , placed him at the head of the poll with such an tl c overwhelming majority as to leave no shadow g, ur of doubt as to the feeling with which he was f v jj c regarded. The whirligig of time brpught hi d 3 around funny changes. A little more than acl !|£ year ago lio had'to appear before the Dunedin bi lly electors as a defeated candidate for the Mayor- a! alty, and he had been jeered at by the un- ? i m: thinking portion of the ratepay. rs. Ho told c ] ca them that the time would come, and perhaps (3 !ne very soon, when they would throw their caps „ '"j in the air and cry " Hurrah for Fish !" and he n . had vindicated his assertion. Defeat, instead Q elr of discouraging him, had had the effect ti of making him persevere still more till « nd he gained his desired end. There could h or" be no doubt that the Trades and Labour a ?F' Council and 'the working men of the b nis city had largely influenced the result _of Fri- ;l day's election. It was a very good thing, pos- n siblyj that this was the ease, and it would be a ij good thing in the future for the working men of lithe place. They had proved' their power, and 0 they should see that in the future they used h the influence they had attained wisely and t» well. If they did so, then the people of New lj Zealand generally might thank the last Parlia- b ■m- ment for having. extended the franchise for p them in the manner it had done. He would, b iv, however, say this to the working men : It was c often thought by many of them—the most im- a iva thinking part of them, he believed—that any- 0 uit thine in the shape of capital and wealth was a n thing which ought to be opposed by them, n jus He wished to tell the working men of Dunedin v ieh —if it was necessary to tell them—that this s by was a grave mistake. Labour could not be h the made reproductive, if could not be compen- s sated as it should be, unless it went hand in a hand with capital; and capital could not be re- r . munerativc to its owners unless it was hand in t !le- hand with labour. Therefore it was a mistake t eat to say the interests of the working men wore j. in opposed to those of the wealthy classes. One t ;he class would be unable to live without the other. ,; ■ed The Legislature should see that whilst the ,] ing rights of labour were attended to, those also of lid capital were not neglected. He believed in a a ;he policy of this kind, and would also act in a, j direction that would produce the greatest good g for the greatest number.- The Trades and j, Labour Council which had been inaugurated in .'as the city, ho bolioved, wore capable of doing in 111- a moro extended sphere a great deal of good. t 1 a One or two things, he thought, might well „ be eliminated from thoir programme. If they 0 would confine themselves in the future ~ strictly to those things affecting working men, £' in and working men in connection with labour, he c :en thought they were capable of conferring a groat |, of favour on the Colony. If they would avoid fl| ip- discussion on, and ' trying to' give effect to,, [ difficult, impossible, and extreme thumbs, mut H confine themselves simply to. the duties of a j t Trades and Labour Council, they could not|j uw fail in the future, and their Iniluoiioo would bej tl 'ho more widely felt, and extended to a very much 0 , I. larger sphere. Ho hoped the Trades and m Labour Council would not think he was going; tc |out (if his way in offering tho suggestion ho- w ed 'did. He made his remark* in the best possible j :et spirit to that body. He was, as they might,,« have oasily gathered from 'his speeches during ~; ;h- the election, without a shadow of doubt, a to ip- Liberal in his politics. He merely mentioned v :se this to disabuse any of the idea that he was a op Radical. There was Liberalism ; there was iy mi Radicalism ; and thoro was Demagogisin He j. ell was a Liberal, but ho would not bo found aup- cc igs portin" wild and impossible, theories. He it ite would not be found running them up against of everything and everybody, lie would do his ' to best'for wide and liberal measures, and would „ irr see that that which was done was for the ,J th benefit of tho greatest nnmbor. Ho thought it ~ .11,! was a matter for regret that some merchant of ft 11-superior standing to himself had not been re- "' id turned' for some portion of the city. Out of 11, the four wards, he supposed he wo.:i the. only ffll O-, one elected who could- bo fairly called a 'mar- ril ,c, 'cftiittai mail 01 wiv ij^rt all, Although tiJat m

iniK-ht be so, he was not foolish nor arrogant 'enough to consider for ii moment that tho positton ho held in the mercantile world would Live prestige to Dunedin. He would have bean glad had a merchant occupying' a prominent position (he was not referring to anyone, who had stood for election) had been i returned for one of tho electoral divisions of the city. Tho town was ti commercial one, and he considered Dunodin would have becn_ better off,, oven supposing ho had been out himselr, had some gentleman of tho position ho had indicated been elected for one of the divisions, lie hoped he would not bo accused of "coddling " down to tha rich, or anything of that kind; but he said sincere/}' that if some such man could have been elected, the' city would have been placed in abetter position than it was. However, he was certain the members elected would work harmoniously. It would be his honest endeavour to work in that way, and he had not the slightest doubt that his confreres would reciprocate. Mr Pish concluded by again thanking the citizens for electing him. An Elrctok: Before you retire, I would wish to ask a question. Mr Kish : It is too late to ask" questions " now. I have to move a vote of thanks to the Returning-officer. DDNEDIN EAST. A considerable crowd mustered yesterday morning at the Union street Schoolroom on the occasion of the official declaration of the , result of the polling on Friday last. s The Ketuhning-ofkicer in the customary manner again announced the numbers: — Green. Davis. » Union street .. .. 420 448 North-Em? Valley .. 01 22 . Total .. ..487 470 Majority, 17. 3 Ten informal votes had been recorded, none 5 of which, he might mention, bore any mark at all, and one vote had-been taken under protest. He therefore declared Mr M. W. Green . duly elected as member of the House of Rei presentatives for Dunedin East in pursuance t of the writ issued. , • Mr iVI. W. Gueen then said: Mr Returni ing-officer and gentlemen, I desire to take this - opportunity of thanking the electors of Duns edin East for the honourable position in which . they have placed me, and in doing so I do not t wish to make any invidious distinctions beo tween those who have voted for me and those a who have voted against me. All have done.in - the matter what they considered best, but still, I. to the unanimity of votes shown in the polling [. at North-East Valley and Opoho I attribute a ;- great share of the result. It has undoubtedly ;t had much to'do with the election, and I am ,s proportionately gratified at it. I may say that i, 1 feel specially proud of the result and of the h position to which I am elected, because I can c assert without fear of successful contradiction h that, so far as I am concerned, never was there n an election carried on throughout upon purer a principles. Although some persons have taken i- upon themselves to impugn this, I again feari, lossly reiterate that never during the whole d time have I asked for a single vote from anyone, and I have moreover earnestly requested the members of my committee to refrain from so doing, simply; and entirely because I believed that it was a violation, not of the letter perhaps, but of the spirit of the Corrupt Practices Act. Not only have I this to say about my (j election, but further, that I have been chosen to this proud position by the working men of le Dunedin East and others without one penny yof cost to myself. The numerous deputations which waited upon me requesting that I would ■ '; stand, said that in the event of my consenting they would do what they have done without t . personal expense to myself, and this pledge ' has been literally fulfilled. Therefore,- seeing t, that I have been elected in this manner, I do not think any member of the House at the prest sent moment can occupy a position of greater ''< honour. I am sorry to have to advert briefly to any matters of a painful nature that have n transpired in the course of the contest, but the ls Daily Times, instead of burying the hatchet, I regret to say, uncovers it, and appears by oven • this morning's issue to be using it with excessive malevolence. It accuses me of having insulted Mr Davis before the poll—(cries of Hear, hear), —and with the use of gross personle alities, also with having meanly vilified a c . defeated opponent. Ido not wish in any way to open up old sores, but I must take an opportunity of defending myself from such charges. As what I am now saying '" will, I hope, be reported in the papers, °' this will save me tho trouble o£ l' replying by letter. As I said before, I wish ;'° after this to let tho matter drop; but as I hear lii such statements publicly made and circulated, "' I am .bound in self-defence to contradict thtm. Gentlemen, I am accused of having insulted Si Mr Davis. Now, seeing that during tho wholo ' s contest I never even spoke a single word to 11 him until I'riday last, when I met him and we '> mutually agreed to call no votes into question, "' the manner in which I have insulted him must '" have been in public at one of my meetings. '• Now' Mr Davis has never attended any •° of my meetings, and I therefore again say :e that I fearlessly challenge proof of such ** a charge. Gentlemen, the independent " electors and working men by whom my }' meetings w»re attended would not for a moment >' have allowed me to insult 'my opponent y without instantly giving sign of their disap- '* probation. — (Cries of disapproval.)_ I am, " however, sorry to have to say it; but it is the >" fact that Mr Davis, at more than one of his s meetings, has made allusions to myself of such ■* a grossly personal character that they were s actually received with groans and hisses by his 11 audience. —(Interruptions.) It is all very well, ■' but the people have of course no knowledge of 3 this behaviour on the part of Mr Davis, as no 1 reference whatever was made to ..it in at least one of the papers ; but if I had done the same i I have no hesitation in saying that it would '■ have been posted up on every wall in Drinedin. n —(Repeated interruption.) I made no allusion whatever to Mr Davis until he had be--0 liaved in this manner, and then I was forced to ■ 1 review his manner of conducting the contest. ■ I never, until then, said one word about him.—■ f (Cries of "You did.") If any insults or im- " personalities are imputed to me, I say lot us 1 know this morning what they are and when " they were made. I once more distinctly 1 deny the charge, and stigmatise it as a 1 calumny. No one is more sorry than lam at 3 the private feeling which has boon introduced f into the matter.—(Cries of " Rot,") Well, if it " is "rot," will you kindly specify all that has J been done by me }n this direction ? Let it bo made public. I can only repeat that I have a 1 clear conscience in the matter, and that I have 1 never spoken strongly during the contest, save once, with regard to the Daily Times, which I felt compelled to do. With this exception, I have remained silent throughout, although I have been called, gentlemen, a "pious fraud" and an "innocent abroad."—(Loud interruptions.) I regret excessively that such should have been done, hut I have said not a word in the same strain in reply to so much abuse.— (Cries of " You have got a bad ; memory, then.**) I have not, but your memory seems bad. If you interrupt me in this manner, tell us further particulars. I have asked for 1 proof, and in default of thai I can only repeat my denial. Many here can bear me out in saying that my opponent's friends have called me a "pious fraud," and a "sponger."—(A Voice : "So you are.") Dr Stuart's son has tho meanness to say " So you aro." If he is the gentleman I spoke of. the other day, I will tell liin something that will bring the blush to his cheek if he calls, on me for it.-Irepeat, if he challenges me for it, I will giva it to him here before all these gentlemen.—(Cries of " You are talking to. the wrong man." "You are the successful candidate; finish it." "Christian charity!" " Show some generosity.") [Mr Green]: " I wish to, but you see I nrastdefenel myself."—(The gentleman alluded to was here understood to say that he would "punch Mr Green's head," and that if these remarks were to continue, Mr Green and his supporters would have to " fight for it.") Whoa orderhad been restored, the speaker continued: I am, a,s I said, willing to. drop, the subject now, but I have only been defending myself, and all I can do. is. to, say that I will heartily apologise if anyone will prove to me when 1 have indulged in any personalties. All I have done •is to canvass the views of my opponent when compelled to in. self-defence. However, this has been, I think, a striking triumph for the true liberal views of the people of Dunedin East. My opinions, as I have, placed them before tho electors, on the laud and other important questions, has gathered round me a band of fearless honest workers, for which I earnestly thank the electors, and think that although there is much to be regretted, I must, on the whole, be proud of the results. ■ Having made this statement, I shall take no further notice of the matter; and if the Daily Times wishes, as it said, to bury the hatchet, I am sorry it has not been done before. But as I have been thus eleetod to represent this constituency in Parliament, I say that it will be an honour to me to be able to serve your interests in every way within my power, and I thereforo thank you, and hope that when tha three years of my stewardship shall have expired those who have on this occasion attempted my defeat —at lijast some of them— may have seen reason to* change their judgment of me.—(Cheers.) Mr Davis then said: Mr Retiirning-omcer and jyentlomeii, the battle lias been lost and tho. victory won, and I represent the losingside, as'my friend so kindly and delicately reminds mo. Nevertheless. I maintain that 1 am in an honourable position, as the votes liivto been pojled, so to speak, close on the heels of the successful candidate. I do not, however, mind confessing that after the speech we hoard on i'riday last I would far-rather, so far as my personal reputation is concerned, be the-losing than tho successful candidate; although, of jourse, for political considerations I would have \vi.!t!\«l tfthead the poll.. I should like to off something as to. tho principles upon which [have, attempted to, conduct this election. I vaa detoimiiied- to lay clearly and plainly be'ore you my views upon political1 subjects, and ' had the courage to spealc out and enunciate hem, not only ]iefore : a, limited audience, but yen to put them, in the form of a printed ddress, and circulate them among tho elccDi's. I can honestly say that those principles ■ere never budged from, aad also tl»t was prepared and willing to take all heckling" in good temper-. I held that it was ight and proper that q&estions- should be put ) candidates, so as to bring out their opinions pon matte)?, and I have never forgotten to leet them with couitey and attention. I longht that if I knew my answer to them I loiild give it, or else say that I must wait and msidor the matter more fully before answering' . . On one subject I took this latterluruCj and I think, whether my oppo3nts differ from me or not, that' I 3ted honestly in so do.'ng, as I had not ; that time gone into tha question, did not iderstand it, and felt that it would be betteri wait and answer-it carefully, I, was, more*. 'er, d.e.t.erl»ined thit, however I might iticisothe opinions of my-opponent, I would Ice up no old stories, and would.refer only toattera within the political arena.. This I haw

adhered to fully, both in the election fo the \ House of Representatives and for the be 100 Board. If, however, .1 have unknowingly■ d i ng the contest trodden on anyone sco. s 1 .vm n s:s^r?Lrn^ ft.;|n v op,,onenA supporters for the courtesy with ' conducted the contest ami t do so now most heartily, and to fispocialij l thank my friends who acted as secretaries ; and J think that we rolled up .a splendid minority, t of which I am not ashamed, knowing how it 'j was obtained.—(lnterruptions.) I. know very I well, gentlemen, and 1 do not wish to deny it r that 1 asked some electors honestly and a straightforwardly if they would give me their j' votes, and 1 have parted in friendship from t those among them who said outright, No, sir, wo are going to give them to Mr Green. —(Cheora.) I need not detain you longer, save ■> to thank those 470 electors who so loyally and i manfully came forward and voted for me on v Friday last, and to tell them that I shall bear a the remembrance of their confidence and J kindness with me in the Old Country; and t slmild it be my lot to again set foot on the sod of New Zealand, my experience of an election has not been so disagreeable as to' induce me ' to say that I will never try ngn.ni. Mr Dwis then proposed a vote of thanks to ■ the Returning-officer, which was seconded by c Mr Gheen and carried unanimously. £ city west. a About GO gentlemen were present at the o official declaration of the poll for City West m c the Odd-Fellows' Hall, Albany street, yester- \ dTt a quarter past 12 Mr Jackson (the v returning-officer) entered the hall, and having t explained that the delay was duo to the c scrutineers having been very earnest m the i performance of their duties, declared the result s of the polling on Friday last to be the same as t was announced on Friday, namely :— v Thomas Dick .. ■■ •• "9 f Wm. Dovrnie Stewart .. ■• , Informal •• •■ ..10 L Jlajority for lit Dick, S. v Mr DICK said :Mr Returning-officer and r gentlemen, I shall not now detain you by any i lengthened remarks. I have to thank those c gentlemen who have voted for mo ami who have worked for me for the manner m which they have placed me at the top of the pull. 1 ' feel that they have done very much in my * favour, and that your efforts have placed me <■ just a narrow shade above my opponent. I A Voice :By breaking the laws. ■; Mr Dick : Would you explain that? 1 would <- like to hear that mentioned over again. _ A Voice (hesitatingly): Oh yes ; all right. ' Mr Dick : I am very much obliged, as J.. sam before, to those who supported me, and 1 am bound to confess that those who worked against ' me have worked most earnestly, and success- c fully too. I did think on the polling day that \ my majority would have been larger. Ihe ' licensed victuallers, as I know, throughout tno «■ whole of this city combined against me because •' of the action I took in regard to the Liceiismsr x Bill • and I am bound to admit that they >- worked most determinedly and vigorously. 1 ' cannot, nevertheless, withdraw my feeling and i opinion that that bill is a very useful and ■ workable measure. — (Applause.) It WHll require to some extent, probably, to bo t Altered to make it all it should be, J but I think even the licensed victuallers a themselves will before long admit that tho Act J is a fair and just measure on the whole. I*■ know, also, that I have, in consequence oi the - position I took in reference to the Gaming and x Lotteries Bill, been subjected to a good deal of « opposition; but I think that was a social re- ' form which was called for, and which has not ' been without its effects. I think that now we n have had our battle out it becomes us to bury c the hatchet, and work together as amicably and s as faithfully as we can for the interests of the J. Colony, tor my part I now feel that I repre- t sent Dunedin West, I represent not only £■ those who voted for me, but also those who <- voted against me to an equal extent.—(Hear, hear.) I shall do my best in the future, as in the past, to secure the interest v of those whom I represent. ' I feel, in returning } thanks, that in this contest the Government 1 has had—well, a narrow victory, but certainly a victory, because it was very much as a memfeer of the Government that the opposition was J so strong and so determined against me. I j have now to thank my friends for their support, and my adversaries for their fair-as far <■ as it went-opposition. I shall not refer to ■ remarks made by a certain newspaper, which 1 considered were not justifiable, because had they been believed in I shou d have deserved no support whatever ; but I do not think they were believed, and therefore I shall say nothing - regarding thoin. Gentlemen, I thank you.— J (Applause.) ( Mr W. D. Stewabt said :Mr Returningofficer and gentlemen, tho result of the poll 1 ( look on as very gratifying to myself. 1 entered , on this contest reluctantly—indeed, aftor I had i made up my mind not to run for any seat in ; the Colonyf I had been invited-i had re- \ ceived influential invitations to contest some - three or four other constituencies m tins part • of the Colony ; but 1 thought that as I had noj. particular desire to enter Parliament at the present time, if I contested any seat I would j run against tho best man 1 pould-(hear hear), —so that whatever charge my opponents may bring against me, they cannot charge me with cowardice.-(App!ause.) Had it been a mere seat in Parliament that I wished to secure , easily I would, I dare say, have adopted some c otiier constituency than tho ono which -I chose. , Something has been said with reference to ( those from whom I received support, I most . emphatically state that I havo never solicited the support of any particular j body; oven those whom I knew were ( under obligations to me from motives of friend- < ship or otherwise I have carefully refrained ] from asking for votes. I have passed people in the Btroet whom I knew, if doubtful, would i aupporfc me if I asked them, and I have reframed from doing it. Some of my supporters , charge me with being too sensitively particular in reference to the Corrupt Practices Act I , was in fact several times told by some of them that I was showing too much sensitiveness alxmt tlie Act, that some of the opposition were not doing so, and that if I did not resort ( to the weapons used by others I could not i expect to bo returned. However, I made up jnymind at the outset of the contest not to seek any reward unless I got it honourably. I consider a seat in tho Parliament of this Colony, or in any local body, is not worth having unless it is acquired with honour and credit?-(Applause.) Now I must say I have not met with any particular opposition from the supporters of my opponent—that is to say they have not shewn any marked hostility to me, and as far as I can gather a very large number of those who voted for each of us would have liked to havo seen both in Parliament. I was met °» several occasions by gentlemen who said, "Well, I do not like to vote against you; but the truth is I believe S the Government, and should hke to see you both in Parliament, I am m doubt how I should vote." I believe a great number in tho constituency would have liked to have seen both Mr Dick and myself m the House. Now so far as Mr Dick is concerned, he is probably the very last man in this part of the Colony whom I would run against from personal motives. I have no personal feeling against him •so far as X know we have been good friends, and we hold opinions of a similar character .on a number of subjects, bo far as he is concerned I entered on the contest reluctantly, and I did so knowing that I was making a considerable sacrifice in one sense, and knowing that I ran against heavy odds I entered the contest as a protest against K mmis^.fthe ir entGov r me^ nally, but between the Government and myself so far as I was concerned. Now I have sa.d the result of the election, so far as I am concerned, is gratifying, and I think the result of the elections,^ far as this part of the Colony is coneerned-indeed, I might say so far as the whole Colony is concerned—is very satisfactory although I cannot look over tno members of the House without feeling that the absence of some of the old members will be a loss to the Colony- I could mention several who have been rejected who have rendered great public service, whose positions in the House were o consequence, who acted disinterestedly, and were members of whom the Colony might Ik proud It might bo invidious to name them, but at least eight or ten of those who have been rejected were capable of rendering great -service to the Colony, and their absence from Parliament will inflict a less winch the Colony o_n ill afford, I have attended to parliamentary work at a good deal of monetary sacrifice, but at the wme time, had the public required it, 1 was quite prepared to W ake further sacrifices. I can never look back ytflw* f<fj»B the aitmost gratitude to tho membew of the late Parfiamint, who stowed marked consi deration to everything I brought fcrfr* Sic House, who showed me the v toost kind ness and encouragement, in everything that ] mmm give them an oppojrtowfc? t PC election : ing to show-I do iwt kn»we^»l»"*J C anit-that illegal pr.act.ce9 have in the camp of my opponent, » en ?U, so or not, gentlemen, I cannot a* pros snt sa Some of my supporters .urge me to have tl Matter investigated but I have: not ye|d, Alert what I shall do m the matter. I hoi c plenty-of time to consider the question, and it inter upon an investigation of that kind it w ■not be with any personal object m view, U uierely to vindicate a law which was passed l the interest'of all classes against anythir like abase. Gentlemen, 1 can only sincere] thank the very large body of electors wr spontaneously offered jne tneir support, an who stood by me nobly throughout the eontastBontlemen on whoso support I had no cimi! and who were influenced, I behove, purely t the desire to see me in the House. One gentl man who is a supporter of the present Govar -ment, and who voted reluctantly I bolievo f me, for be signed my requisition wrote friendly note to me saying that he wished it &dfc Lctly^underrfood not that ho behev in the party wiUi whom-I-had been wo.ki tlierto, but that outside the ring of par • Cities- he believed I wudewa cwud. Able service >ndw capable of render.

valuable service in the House. What I mean by " party " was, I am sorry to say, a very disorganised Opposition, with many of whom i had very little sympathy. 1 think 1 cannot be, charged with acting factiously iigiunst the Government. X can say the Premier div me the honour of liopingtoseeniein the next House, and that shows that so far as the Government were concerned I was not looked upon as a factious opponent, but that on the couoran J endeavoured to use all the influence 1 coiuu in promoting useful legislation. With regard to the licensed victuallers, and X suppose, uio gamblers were referred to, I am not aware that I. have any particular sympathy with either ot tl,e.seclas.;>.nnd if they have given me then support it has U-v.n quito spontaneously, an 1 more through dislike of my friend Air Dick than any love for me.-(Applause.) 1 woulti say this : 1 am aware that my action in reterenco to tho bottle licenses cooled their ardour a good deal. M>vnv of the licensed victuiillers thoiißht that I had acted unfairly m endeavouring to secure bottle licenses for Duuoilm and Nelson when they were not granted in other parts of the Colony. My action in that respect arose from the same feeling that prompted me in supporting the vested rights ot licensed victuallers. I contend that those who held bottle licenses had the.same vested right to be recognised as those who held hotel licenses. I may bo wrong, but that was my conviction. Some of the hotelkeepers expressed feelings of strong disapproval of my conduct, and so far as the bottle license-holders are concerned, I am aware that some were not only voting but working against me during tho contest, though that of course is a matter on which they were absolutely at liberty to decide for themselves. There is one point further to which I wish to refer. A feeling has arisen that it was wrong for me to havo contested tins constituency at all. I say that I think it was not, and I should have liked to have seen more candidates in several of the constituencies. Idetestanunopposedolection. Itshows want of public spirit, and where elections are fairly fought, then it is the duty of those defeated to accept the verdict and be content; but if public spirit dies out, then every man will be pushing to make money, and the interests of the public will be neglected. I should have been quite prepared had the electors called upon me to make a sacrifice such as I havo done in tho past, but I was not called upon to do so, or there is nothing I should have rejoiced in more. I shall conclude by savin" that I can look back with a certain degree of satisfaction to my short public career. lam not aware of having done anything that I need be ashamed of. Of course, 1 have not given satisfaction to everyone ; but I cannot recall any particular circumstance I regret, or any vote 1 recorded 1 would not record again ; and 1 have uniformly had tho interest of Dunedin in view, and have not I believe, neglected the interests of any other part of tho Colony. I have endeavoured, without fear, favour, or affection, to discharge my duty with perfect independence, so far as i could judge, to every class of the community ; and if at any future time I should be called upon to represent any constituency, 1^ shall endeavour to discharge my duties in a similar niiwnw. I have to thank you again, and to thank those who have worked for me; and so far as I am concerned, I bear no ill-feeling towards any person whatever. Ido not agree with the opinions expressed by some, or with the way m which some have acted ; but I say it would be a miserable thing for the whole community were all of one opinion, or all tied down to the expression of one opinion. Diversity of opinion is the life of the community, and as long as men act fairly and honestly no one has a right to complain. I thank you all for listening so patiently, and I hope you will be satisfied with the member whom you have chosen— a gentleman who has had considerable experience, and who no doubt will be able to render service to the Colony in future. Of course, with regard to the question of the breach of the Corrupt Practices Act, I wish to reserve that as entirely an open question for future consideration.

Mr T. Dick said : Gentlemen, I havo two th things to say now Mr Dowuie Stewart has \ e ventured to make a charge—l do not kuow tr whether it is against myself or one of my sup- v] porters—to make a charge of corrupt practice, as Mr Stoyaut : I said I had been informed. p, Mr Dick : A gentleman has no right to make C( a public charge when simply informed of some- o l thing.—(Hear, hear.) He should know what C ( he is saying before he makes a public charge y of tho sort. I emphatically deny having done tl anything of the kind, and 1 ask Mr Stewart to p prove his case in the way which the law autho- h naca. —(Hear, hear, and applause.) Ido more, p I say this : it so happoiis that Mr Stewart and 1V I had a conversation in which he mentioned 0 something ho had heard, and I explained it c < distinctly and clearly to him to prove b that instead of breaking the law I had b done something to hinder a breach of the law , a —indeed, to hinder in any way any attempt to j : commit a breach of the law in connection f, with my candidature. What is more, I saw il: something on the same subject in the Herald r , of Saturday last. I think the Herald has t l committed itself to an action for libel. If Mr U Downie Stewart brings his case forwardlhave L nothing to say on that matter, but otherwise!,, 'lit is quite possible I may make the Herald t( J prove what it has stated. That is a matter | c for consideration hereafter. — (Applause.) jj ' Again, I as victor have not said one word ti ' about what my opponents havo been doing, d J and I shall not at present say one word. I ;ll 3jtake the position of one who will not say a c ] I hard word against one who is defeated. Ih,, 3 simply speak in snlf-defcncc, and shall leave! ci ' any action in reforenca to the other side to beUj I taken hereafter; but I shall be happy to meetl 0] Mr Stewart in any way ho likes to prove thejn " charge of which he has heard against r( [ me.—(Applause.) Now, gentlemen, I may tl ; ' say I am very glad indeed to find Mr o: [ Stewart was such a popular member of tho W, I House as ho has told us he was, and that heltj ! carried everything so successfully and well, and ~ was supported in every proposition that he [, " made. lam very glad to know that it was so, i, ' because probably his proposals wore all of the „ r right sort. I now havo, gentlemen, to move a a voto of thanks to the Retuining-olticer. , Mr Stkwakt seconded the vote of thanks. ;, 4 The gentleman who interrupted Mr Dick at j, J the commencement of his speech called for ], . three cheers for the Morning Herald, but mctjj, with no favourable response. No cheers were j ' given, but some expressions of dissent wore j. ' lanifested. * i: The proceedings then closed. t * KOSLTN. j j The Rktukn-ing-ofkiokr (Mr Colin Allan) t ' made tho declaration at noon, in the presence of j 3 Mr Bathgate (the successful candidate), Cap- v \ tain Scott, and one elector. The numbers -\ t were unaltered from those given on Friday C] evening. ] PENINSULA. ( 1 The Retukmn'O-officek announced the cor- r 1 rected figures to be as follow :— ~ Scaton'.. .. .'. .. -200 a - CutUn.. .. .. .- 254 0 Donnelly .. .. •• 203 v Lewis .. .. .. ..51 * These figures give Mr Seaton a majority of 0 12, instead of 14 as at first announced, n ■ v [By TKtKGBAPH.I y Tho official declaration of tho poll took j place at Lawrence, in presence of about 150 l! electors. Tho numbers recorded in favour of j candidates were :— ~. J. C. Brown .. .. ..482 G. F. C. Browne .. .. ..Hi IS Giving a majority of 38 to the torn-cv. 2" Both the successful and defeated candidates If addressed the assemblage. .' At the declaration of the poll for Thorndon Hl (Wellington) ho alteration in the numbers was 1 announced. Mr Dwan, the defeated candif ' date, made some strong remarks about the local morning paper, and intimated that further vs action would be taken in the matter. His ?f referred to a letter which appeared in the ■' Times on the morning of tho election. At the official declaration at Naseby Mr De "j Lautour's majority was given as 2S. Mr Glenn returned thanks for Mr De Lautour, and Mr ly, Mackenzie in person. Three cheers were given le. for the latter.