THE CITY EAST ELECTION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 142, 17 June 1910, Page 4

THE CITY EAST ELECTION.

The outcome of the contest for the City East .seat is, in our opinion, in every way satisfactory. The people of Auckland, or, at least, a large and influential section of them, have triumphantly vindicated their right to manage their own affairs, and have given conclusive proof of theirability to choose a fit and proper representative to voice public opinion for us, and to defend our rights and interests in Parliament. In view of Vfhat we have already said of Mr. Mysrrs' exceptional personal qualifications and his public record, it is hardly necessary to add. that we think the electors of Auckland East should be heartily congratulated upon the selection they liave made. But the return of Mr. Myers by an overwhelming majority of votes over all 'his opponents combined is something more than a triumph for the Liberalism which he has forcibly and consistently upheld. A strong personal element was introduced into the contest by Mr. Myers' opponents, and the verdict of the electors is a decisive answer to the malevolent insinuations in which some of hie critics have indulged. The most strenuous efforts were made to distort Mr. Myers' motives, to misrepresent his actions, and to rouse class feel' ing and even sectarian prejudice against him. Under such circumstances his re* turn with such a sweeping majority affords a gratifying proof that the people of Auckland are fully capable of a-p----preciating conspicuous personal merit, and that they object strongly to the tactics adopted by some of Mr. Myers , opponents in the course of this election.

But the most remarkable feature of the campaign has been the invasion of this city by a 'band of self-dtyled Labour leaders irom the South, who, without any authority from the workers in their own districts, came here determined not only to run this election according to their own ideas of politics and propriety, ■but also to force a Southern nominee of their ovrri upon our constituency. We do not wonder that the electors of City East resented this gratuitous intefforence with their affairs, and they have expressed their disapproval in a manner sufficiently emphatic to convince our uninvited guests that Auckland is quite , competent to manage its own political business for itself. However,'"all's well I that ends well," and the electors of City East in particular and the people of Auckland in general have every reason to be satisfied with the result of the election. The support accorded to Mr. Myers, not only -by the Liberals here but by the recognised organ of the Opposition and by Mr. Massey's friends givee him an entirely -unique and exceptional statue ,as the chosen representative of both political parties. And we may remind the workers who supported Mr. Davis and Mr. McKnight that though they have not been fortunate enough to find a member of their own class sufficiently well qualified ,to command the confidence and secure the votea of a city constituency, they have in Mr. Myers a representative who can be trusted to. hold fast to the tenets of that Liberalism which has done so nujch in the past for the -wage-earners, and to speak Oboldly and honestly in defence of their just rights and claims. For all these reasons, and more especially because at the present juncture Auckland needs the services of capable and influential public men, we believe that in electing Mr. | Myera by this huge majority we have done the right thing in the right way; and we venture to predict that his political caTeej will fuliy justify the high hopes of his friends and supporters and the confidence they have reposed in him.