A COWARDLY ATTACK.

Bush Advocate, Volume XI, Issue 863, 25 November 1893, Page 2

A COWARDLY ATTACK.

(To the Editor.) Sib, — As Mr Hunter's party are circulating an absolutely false report in the hope that it may damage Mr Hall, to |the eifect that I made a cowardly attaok on Mr Hunter at his Mangatainoko meoting on the 23rd inst., in the interests of what is right and fair I feol sure you will give mo an opportunity through your columns of setting forth the facts of the case, and so prevent the public being misled by unscrupulous partisans on tho day of the election. In tho first place, then, 1 never made an attack at all, and all that was cowardly belongs to the other side. Tllis is what took place. Among other things I asked this question : •As it had been openly asserted that free housos were kept in your interests at the last general election, and as it was already reportod that the same thing was to be done on the present occasion, would Mr Hunter promise in the event of such report being true, lo suppress any such action.' Instead of answering the question Mr Hunter becamo heated, and his supporters noisy. I thereupon pointed out that although the candidate was being run by the temperance party he refused to promise to suppress free houses, if thero should prove to bo any truth in the report, and in ordor to show that such report existed I handed tho Chairman a letter I had received tho day before from a friend at Makotuku wherein the writer asserted that he had been told that Huuter's committee there had arranged to run a free house. As tho ietter was a. private communication I tore off the signature of the writer before handing it to the chairman. Now, kindly observe that all I said was that there ' waa a report,' and all that the writer averred was that 'he had been told,' and cither of these statements was sufficient grounds for the question ; but neither, nor both combined can be construed into an accusation, much less into ' a cowardly attack.' All tbat Mr Hunter was asked to do was to promiso to repress any attempts that might be mad 6to run free drinks on his behalf. He did not promiso, and it is fair to say that ho would not promise. Let every law-abiding person, every lovor of temperance and fair ploy consider tlmt fact. The cowardice and the attack was all on tho other side. Mr Hunter's frionds lost thoir heads, raved and shouted, frightened the ladies and made fools of themselves generally. — I am etc., ' •Jamks TATum.