MR SHEEHAN AT KATIKATI.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1840, 19 May 1885, Page 2

MR SHEEHAN AT KATIKATI.

[fiY TEfcEGßAjhi.] (FItOM OTTR SPECTAIi COltaESl'OS-KEITT.j PAEitoA, Moncli/jfi Mft S heehaw arrived' here last night, per coach from Tauranga. En route ne vi»ited the various centres of population. At Katikati Pdbl.ic Hall he i addressed & larga gathering cti tlie Evening of Saturday ; Captai v Mac- | millan in the chair. Rumours adverse [ to his candidature had been put into circulation aa regards this place. It was alleged to be a hotbed of Orange* meJnj and as Sheehan is known to be. a pr'qf esse'd lioniari Catholic, it was said elaborate arrangements had been 1 triads to give him a hot reception. There can be no doubt but that some of the' more indiscreet of Mr Kelly's friends had attempted to foment these' Unhappy factions, and at first Mr Sheehan was received rather coldly: He made one or two happy allusions in his epeech; protAindntly liis connection with Mr "Vesey Stewart in his early efforts to establish the settlement. His allusion to the up-shuttlecock situation he occupied as between the Orange party and the Roman Catholics provoked great merriment. The net result being that before the address concluded he was on the best possible footing with the people. Some of the more prominent of his opponent's supporters questioned him closely, and on behalf of the latter alone a special vote of thanks was given for the manly oild manner in which he had answered these questions* A general vote of thanks was then given by the audience as a body. At the close of tho meeting at least two-thirds of those present accompanied Mr Sheehan to his hotel, and from these a lai'ge and influential committee, with Captain Macmillan chairman, was appointed to promote his candidature. En route to this place Mr Sheehan had informal meetings at ~W"aihi and Owharoa, and from what transpired he feels confident he will poll the electors in these places to a man. Mr Kelly is now in Paeroa. An extra, detailing Sheehan's movements, has been issued, which concludes by inviting the electors to meet him in the Public Hall, at 7.30. One significant item in the invitation reads as follows: — " It has come to my knowledge that Mr Kelly has been indulging in personal abuse of me in my absence and behind my back, I have invited him to be present and to make good his accusations. — Joux Sjieeiiak."