Liberalism Clutching at Straws.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16701, 9 December 1919, Page 6

Liberalism Clutching at Straws.

I :In liis original statement regarding the attempt made by the Howard Kllitnt to induce Jiim to •withdraw from 1 tiir» Asiiburton contest, Mr H. M. ■.lone?, tho "Democratic Liberal" ran- j cyl.ito for the scat, said that Mr I ; Elliott stated that the offer—that Mr I .Toncs's expenses to date would bo ' paid and his name t; favourably con- ' " sidered and forwarded for a scat in : "tho Upper House '' —was made on behalf of the Christchurch executive of I j the Protestant Political Association. • I Tin- chairman of that lx>dy has, how- j : ever, explicitly denied that this is the J I'afr, Mr Elliott, ho states, has hml I ri:i communication of any kind with the j | executive on tho matter, and Mr ; ! Eiliott himself declare- that Mr ■ i Jones's statement concerning a seat m I the l"ppor llonso is simply nonsensical. . i'llic matter would not have called lo: | j further comment, after tho Prime Min- I istcr had so plainly and emphatically j dissociated himself from the offer, were ] it not that in some quarters it has ! been seized upon as a means of aspers- ■ mi; the lit form Party. Xo person of ' average intelligence, no matter what | his political views be, believed 1 for ono moment that Mr Massey had empowered Mr FHliott or any other person to go about offering seats in the Council as bribes to induco candidates to stand down. To put it on the lowest ground, such nil offer, in the present case, would bo wholly unnecessary. A Liberal journal, however, ;

while admitting tho soundness of Mr Massev's contention that Mr Jones's withdrawal would benefit Mr Xosworthy, shakos its head sagely and remarks:—"The activities of the Pro- *' tcstant Political Association have "been persistently connected by Damo " Rumour with the interests of tho " Reform Party, and this story, repre- " Fenting the association's organiser as " the purveyor of offers of Legislative "Council appointments, will resolve " doubt into certainty unless it is "promptly nnd entire!}* disproved." As a matter of fact, tho only people who havo connected tho activities of the P.P.A. with tho interests of tho Rgform Party havo been tho latter's ill-wishers, and they havo assiduously circulated the rumour in the hopo that it might discredit Mr Massey and his party with certain sections of the electors. For their own purposes they havo tried to exploit a wholly imaginary understanding hotween tho Primo Minister and tho P.P.A., ignoring, or being ignorant of, the fact that the Otago executive of the latter organisation is supporting tho candidature of Sir James Allen's opponent for tho Bruco scat. Tho policy of these rumour-mongers is, however, on a parallel with their conduct at the last general election, when no story likely to injuro the Reform Party in tho slightest degree, if only for a few hours, waa too absurd or improbable to receive such publicity as they could give it. Tho cause that needs such flimsy support and assistance is selfcondemned.