WELLINGTON'S FINE RALLY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1306, 8 December 1911, Page 4

WELLINGTON'S FINE RALLY.

Wellington has fulfilled the hope )f th« friends of Reform that it vould in signal fashion lead the ioiintry in its demonstration of its lisgust at, and weariness of, the rtARD Administration. We said yesterday that there was no longer an* loubt that the five Reform candilates—Dk. Newman and Messes. Serdman, Fisher, Bell, and iY right—would head the first ballot. But for the second ballot system, iniroduced by the Government in 190S irith the object of keeping Labour )ut of its place in the sun, Welling;on City and Suburbs would to-day lave five Reform representatives ill .he new Parliament. Mr. Heiujiian's handsome win on the first balot is a magnificent retort by Wclington North to the ceaseless and inwearied attempts of the Minis;ei'ialists to damage him above all )thers. The most striking feature of ;!ie fight for the five seats is the ciuihasis with which the peopie have rclectecl the Ward nominees. In Wclington South, in Wellington East, md in Wellington Suburbs the issue s to be fought out by the Eeform lai-ly and the Labour party. In Wellington Central alone is the Government left with a candidate of its »vn to fight out the issue, and wo 'eel very confident that the supporters of Mr. YorsG will realise that hey cannot support Mn. Fletcher. In one of his speeches last night Me. Young placed his finger on the isscntial fact that divides Wardism :i'om Labour. Our own differences with Labour are large ones in some respects, some important respects, )ut there is this common ground beiween us and Labour, that neither ■>i us have ever considered politics inything but a field in which noJiing is decent that is tainted with :hat flagrant contempt for principle for which the country is so splendidly punisfiing Wardism. Mr. Fletcher stands simply for this ivrctched and discreditable political system, and that will certainly be 3onsidercd_ sufficient by the electorlio, when it gives its final vordict, to necessitate, the return of Mr. Fishku to continue the cleansing of the :onntry r s politics. In the East seat the Reform candidate, Dr. Newman, is in the lead, find will contest the second ballot with a nominal Labour candidate. If Mn. M'Lares luid taken the same stand is Messrs. Carey and Youxg, and the same stand as Mr. Mooee bad taken until his strange speeches of last night, we should have been ready not to complain very much if he were to van on the second ballot, although ve would as, we do now, naturally wish the Reform candidate to succeed. Mr. .M'Laren, however, has pledged himself to support Sin Joseph Ward should he return to power, an event that is now unlikely. Mr. Bolton's Email votestrikingly small in view of his esnellont poll against/ Mr. Herdman in 1908—is due to the fact, well known in the electorate, that the Government had used its excellent organisation to turn its supporters over from him to Mr. M'Luien. Wv do not deny that Mr. M'Lahen fully earned the profit of this rather brr.tal desertion of Mr.. Bolton, but the electors, when they sec the assurance of the figures of*yesterday that the case against Wardism is'a national case, and that the nation has declared against Wardism, will have no great difficulty in deciding to dismiss the pawns of Wardism. Mr. M Lares is, as we pointed out a few days ago, a Wardist first' and a Labour man next.

The most interesting struggle is perhaps that in Wellington South. Mn. HiSDMAnsH has polled extraordinarily well, but .we cannot believe that the constituency will fail to recognise that, meritorious as Mr. HIXDIIARSH undoubtedly is, they will be ill-advised to withhold a renewal of their support to the member who tor three years has fought cleanlv and fearlessly for reform, and who has always been a -friend of tho working men and a true democrat. Hie case of Mn. Moore is a verv curious one Last night he appealed (° r an alliance of Labour with flrardism. Yet, throughout his campaign, he has been frank and fervent m his denunciations of tbeGovw,Dmrt t, * a?d J insi «?f c . d tllat whoever was the friend, "Liberalism" was fW™! 0 J* wa , s this atti t«c!e mat placed him where he is to-da\ and a great section of his support "s.-Y 111 . be-sorely disappointed nnd disillusioned by his sudden and rapid appeal for an alliance with Wardism against Reform. We shall be able to deal fully with the situation during the coming week, and in ■he meantime we heartily congratulate the City and Suburbs upon their fine declaration against Wardisma, declaration that we think it will bo the concern of the people in the five electorates to render final and £ "ending a solid Beform group to Parliament.