CABINET ELECTIONEERING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1431, 4 May 1912, Page 11

CABINET ELECTIONEERING.

POLITICAL IMPUDENCE. Sir,—The retired Premier, Sir Joseph Ward, attributed much of his defeat to tlio soliciting of votes by or on behalf ot tlio candidates and the use of motor cars in conveying electors to the poll. Both practices, lie considered, should ba put a stop to. i\'o such qualms appear to disturb his successor, the ilon. 'l'. -Mackenzie, and tlioso around him. Upon assuming, offico, this latter batch—tho Premier leading—appear to have done little else than uso tho trains and motor-cars for electioneering purposes; in fact, they plainly stated at Stratford, Waitara, and other places that tliey have in view the possibility of an early general election to provide for, and havo specially selected two Opposition seats in Taranaki for tho purpose of ventilating their opinions, and, it should bo added, distributing their favours in support of their pet candidates, who, it must be rememl>ered, were recently defeated at the ballot-box. And tho celebrated Mr. Jennings, who bv the way during the session of 11110 was plainly told by one of tho Wardite Ministers in tho House (Hansard) that he had better occupy a seat at the back of the Opposition benches than on tho Ministerial side, gave tho now Ministry a splendid character beforo anyonj knows what they aro going to perform. It is mainly with respect to this gentleman, Mr. W. T. Jennings, that I, as a Taumarunui elector, ask a short space in your columns, which are always open to lift poor struggling settlers in the back-blocks, whero your imprint is much appreciated. We "had this gentleman spluttering around for sov-, oral years, but to small advantage to the electorate, as tho terrible condition of tho roads in the back districts with the unexpended votes bear ample testimony. At a "shako in the hat" of December last tho. electors, men and women, clearly expressed their opinion of his valuable services and of his very valuable "gift to the nation" of that famous library, for which tho Premier in 1911 eloquently thanked him in tho House, by relegating him to political obscurity with a minority from the previous election in 1908 of about 2000 votes. Now, this discarded representative crops up again, like a bubble in a shower, without any authority or standing, or oven a residence in the electorate, with a programme, as stated by himself, if tho Taranaki press is correct in reporting it, for Messrs..Laurenson and Buck to remedy or. obtain what he could not, or at any rate did not, carry out while he represented the constituency. ..Our proper representative, Mr. Wilson, is brushed aside, and tho representations of the rejected candidate, who misses no opportunity of. casting jibes at the elected of the people, are dropped into a pigeon-hole as a blind that it may be looked up at a day of convenient reckoning. If this style of official etiquette is to bo the predominant feature oi the new Administration, by all means the sooner another election tho better. I can speak for myself and a few others, I believe for hundreds, in order to teach the Mackenzie makeshift Cabinet that to slur our proper representative, particularly with the use of such a prominent drumbeater who is looking for 1 the seat, is not the way to establish' confidence, nor secure the lionest support of TAUMARUNUI. April 2i, 1912.