THE GENERAL ELECTION BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 71, 17 December 1919, Page 8

THE GENERAL ELECTION BATTLE

PRIME MINISTER CLOSES TRIUMPHANT" TOUR ■

GREAT RECEPTION AT PAIATCA

NEWS, NOTES, AND COMMENTS

There was a lively incident at Liou-tp.nartt-Colonel Mitchell's meeting last night. A man tilting not far from the ' 6taee kept ill) a running fire of interjections. ana' had to be asked to desist. He declined, and two policemen removed him. The removal was the signal for applause from the great majority of tho audience: and for boohing from a V'-W insignificant minority. That ineiimifioant minority, feeling unwelcome, presumably, in a crowd rliat was pre- : rated-to seo fair play, got up, and also emitted the hall. An echoing cheer for ih* candidate was tho last thing that fell unon the ears of the disgruntled few as thev went out. . ,Later, after the meeting hod dispersed a crowd of Coionel Mitchell's supporters.- en-'route for home, passed an open-air meeting conducted by Sir. Semtile. and halted on'tho outer fringe of the audience. "Now, bnys," said Mr. • Semnle. "who are you going to put nt the ton of the poll to-morrow?" "Mjtchell!" enroe a vociferous yell from, dir crowd. Tho veil w <-n uncxiiect?d and • unanimous thab it took most of the v'gineer" oul of tli© procficdfilers, which finally endca' in a fizzle. Socialists Become Capitalists, "Some of the most ardent Socialists I have met in this country, after a few Tears of hard work, having acquired a ' small place of their own. have become 'capitalists,'" said Mr. Eishworth last night, when dealing with the reduction of the cost of living, for which he said the nanacea was a hotter uriderstmtiing between the worker and his employer. The Red Conscience. Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchell night nuoted the following utterance of Labour extremist who is known as a "conscientious objector": "Rally to the red flag. ... I will give my life for 'it if necpssqrv, and my family will do the same." "that mail," common,ted the candidate, "is goin;; to rally to the Ted flag. He has no. conscientious objection to "fighting his own people, but he has conscientious objections to fighting the enemies of his country!" "Out on Their Own." "I think I can claim that as far as the Reform Party are »onc?rncd they were absolutely 'out on thw own' in the work they did last session." said Mr. J. P. Luke, Miuli'Me for Wellington iMorth, in addressintr a meeting of electors at fhi Masonic 'Hall last !iipht "I think I can claim that their legislation will compare --iiore than favourably with that of any Liberal Administration that has ever heen on-the' Treasury benches." (Xx> n'au.w.i The npst three years would be tTia most important in the history of the Dominion, and if the country wa.s to meet "all its financial commitments it must have a strong, progressive Government in office. He maintained that the Pefovm G-ovemment would "fill the bill" in that direction. Woe to the Profiteers! "The machinery under the Anti-Pro-fiteering Act passed last session will bn of such" a charaetfr that T don't think the people will be able to levy the cha rrr e that thev are being exploited on th» dompstie side," remarked Sir. -T. P. Luke candidate for Wellington North, at thfi Mnsonic Hall last night, when referring, to the. l ft gislntion brought down hv the Reform ftovernment during the last session «f Parliament. "Thf reprulations nr a beinrr drafted and T pity those who deliberately se-t themselves out to profiteer end exploit the public. It hvXw the most ennerior niece'o. f -social passed by the last Parliament.". ' . Character, Net Pledges. "Wnen a man in politics needs to be tied down by a bond and a nledge he is not wart'j sending to Parliament," said Mr. J. Hutcheson, chairman of Lieut.-Colonel Mitchell's meeting last night. "Unless von bipiv something of Mic principles followed by a man in his daily .'life, all the pledges in! the world -will avail you little onco a man has got out of your roach." (Applause.) Go to th 3 Poll! That all electors who are in favour of the preservation of law and order should not' fail to record their votes to-day, was a point stressed by Dr. A. K. Newman at the conclusion of Mr. .T. P. Luke's address at tho Masonic Hall last night. Dr. Newman said ho was an elector of the Wellington North district, therefore he had a right to attend tho meeting and support the candidature of Mr. Luke. "I say that everyone who does not go to the poll tomorrow 10 "ota for the candidate in favour of law and order is a rotten shirker," said Dr. Newman. On tho 1 motion of Dr. Newman, tho meeting acco'ded Mr. Luko a henrtv vote of thanks and confidence, ana cheers were give.i for him The meeting also_ passed a resolution trusting that Dr. Ncivnan would be successful in his contest for tho Wellington East seat in the Eeform interest. A Bite! A local gentleman who takes a lively interest in politics relates that ho had a good time at Mr. J. Bead's meeting in tho Sydner Street Schoolroom on Monday night. (Mr. Eead is the official labour candidate for Wellington North.) < He waited till question time to "get a bite," and then asked the candidate whether he approved of the National Anthem, and whether h" thought that people should '•taw], up to sing it, and that tho men should take their lmts off at : the same time. "Well," said the. candidate, "if '• I said 'No,' it wouldn't make any tJiffcrcnce; and if I said 'Yes,' what would it matter!'" A Pious Wish. Incidents at election meetings nro mostly of a humorous character, hut one at Iho Hon. Ci. W. Russell's open-air meeting in Christchureh was serio-comic, says the Christchureh "Sun." A dis-traeted-lonking mother a-ppeaiyd from a nearby residence and excitedly culled to iier spouse, "The kid has got lock-jaw." Hubby, absorbed in the. flood of Biisselian oratory, seemed dubious as to whether the deadly tetanus germ lurked i'i his offspring, and tho candidate subsided while tho mother convinced her husband of tho wisdom of leaving polities and resuming his post at the family helm. The parting shot came hack as the father was dragged off: "I only wish to Gawd Mr. Russell had lock-jaw." Going Out! Mr. liishworth, speaking at tho Ilutt, remarked that his opponent, Mr. Wilford, had been heard to say, "l am not Mit yet." This was tho first time Mr. "Wilford had admitted the possibility of going out. Tho candidate believed that the consensus of opinion was that Mr. Wilford was going out.,. Mr., J'ishworth said he had no regrets, because lie had fought a clean fight. He had had fair play from the Labour man and his .supporters, hut ho had asked for nothing from (he Liberal candidate and he had taken nothing. The Libera! Press now Tccognised that their "fair-haired boy" was "up against, it" 1 • • ■

• Oollanse of Wara-crand Liberalism. No more conclusive evidence of the decay of the Liberalism of the Wnrdist order need be citcd than the recapitulation of. the cold, statistical fact that whea _4r Joseph Ward inherited tho lea'U. ( "-!i) of the Liberal Party there we'-si. 'jv-three European electorates retumfiix declamf supporters of the Liberal Parvv. but under Sir Joseph Ward's wonderfully statesmanlike jruidanco the Liberal Party has degenerated so rapidly that to-day the declared followers of the Liberal Party are weaker numerically in candidates—namely, only fiftyseven—who have eonsented to carry the t-nttpred bonier of Wnraist Liberalism than' the party was in sitting members in 19011—nameiy, sixty-three—when the nartv foolishly entrusted its fortunes to the tender mercies of Si" Josenh Ward. In that vear the Opposition Party, led by Mr. Mcssey, could muster only fifteen Europenn Parliamentary representatives. but to-day the Reform Party holds the reins of Government, and has no fewer than sixtv-two declared candidates. and two or three favourably-dis-posed Independents, carrying its banner 'Tis but a Little Faded Flower. "The emblem of the Labour Party on election dav will be a red rose, as typical of their aim to brighten and brinj refinement and beauty into the lives and homes of the workers." announces one of the extremist candidates. This excursion into the language of flowers reminds one of the inebriate who always wore the blue ribbon—just to ■Drove his temperance principles. Business First, Fads Later. "When we have done the practioal things, wlien 'we have developed the country in (he practical v;ay, it will be time enough to talk about the_ fads," saio' Mr. Ma.ssey at Paimersfon North. What, is the use of spending money on the "nationalisation" of existing utilities when the country's crying need is development and expansion? The Men Without a Country. Tn there a native-born New Zealander among the lenders of the Xabonv extremists? The r.ublished records of the .clinue headed by Messrs. Holland, Prater, and Co. suggest: there is not. Those men nro comparatively recent, arrivals in New Zealand, and they were malcontents and agitators before they arrived'. Labour's Blav; ct the Poor. Mr. D. 0. O'Brien, the practical miner who is opposing Mr. H. E. Holland in Puller, condemns the "go-slow" policy on the .-rround that "the miners do not injure the neoplo they aim at., but injure our industries, trade, and Hie poorer peoole in the cities." That is the fact in a nutshell. Tho "go-slr.v;" p-nl'cy is a blow at the common life of the'people. It means unemployment and high prices, with consequent hardship for the families of men whose earnings are small. . It is an attack upon the nation. It is the weapon of the d"'s)oyalist and seditionist. The Hops of the Wairarapa. "Although it is Mr. MTjwd's first bid for Parlinmenhrv honours," says the "Wairarapa Age," "the services_ he has rendered on numerous local bodies, and the energy he d'splayed in patriotic Work during the lirogress of the war, have gained for him strong support throughout the electoral'.'. He is a man of bread, liberal views, sound in judgment, and with a strong sympathy for tho working classes. He is a very convincing sneaker, and should make a worthy representative of any constituency mi Parliament. He is opposing one of Ihe best debaters in the House of Representatives, and has gajne.d for himself' a host'of friends. .. . The-introduction of side issues has been a regrettable, feature of the Wairarapa. contest, but the electors will do well to avoid theee and to record their votes on the broad prino/ple of national interest." That is sound advice. The pleasure of being represented in Parliament, by a clever debater, who is !tlso polihcojlv versatile, may bo purchased at too high a price. A Necessary Correction. Mr. E. Semple. the extremist candidate for Wellington Soutii, says that, he was sent to gaol during the war "beeiuse he Wsted on the platform that the soldiers' dependants should be pronerly piovidoJ for before thev themselves v ere torn from their families to fight in the trenches." That is not so. The facts are fresh i i the memory of very many Wellington people. Mr. Semple was sent to gaol because h"'s utterance.* were seditious; that is to say. bccause in the hour of the nation's peril he said things that were likely to hinder recruiting and hamper the national effort. IPs offence occurred long before tho conscription r f married men had begun. A Fair Fight, Mr. Wright, in his speech at Karori last evening,'paid a tribute to his opponents for the very fair way in which they had carried on the contest. The candidate stated fhat when ho first stood as a candidate some years ago, he b?liev#d that ha was a decent living mail, no better than tho average, and he did not think that he had done anything wrong, at least nothing had bpen found out, but as the contest proceeded it was mado to appear that he had broken every one of Iho Ten Commandments, and was prepared to break another ten had. they existed. In the present contest there were no personalities, and ho freely admitted that his opponents had inchilg.Ml in fair fighting. The Higher Inspiration. Speaking in the afternoon yesterda.i, Mr. Fred. Pirani referred to the duty of every elector to vote against those who placed themselves and their interests against those of the whole community. He asked those present how they could vote for a man who reviled their God, their King,, and their country. It surely was their right to keep their religious belief unsullied ami opnose the man who used Parliament and Hansard to revile their religion and their Clod. Tn regard to (he King, he was iho symiwl of tho British Empire, and during the war no one had done greater service to the Empire than King Oeorgo and the Royal Family, and thev owed to him ''cspeef fo>' the maintenance of tlie.ir rights, their litarty, and their loyalty. The Law and the Reds. The chairman at the Labour meeting in the Town Hall h : t night, Mr. George Ward, invited all li!hj?k who wiihed t<i help tho Labour cause to-"conY> along I" the various committee rooms 10-mo'.row, where tihey will he :is~i<rivd their dutie.*. for the day." lie gave also the addresses of the commit''" rooms of (he committees for the city electorates. There is something i'i Iho law about the difbandment of committee* and li'ie abandonment of committee roams three days before (:':w elections. Three to One On. "I am not a. belting man, end ( don't know anything abmi; !:-ti : n:;. but I un- | dorsland' iiiml m.y isiarkf. rtfen is lince j to o:ie. I lie!if*o that it is in my favour, and therefore 1 am led to believe that 1 will head the poll."—Mr. U. A. Wright, at Karori last evening.