DR. CHAPPLE. M.P. INCIDENTS IN HIS ELECTION FIGHT

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 20, 25 January 1911, Page 10

DR. CHAPPLE. M.P. INCIDENTS IN HIS ELECTION FIGHT

JVHY HE WENT TO NEW/ ZEALAND. RIGOROUS EEPLY TO A LEAFLET. Ifbom oub own correspondent.] LONDON, 16th December. Dr. Chappie lost no time on arrival in. England. He left at one© for Stirlingshire, where he has since conducted an active campaign in defence of his seat. He had the enthusiastic support of tne loca' Liberal party, which is led By Sir John H. N. Graham, of Larbert. Polling took place on Tuesday and the result was declared the following day. Although the ex-New Zealander did not succeed in fulfilling his promised majority of 4000, he came out victorious over his Conservative opponent to the extent of 2696. Dr. Chappie polled 9183 votes, Mr. E. S. Home, 6487. Dr. Chappie addressed the electors of Bonnybridge on Wednesday of last week. Sir James B. Smith, who was unable to be present, sent a letter in which he eaid ; "A better or more able candidate to represent the true Liberalism of Stirlingshire does not exist." The meeting -was thoroughly in agreement with the democratic principles enunciated by the Liberal candidate. Referring to the Tory prophecies of civil war and Tuin, Dr. Chappie reminded the electors that in 1837 the Lords and the Tories prophesied that i£ they gave Home Rule to Canada they would have Roman Catholic domination in Canada, *and thafc the whole of Southern Canada would become a French republic, and they said they looked with alarm and distrust to the future. They had had that future, and there had been no" Roman Catholic domination 'in Canada. While travelling through the United States recently ¦a gentleman who had large commercial interests, said to him : "You Britishers do not know what you possess in Canada. It is the richest country in the world, and it is "the most loyal of all your colonies." HOME RULE. To-day the Tories were making piophecies about Ireland. They said there would be Roman Catholic -domination, civil war, separation — and with tears in their eyes they looked with alarm and distrust to the country's future. (Laughter.) Dr. Chappie proceeded to deal with the vital issue of the election and said the question was whether the peers or the people should rule the country. The Tories had dragged Home Rule into this election. He understood that Ulster had given an order -for something like 100,000 revolvers, and he was led to believe that Cadbury, the chocolate manufacturer, had been fulfilling the order ever since. He contended that John Redmond's scheme of Home Rule for Ireland might very well be applied to Scotland as well. Quoting Mr. Redmond himself, and substituting the word "Scotland" for that of "Ireland" the scheme was "what we want in Scotland is a Scottish Parliament, created by an Act of Imperial Parliament to treat with the management of purely national affairs." That was what they wanted in Scotland, and could they deny to Ireland what they asked for themselves? Questions having been invited, Mr. Stein asked : Are you in favour of some form of universal military service? Dr. Chappie : I do not believe in universal military service. I believe in universal physical training. If we adopted such a scheme we would lay the basis of military service. , Mr. Wilson : If you are returned to Parliament would you vote in favour of the disestablishment of the Church of Scotland? Dr. Chappie : That issue might come, and when it does come Mr. Wilson : "Yes" or "No." Dr.. Chappie : I will please myself as to that. Have you eaten the mutton chop you got yesterday? "Yes" or "No." (Laughter.) Whenever that issue does arise I will vote in favour of the disestablishment of the Church of Scotland. But in the meantime! t"he issue has not arisen, and I hope for a peaceful solution of that difficulty without the issue ever becoming a political one. CLEARING OFF TO NEW ZEALAND Mr Robert Kidd : If you are again returned as the member of Parliament for Stirlingshire, is it your intention to clear off to Nrew Zealand and spend your time there instead of looking after the interests of your constituents as you , ought to do? Dr. Chappie : I am sorry the gentleman missed me. (Laughter and cheers.) I I cleared off to New Zealand some time j ago after consultation with the two whips because J. felt I had some business to do there which had resulted from the fact An ©lector : Tell him all about it. (Laughter.) Dr. Chappie « I know if I do not satisfy him he not vote for me. (Laughter.) I came to this country about eighteen months ago without having any intention of permanently staying here, and I left my business affairs In a state of chaos. I tried to settle these business affairs by correspondence, but I failed. On consulting the two whips, they said : "If you want to clear up your business affairs in New Zealand, you had better go* now and return in time for the general election." I am glacT to tell the gentleman who has asked the question that I have returned in time not only to fight the election, but to win it. (Loud cheers.) I A vote of confidence in Dr. Chappie j Was carried with only four dissentients, j ¦Mr. Robert Kidd, who wanted to move an amendment, being greeted with such a hostile* reception that his words could not be heard. . ! A SCANDALOUS LEAFLET. j Before the meeting concluded, Sir John Graham referred to a leaflet which, he said, was a most disgraceful thing to come from the Conservative Party in Stirlingshire. It was headed "Thetireat White Peril," and related to Dr. Chappie's book, "The Fertility of the Unfit." During last election the assertions made in that leaflet were refuted, he said, yet the Tories had brought the matter up at the last moment again. (Cries of "Shame!" and hisses.) The leaflet was a most onesided one, and only extracts from the book were given and not the exact thing. It misrepresented things entirely. The leaflet was a scandalous one, ana if Mr. Home was a gentleman he would repudiate it. (Loud cheers.) . Sir John concluded by expressing the hope that on election day Dr. Chappie would get such a majority that Mr. Home and his committee would be driven out of Stirlingshire — a hope that was received with further cheering. "STAB IN THE DARK." The parish minister of Slamannan, who supported Mr. Home, the Unioajst candidate, made reference to Dr. Chappie's book entitled "The Fertility of the Unfit," and said in Mr. Home they had a candidate whose sayings or publications did not cause a blush of shame to mantle the brows of his supporters. The Unionists also again issued the pamphlet headed "The Grjat Whit© Eeril—Elec,tors Sfware/i

When Dr. Chappie held his meeting in Slamannan he vigorously replied to the attacks. " He said he was prepared to meet anyone face to face upon the issues that were before them in fair and square argument, but he understood his opponents were not prepared to meet him in such a manner : but in a sly, underhand, unscrupulous method they tried to damage him in the eyes of the constituents by malicious slander. He passionately exclaimed : "I repeat, the man who made the statement did so maliciously, and it is false. Ido not care who the man is or what pulpit he'occupies. (Loud cheers). Are there no issues before us, are they not sufficiently important to take up our time, or is my position so strong — (A voice : "That's it") — that it is necessary to go behind my back,' and in some malicious way try to undermine me ? This little circular, this thing (contemptuously) is called 'The Great White Peril.' I suppose lam the 'Great White Peril'?" If any of the electors had read the book and read the leaflet, he continued, they would have seen that the leaflet was a malicious slander, lying in every line, absolutely and deliberately false. Dr. Chappie then analysed the leaflet, pointing out that the damaging quota tions attributed to him were culled from other authors for the purpose of destroying arguments against his point of view. He never wrote, said, or thought such things. It was criminally wicked to quote out of his book and attribute such sayings to' him. When he published the book, "The Fertility of Lhe Unfit," in 1903, the preface was written by a clergyman, one of the most Eaintly men who ever preached, the laces of whose shoes the parish minister of Slamannan was not worthy to unloose. (Cheers). Where the statements made xn order to discredit some of his arguments against the House of Lord? ? To his mind the motive was to trip him up. It was a cowardly stab in the dark. (Cheers). When Dr. Chappie left the meeting to drive to Avpnbridge, extraordinary scenes of enthusiasm were witnessed. At Shieldhill, Blackbraes, Brightons,' and other Stirlingshire villages, he ' was cordially received. At the last election Dr. Chappie obtained 10,122 votes, and Mr. Home 6417. Although there is a reduction of 1009 in j the majority, local Liberals attribute it to various contributing circumstances, and state they are quite satisfied with the splendid majority of 2696.