MR. BRANDON AT WADESTOWN

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 49, 26 February 1918, Page 3

MR. BRANDON AT WADESTOWN

Between thirty and forty electors attended Mr. A. de B. Brandon's meeting at Wadestown last night, a considerable number of women being among them. Mr. E. Wylie presided, and in introducing the candidate said that, though pledged to win the war and to uphold the National Government, Mr. Brandon was not pledged to any particular party. Mr. Brandon said he came forward in order to prevent, if possible, the formation of what was known in v America as the "political machine." The position to-day was an attempt to complete the formation of that political machine by ■bringing into tlie constituency of Wellington North a very estimable gentleman, a stranger, a gentleman who did not. live in the district, and without any consultation with either the electors or anybody representing them. Dealing with the principles he had previously enunciated, he spoke of the necessity of winning the war and of the dangers of an inconclusive peace. He was prepared, if elected, to subordinate his opinions and his principles, and to vote for the! National Win-the-War Government in whatever the National Government said was necessary for winning the war, but he retained the absolute right to criticise to the fullest extent, as far as he might be able, any measure proposed by the Government before it was submitted to the vote. As to his correspondence with Mr. John Hutcheson, he said that in the present state of things Mr. Hutcheson had no business whatever in introducing the Prohibition question or the Liquor question into this election. The question to-day was not one of Prohibition; the question was winning the war,. and supporting the National Government, and it was for the electors to say which was the best of the four candidates to represent them. Incidentally, he remarked that, unless the National Government confined itself to the policy of winning the war and to a policy of reasonable economy, the disruption of the National Government would ensue. That would be one of the greatest misfortunes that could happen to the Dominion, which would be thrown into the vortex of a general election, and the war would be forgotten. (Applause.) An address was also given by Mr. E. F. Hadfield, who urged that Mr. Luke would, if elected, be barred from 'free criticism of the Government because of

his party pledge (unless he adopted his past tactics of wriggling out of it), whereas Mr. Brandon would be free to criticise whatever might be proposed, while at the same time he would give just as solid support to the National Government as Mr. Luke could. (Applause.)