"SLANDER."

Evening Star, Issue 14527, 1 December 1910, Page 3

"SLANDER."

> - THE PRIME MINISTER AND A PAMPHLET. A FIGHTING SPEECH. CHEERS IN THE HOUSE,

[From Our Parliamentary Retorter.] WELLINGTON, November 30. The most etirring incident of tho session took place in the House of Representatives this afternoon-, when tho Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, spoke for nearly an hour in reply to slanders of a personal and political nature which have been published and circulated during tho recces. The Prime Minister spoke feelingly, but with a quiet dignity which held the deep attention of members. At the conclusion of his speech thero was a scene of enthusiasm such as has not been witnessed in, the Legislative Chamber for many years. Members, led by the elect of Otaki (Mr Field), rose to their feet and cheered Sir Joseph again and again. Tho Prime Minister commenced by referring to the circumstances leading up. to the resignation of his seat as a Minister and the resignation of his seat in tho House in 1696. He said it was known to him at that time that some men outsido the House —supporters of the Opposition—wero providing money and paying one man and one lawyer to dog his heels in connection with his. private affairs, with which they had nothing to do. Ho delivered a tpeech upon that on asion upon his retirement from tho Howe after obtaining considerable knowledge of what was going on, and he fully admitted that it was a very bitter epeecn, but looking back at it now, under fill the circumstances, he marvelled at tho moderation displayed upon that occasion. In the light of afteT events, and with a further know ledge concerning some of tho matters and somo of the methods, he marvelled still more at that moderation. The party whi> wero in opposition to tho Government at that time, or some of them, made a bitter, cowardly, and secret and malicious attack upon him through his business affairs, ami to his certain knowledge they provided tho money to pay a man to do this work lot them. Those who employed him did so for the purpose of trying to ruin a political opponent, with the hop© that by so doing they were going to bring about the downfall of the Government. —Fourteen Years' Malice.— Having said that, lie would just like to say what occurred, and for what reason ho had been subjected to malicious, and very often secretly-inspired, abuse for a period of fourteen years. Ho had never in the House raised this question since 1896, but he did so now because it had been alluded to by some speakers who tad preceded him in connection with the pamphlet which had been circulating in the country. Mr Fraser : By only one speaker. Sir Joseph Waid : "Well, alluded to by ono speaker, at all events. Now, it becomes necessary for a moment for mo to Tefer to my personal affairs, which I regret exceedingly I find it necessary to do. At the time alluded to, it is perfectly well known that I was at the head of ono of the largest businesses in the country. It was the easiest thing in tho world at that juncture, when the bank with which it was trading ceased to exist, for anyone to put that business down, and it was put down at very short notice. It was the easiest thing in the-world I say, under the circumstances, for people at that timo to ruin me personally, and I wa6 undoubtedly ruined for the time being. What was the outcome of the business referred to? I take this opportunity of saying it, because I never had the opportunity at the time of being heard in my defence as I ought to have been heard—a privilege which would have been afforded to the humblest person in any walk of lifo in this country. It would have been afforded to a Chinaman, but it was not extended to me. That business, which was at tho timo said by my opponents to have been an unsatisfactory business and was al- " leged to have been carried on in a Tecklees way, under liquidation, with tho wholesale slaughter as is usually the case of tilie stocks and stock-in-trade, realised £88.345—a larger amount by far than any other business in proportion to tho business, or in any way you like to tako it, having connections with that bank realised. Of tho whole of the farmers who wero doing business with that Association not one of them was made a bankrupt as the result of the liquidation. —Not a Farmer Ruined.— Net a farmer out of several thousand who had been doing business with the Association filed his schedule as a result of those proceedings ; not one of the farmers who had been doing busincsis with it lost a shilling on his current account; and any man who loiows anything about business would realise that was unprecedented so far as any large business is concerned, either in this country or outside of it, under similar circumstances, when a largo business is forced almost instanter into liquidation. One of the iisseU that wero said to be "valueless" he a short time afterwards, with the assistance of two or three personal friends, bought, and within three | months of that time he netted £9,200 profit on it. He used the proceeds of the £9,200 to pay some of the English creditors a material portion, and ho also paid somo of tho New Zealand creditors a material portion of the amount owing to them. Within six months of tho time referred to another business that he had established. and which was decried and pooh-poohed as being of little value, was sold by him j for £45.000 cash. Ho was referring to certain freezing works which had been heard of. and which had been entirely managed bv his firm. Those works had since = paid "the owners handsomely. _ Tho realisation of tho Ward Association amounted to £83,545. What was known as his "estate" was purchased by him, with tho assistance of friends; it was said by manv critics to bo almost valueless. The answer to that was that within one vear it wos netting over £4,000 profit annuallv, and to-day it was netting over £6.ooo'per annum. ! That was the answer to those slanderers, and to thoso peoplo who had all along endeavored to make out, so far as his personal assets wore concerned, that at the timo they wero of very small value indeed. "Mv first idea," continued tho Prime Minister, " in connection with that business was to see that the English and Aiistralian creditors were paid in full, and this I did in a comparatively short time. Another j was to see that the whole of the cTeditcrs rf the Ward Association were paid 20s in j 'tf* £ } and I am proud and thankful to say j that l'did it quickly too. Although friends of mine in different portions of this country volunteered to assist mo and to place at | mv disposal a very large number of thousands of pounds in cash, I made no use in anv way of their proffered assistance; I mvle no use in my way of any money of Virata people in this country who were kind enough at the time to place large sums at my disposal. —Colonial Bank Smash.— Dealing with the position of the Colonial Bank at that time, Sir Joseph Ward said: "There havo been people industriously circulating a statement that I was responsible for what they are good enough to term •the smash of the Colonial Bank. First the Colonial Bank was never smashed; it never stopped payment. Its business was 3d to the F Bank of New Zealand. Secondly, I never was a party to the sale of the Colonial Bank to the Bank of NewZealand ; and, thirdly, I was not a shareholder in the Colonial Bank. I never received a concession in business from that i bank, although I was doing a largo amount of business with it. Not only was I not .»jgarty to ihc sale of it, jfij

well known to everyone in the inner circlethat, on behalf of the Government, I did all in mv power to have the National Bank - of New Zealand purchased or amalgamated, and the present general manager of that bank was offered tho position of president 2 of tin. Bank of New Zealand. The duecr tors, however, refused to agree. those • people who aceused mo of being responsible 3 for what was called 'the smash of the a Colonial Bank' are worse than slanderers of the first water." j —Tlio Mysterious Pamphlet.— 3 The Prime Minister went on to reply to t those who talked about him and suggested that he did something improper in connec--1 tion with the Ward Association. A mysr terious pamphlet had been circulated by a f Roumanian Anarchist. Ho knew that the 1 writer of a portion of it was an Oppositionist in this country. "I want to say this to those who are suggesting that I > did something wrong in my early days m . connection with business (continued Sir y Joseph): They may go to tho South, > whoro tho peoplo are with whom 1 was j associated; they may go to the business men outside of Now Zealand or inside; ! they may go to every farmer in Soutldand . with whom I did business; they may go i to tho directors of tho late Southland v Frozen Meat Company, or to the secretary . of that company—and they will not find . one of them say that I ever attempted to do anything discreditable or dishonorable ,' in business in my life. The only people whs ever imputed" motives of that sort to 1 me are those who never did any business . with me, or I with them, and who never I had anything to do with mo either directly ■i or indirectly in anv business matter of any , sort or kind. Let "me take this opportunity - of saying in regard to a suggestion that i has been made more than once that 1 was » connected with what some peoplo call a 1 swindle in connection with at Is held by l tho Ward Association, that not only was I s never directly or indirectly connected with i a 6\vindle in' connection with this matter, p nor have I been connected with anything > in the shape of a mercantile swindle in - this country or out of it at any time. • —'the Grain Warrants.— 5 The cost of the liquidation ran into a sum of about £IB,OOO, though one of tiie leading firms in the country offered to > liquidate the wholo business for £I,OOO. l 1 finally purchased the remaining debts 1 of the Ward Association for the solo puri pose of getting the books of the liquidator ■ into my own hands, and I have hud them !> for a considerable period. Here let me I also say that within six months after the > liquidating of tho Waid Association oom- > menced there came into the stores of that l companv considerably more sacks of grain than all the alleged shortage regarding which from time to time I have been in ' an absolutely malicious, lying manner ac- • cused of having done sometldng dishonor- ) able. In connection with this matter I • havo held for a considerable period a letter • from the then manager of the bank, 1 acknowledging in writing that he ought to f have stated that the warrants he then held \ were for both ' in store' and ' to arrive,' ' J which is a very common thing in connection with tege businesses. I —Bank of New Zealand legislation.— j I also wish to state what occurred at the I tune 1 havo just alluded to (said Sir > Joseph). It, is perfectly well known that r I took an active part as a member of the » Administration in helping the late Mr j L Seddon to put the Bank of New Zealand '. on a basis that would prevent its going > down. The night before you could have > purchased bank notes of the Bank of New i Zealand in the city of Wellington for a i shilling each," l MrFraser: "No." Sir Joseph Ward: " Bank notes of the Bank of New Zealand wero offered for salo > in Wellington the night before tho Government came to its assistance for a shilling." Mr Fraser . " The man must have been ; intoxicated," Sir Joseph Ward: "There was no intoxication about it." Continuing, ho said that prominent men of the Opposition did , ' all in their power to prevent the Govern--1 merit from putting tho legislation through in ono night, it was done in what they 1 called "a hasty manner." and they wanted [ an inquiry into tho Bank'* affairs before it went through. If they had succeeded in deferring the legislation to enable the investigation to have been hold, tho Bank i of New Zealand would have closed its doors, this country would not have come > to tho rescue by guaranteeing the deficit of i two millions sterling then existing and upon winch not a penny piece had been lost, and many of the clients of the Bank (numbering32!ooo) who had current accounts in the Bank at the time would have been ruined, and a gTeat number inconvenienced. By the action of the Government, howover, all this was undeniably saved. The Bank of New Zealand would have paid Is on the notes then current if tho legislation had been held over, and the requisite delay (which would have hecn a long one) bad occurred to enable that investigation to take place. When the Bank was saved, what occurred? Those men who maliciously circulated statements to the effect that ho was in some way responsible for : the arrangement inado for the salo of the Colonial Bank to the Bank of New Zealand fully recognised that that Bank required tho business of another bank in order to provido for a sufficient trade, consequent upon the increased capital which tho legislation had provided for. Did those who criticise freely know what occurred'/ Ho would tell them what occurred. He had always regarded it as one of the most cowardly things he had over known done; if it wero not done intentionally, thoso responsible at tho time acted a very extraordinary part. Out of the whole of the peoplo in this country who carried on business with the Colonial Bank, not one was given less than two years to adjust his position as the result of tho transfer of the existing accounts and the business of tho Bank of New Zealand ; but in his case the business ho was attached to, which was a very largo ono, was put into a special separate list, in regard to which only three months was given in which to make the necessary financial arrangementto carry on that business. Why, those who did it must have known that no concern in the world, not even the Bank of , England, could have effected tho readjustment, much loss the Bank of New Zealand, in three months. Nor could any other in- • stitntion carrying on in a largo way of . business. That w;is the position he was placed in. —A Protecting Higher Power.— Proceeding, Sir Joseph Ward said ho had before him a memorandum, quite a wonderful thing to look at, showing tho fato that had overtaken fourteen people • who were most active against him at tho time. It was one of the saddost records one could look at, and he had believed all along that a Higher Power was dealing with tho destiny of tho peoplo who, while professing to act in an impartial way, were by their actions causing a gross and indeed very cowardly injustice to be perpetrated. He had all along gone on the principle of trying not to injure one of them, but a Higher Power had seen fit to deal out retributive justice, and somo of the troubles of this world had afflicted them. —Thankfol and Proud,— He was proud to say that he and his wife and family were happier and better off than any one of them. There was a certain amount of consolation to one, at all events, to ied this in connection with what at the time .were_ grave Attldiffi-

CUtt, 111010, wKHJgU t uuejr > jmh>, uwavoided without a ''shilling' of loss to anj interests that were allied or connected with him. "I would now ask the Leadei of the Opposition (continued Sir Joseph] what he would think of the Liberal organiser if, prior to on election, he carried a pamphlet through the country slandering the Opposition? What would he think of him if he allowed it to be done? There were no terms in the English language that ho would not apply to me, and rightly so Mr Masscy knew that his organiser, Mr Martin, was carrying that pamphlet about. The hon. gentleman cannot deny l it." Mr Massey: "I will tell you what ho did presently." —The People's Verdict.— Sir J. G. Ward :•" I know that he did it —that what I am saying is absolutely correct. I do not want to say any more in connection with that matter. That means were used unfairly against me to put me down fourteen years ago is perfectly true. 1 had dono a very great deal to help to keep other people out of financial troubles and difficulties prior to that, and had succeeded. I was deserving of at least ordinary consideration, and 1 got treatment that would bo condemned as un-British if applied to a Chinaman. I was compelled to give up everything 1 possessed in this world, and 1 had to resign my seat in tho Ministry and the House. I told the House at the time that they ha J not heard the last of me—l was out of the House less than three weeks. I am proad to say that in my own electorate I have stood five times sinco I resigned, and in spite of the strongest opposition that my opponents could pud against mo, the people who knew mo from boyhood have elected me by overwhelming majorities.—j:\pplause.) I stood for other positions that the ratepayers could return me for, and in every instance I was elected. Every election I have gone through in my life, local or otherwise, I havo been fortunate enough to win. It is perfectly true that I began lifo as a boy earning 10s a week,, and 1 am not ashamed of it.'' —(Hear, hear.) A Member: "More honor to you." Sir Joseph Ward: "No one <.ould ever say a word against the uprightness oi honesty of my parents. It is equally true that as tho result of hard work, because I can say without egotism that I have been a hard worker all my life, I have succeeded in getting t-n the highest position that my fellow-countrymen and women could bestow in a country such as this. I am proud of it.---(Applause.) —Striking Marks of Confidence.— One of the very extraordinary features ot this busi.iess v.:us that then.' "as not a man in business in a large or small v. ay eariyiug on with me, either within oi beyond Now Zealand, prior to the attacks and aspersions being made against me, who withdrew his business from mc. It is one of tho strongest answers to the slandoi issued by a man travelling from end to end of tho eoviitry, going tioin door to door, handing in copies of a. pamphlet free, and suggesting to tho people who receive it that the Prime Minister was a man who ought not to bo continued in tho position after the next General Flection. lie handed theso pamphlets in without payment in a great number of ca-ses, lu the different houses he came to, and the Leader of the Opposition s;iid he was issuing tho pamphlet for the purpose of obtaining 'profit.' " Mr Massey: "Who is the individual?" Sir .Joseph Ward : " "Black' is the name of tho author, you said." Mr Masscy: ""Black' is the name on the imprint." Sir Joseph Ward : "I am not making any reflection on the hon. member. I am calling attention to tho fact that this man pleaded poverty in ono town as a reason for not paying a £5 fine, and at the same time we hear of him travelling over the country delivering those pamphlets free by hand at the door of the people. That does not sound much like carrying out the work at a profit. —What the Premier Knows.— 1 want to take this opportunity of sayi ing that I am probably better informed of ■ what is taking place in different portions of this country than any other man in it. 1 know, too, who prepared the greater portion of the pamphlet which has been alluded to." Mr Massey: "You ought to name him." Sir Joseph Ward : "1 know also the name of tho woman who prepared a portion of tho second pamphlet, and I have in my possession a letter from the same quarter —tho north of Now Zealand—and a number of other letters have conic to me dm - ing the last eight months telling me what was to bo dono to mc—among other things that largo numbers of this pamphlet woe to bo sent to London to be distributed there.—(Cries of ' Shame !') T have also in my possession letters from people in Australia to the same effect. I could also tel! tho House who distributed some of the parcels that have been received I hem. With the object of doing what? The whole object is to discredit mc, and in discrediting mo to lxwrnirch Ihe fair name and fame of tho men and women throughout this country who are the possessors of New Zealand. —The High Commissionorship.— It has bee:i recently suggested that 1 am hankering after tho High Commissionership or somo other position out of N'ew Zealand (added the Prime Minister). 1 give that mi unqualified contradiction. It I had been ever so much disposed, which 1 am not, to havo taken any position outside this country, tho ono thing that would havo altered my intention would havo been tho defeiuiination to go throughout Nov/ Ztalaud to meet my fellow-countrymen and women in the byways and the highways, tho cities and th > towns where this filthy prmphJet lias been circulated in order to damage me.—(Loud applause.) They havo been cowardly, even introducing tho name of my dead mother and the rani© of my wife. I know of nothing more, despicable, and if I knew of anything of tho kind being dono to an opponent of mine, if any money, or time, or opportunity at my disposal could havo been tho means of showing practical resentment, they would have been at once- used for that purpose. When tho first copy of this ivamphleb was posted io mo, under tho same handwriting as that of the person who gavo mo various advice from time to time connected with the matter, I handed it over to my legal adviser, and asked him to adviso mo as to what it was necessary to do. It is most extraordinary that today in this country no man in my position can do anything practical to protect himself or to help himself under circumsUmees of the kind. I say in conclusion, Mr Speaker, that I did not got up for the purpose of dealing with the particular matter before the House relative to tho Teport of the Committee upon tho Hine charges. It was tho outcome of some references that have been made, especially to that pamphlet. Thoso were the- questions I got up to refer to, quite apart from dealing with tho unfortunate matter of the Hine cliarges, and I thank the House for eo attentively listening to me." At tho conclusion of .Sir Joseph Ward's speech tho Government party rose in a body and cheered tho Prime Minister again ond again. A REFUTATION AND A CHALLENGE. Mr Massey, in reply, denied that tho Opposition had any association whatever with the pamphlet Sir Joseph Ward had bean alluding to. " If the Prime Minister can provo that 1 had anything to do with the publication of this pamphlet, or oven that I knew bofore, it was issued that such a publication was to take place, I am prepared to at once hand in my resignation to the Speaker, ;uid to retire for all time from political life. That challengo I make now, and the offer will stand," declared Mr Massey. Tho fjeader of the Opposition further denied that tho organiser of his party had evor had anything to do with the circulation of this pamphlet. He also objected to the statement tliat a member of Parliament had had anything to do with tho writing of tho production in question. Sir Joseph Ward : I was not referring to a member of tho present Parliament. Mr JLossoy said he had been attacked himself before to-day, though never so viru. leutly as the Prime Minister. In this case his sympathies were with th© Leader of the. At. .the. same, time^ho

u uouoyw' > woo otuag jasueu y mainly for profit. , It-"was turned out for d about three farthings per copy, and eold t for sixpence. Another pamphlet, entitled i) 'The Secret History of the Auckland •- Tramway Company,' had been issued by i the same people some years ago for what g they could make out of it. ic Messrs Allen and Herd man also denied ? that the Opposition had been, in any wayi i- connected with the issue of the pamphlet, i, and declared its contents to be scurrilous.. t Mr Vernon Reed said he was not going g to refer to who was behind the issue ot !- the pamphlet in question, but he had no hesitation in saying' that It was not being 0 issued far profit, but for political purposes. It was being sent out with a view to carrying some weight in the next General* Election. Why wore copies of t this pamphlet being sold at Is 6d per - dozen, and why had 3,000 been circulated 1 froo in both Wellington and Auckland? s Likewise posters had been 6ent out beare ing the headings " Sensational Exposure . of Sir Joseph Ward " and "The Country 0 Throttled in the Grip of Tammanyism. ' 1 He was convinced that tho pamphlet was 1 being circulated for purely political purc poses. t Mr Buchanan said he objected to the s innuendoes that the Opposition had been I in any way identified with the issue of the 1 pamphlet. It was his );opo that tho publio cation of tho pamphlet would be stopped. 0 Tho Hon. T. Mackenzie :It is too Late b now. 1 Mr Buchanan paid that at a recent agrio cultural show iiv his district a man.had y rushed up to him with a bundle of these s wretched pamphlets under his arm, and c had tried to soil him ono. Had it not 3 been for the danger of a scene he (Mr 0 Buchanan) would have attempted to ram e the scurrilous thing down the man's ) throat. :' Dr To Itangihirua also referred to the | v pamphlet which had boon circulated dur- '[ ing the recess, 'this he described as " a ~ <lisgr;ux'ful, disgusting, filthy thing, eon- |, taining an attack upon the, Prime Minn ister and his family." Most members 1 had been sent copies of the pamphlet. If the publisher was issuing it for profit he would not have sent them ; therefore it could only have come from the Opposi- . tion—- not' perhaps from tho Opposition , member*, but from the Opposition party. \ .Mr Miissey replied that such a statement " was as much an insult to the Opposition " as the publication itself was an insult to thf Prime Minister. ' .Mr llinc said the pamphlet was at>- " honvnt fo every rie,ht-thinking man a.nd '' woman who had received it. lie put the copv sent him in the fire, but he asked : Did members who supported the Ooveru>f ment do Ihe same Ihing? If he saw such a a pamphlet being sold alinut his own y Leader he would 'knock the seller in the V gutter and take the consequences. » Mr Myers contended that after the <> cowardly' and despicable attempts that <' had. been made to injure him for some >' years the occasion had been an excellent ' cue for Sir Joseph Ward to deny seriatim '< the charges "that had been made against ■1 him, and he ventured to say that tho cxt planation made by Sir Joseph had placed r > him in a higher" position than he could ii possibly otherwise have occupied. Oppon--0 cuts of the Prime Minister had expressed - 'to him the feeling that the issue of the e pamphlet was an unmanly form of attack, *> and lie believed that not one man in a s hundred would say that that form of f attack" was worthy of a Britisher; in fact, he did not believe that any '3ri'.im"r would use such a form of attack.—(Hoar, - ht,, ' U *"' _——— 1 " You seem to find that hook very interesting." "Yes; it's delightful. I've glanced at the ending, and the hero and heroine don't get married after all." Supp'. v yourself with a vigorous vitality—- ! possess "a keen and healthy appetite, rich red 11 blood, stronjr norves, and robust health is p yours. Stearns' Wine of Cod Liver Extract o does it.—[AdV-,.1