QUESTIONTABLE TACTICS

Evening Star, Issue 15678, 17 December 1914, Page 3

QUEST ION T ABLE TACTICS

The elert : on 1 colly, we are glad to say, has been f. ught out" in the b.st of spirits by supporters of th • rival camii 'ates. and both sides will look bach w t,i | leasure on the clean fight wh.ch was put up. The cl* iin fighting do:* not, however, hold good a'.l round, and the la te- ;:dopt-: d by a certain fection o' the Bibic-in-Sehools party will bo c; nd uined by ;:1! sides who kaur the fa; ts and are capable of fairminded ju-.lgmr/t. We r- fr, of course, to the circular pasted within R day or two of the poll to the oltcr. rs cf Clutha urging ih.em to vote aga nst Mr Malcolm owing to h's -•. fu-al to supp rt the refercidum. So far so giwl. Mr Malcolm did refuse to scpp'Tt the ief •!•• ndum. and so laid h'm-elf < pen to the charge. But why not tell the whole truth about the me'ter? Why .--upprefs one of the most es-octia! facts of the c-af-o : that Mr Jenkincon is al-'o against this referendum'' Why cioes the circular nrtre. that Mr Malcolm should be " outed" when his oppor.ent ie als'i agnin't the -cf re: dtim? Mr made thi* plan in all hi? addrcsos. Ho was aceinst tho referendum not only on th? B'bV-in-schools question, but on any other. Th- 1 ca."> ftaud« there. Both candidates were a ainst tho referendum, and yet the condemn-thm fell on one. Now a word as to the circular—- '■ Printed in th: ' N>w inland Times' Offie- in Wo were at firßt inclined to believe that it was a cute, if questionable, move on the Opposition side, and were amazed to find thnt the anneal ernan.iterl from certain B'bV- ; n-'cho-ols authorit : es, and that the m : s'rd : ns circular referred to was po-ted by the local Church of E'"_'land clevgvTnnn. who is secretary to the leacue. We cannot believe the rev. gentleman wovlrl deliberately attempt to m'.'lead the '•lectors and f o.n]j |r> have M"r Malcolm def'ated by qii'stionable tactics, and we must put Ids action in tho publishing of this circular either as ignorance of f he stand taken by .Tenkinson or of the contc'tr, of the circular wh'ch he posted—b tli -Ik- inexcn-ahle and r-rroheneible in a cle'gvman who a'ni'- at takinsr a leading part in any controver.'-y or political on-""tion. That the c : -cviar may have ryen sent down f'nm W'T : n"ton or elsewhere to Mr Sti;bb.- with in=tntctions from a high dicnitarv of the Church to f : renlate in the C'h-'ha decs not aoomt him in the least. Tlie c : renlar is politically <ii=hnne=t aid m'sPa'b'n?. and nothing in the wnv of orders should have caused a rcputr-b'e g.-nt'eman' to have put his hand to P"cb woik. No d-nbt the rev. <rentlcma-i is r-r.r-y for bis action now. and will see t" it Ovt he p : vy no ground for offence in tho fnhfe. W" adhim to loik w- 11 to the b-na fldep of rlprt ioneo-rng pnrti's, and vcmemVr nl c o that "Fa ; r play is bonny play."—'Clutha Leader.*