Notes and Comments.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 678, 16 September 1908, Page 2

Notes and Comments.

It looka as if something is happening in U.S.A. that is likely to affect Mr Taft'e prospects for the Presidency jis Republican successor to Mr Roosevelt. The cable news tells us to-day that the State of Maine, which has been strongly Republican in its political sentiments for over a quarter #f a century, has fallen away sadly. Its plurality vote for the coming contest, which takes place in November next, is only 8000.' How sad is^the falling off will be gathered from the following figures for the plurality vote iiv favour of the Republican Paxtv preceding the past four Presidential elections: 1888, 23,253 votes; 1892, 14,979; 1896, 45,777; 1900, 28,613; 1904, 36,791. Is Mr Taft flirting with the Liquor Party ? The politico-journalistic air in Now Zealand is strongly charged with electricity — and all on account of the Second Ballot Bill. Nor is' it the Government's enemies that are out on the warpath for the Cabinet's scalp and for the removal of the' " g a g>" as it is to be applied during the week preceding the taking ot a second ballot. The Governmont's two strongest organs, the New Ztaland Times (Wellington) and the Lyttelton Times (Christchurch) ha/c taken off the gloves to extract that ; gag. In a leading" article published tbiß morning (says a Press Awjciation message) the Lyttelton -Times cays: "If all the newspapers in the country had been in the habit of prostituting their columns to wealth, that would have been no excuse for the Government's attempting +o deprive them of their right of free speech for a single minute; r.ni 't may be as well to let the Gover nnenr understand at once that wha^ev^r Parliament may do with the objittionable clause, newspapers will refuse to submit to restrictions. They have duties to the public to dis charge as well as rights of tboir own to maintain, and are not to be silence!'] by threats of a paltry fine. If the Government likes to'mme the struggle, it will find the neivspa^Ms fully prepared." There ia a tustuict ring in that challenge. What will the Government do about it?