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Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3997, 30 July 1913, Page 4

Liberals of Grey for leaning towards Mr Webb in view of the fact that at the General Election supporters of the Reform party in Grey Lynn and Otaki assisted Laborites as against Liberal candidates. In the first place we may just point out that although the “Times” trusted that a majority of the Liberals of Grey would see their way to support Mr Michel last week, it did not on the occasion of the Gen- • era! Elections suggest that Reformers and Laborites should join*' hands against the Liberal nominees in the contests for the seats to which he refers. Thus it comes about that any charge of inconsistency against this journal must, of course, fail. But let us go a little further into the matter, and inquire whether it would really have bpen inconsistent on anybody’s part to have hoped at the time of the General Election that the Liberal candidates for Grey Lynn and Otaki would be defeated; and also to have hoped last week that Mr Michel would bo successful .in his effort to secure the Grey seat. When the Liberal party was before the country 18 months ago it was admittedly decidedly unpopular. For the most part Labor—as well as tlxo Reform Liberals —was opposed to the Continuous Ministry being invested with power for a further term of office as it was widely held (as “ex West Coaster” must acknowledge) that the Ward party had become unprogrossivo to the degree of stagnation. Why Reformers in Grey Lynn and Otaki—and Wanganui may also be added—assisted the Labor candidates was—not that the nominees of Labor promised to support the Reform party if it got into power—but simply because they had voluntarily pledged themselves to vote against the Ward Government! Anybody, then, who wished to see a more progressive Government have an opportunity of being placed in office could not be found fault with, because under such circumstances he might have approved of the defeat of Liberal candidates at the second ballots. Just 'in the same way now that the Reform Government has obtained the reins of office, and is showing itself to be more progressive than its predecessor, how could it be described as unreasonable to trust that its nominee at the late by-election, would be preferred by the Liberals to a candidate who is opposed both to the Liberal party as well as to the Reform party? So far as Mr Webb was concerned he had originally, of course, nothing worse to say against the Reform Liberals than lie did against the Liberals. To Laborites the difference between the policy of the Reform party and the policy of the Liberal party does not amount to much more than the difference between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Had Mr Michel been returned, he would have been able to assist the party in power both to legislate and to administer the affairs of the country prudently. As matters now stand to-day the Liberals of Grey have assisted to send io Parliament a member who, as far as we can gather, has not even promised that, in the unlikely contingency of the Reform party being defeated, ho would help any Liberal party that might get into power! We still hold that the Grey electorate has made an unfortunate error—nationally ,at any rate, if not also from a district point of view—in sending to the House a determined opponent of a Government against which all that “Ex West Coaster 7 ’ can say is “that it is supported by almost alt the big land-holders and financial people throughout the Dominion"—whereas in the course of the recent campaign it turned out that there are many large landholders' on the side of the Liberal party as well as on the Reform Liberal side—and that it has granted the freehold at New Lynn and elsewhere on unfair terms so far as the State is concerned—whereas it is clear that he forgets that the measure appealed to the freehold Liberals as well as the Reform Liberals. If “Ex West Coaster ’ can show that we are mistaken in the matter or, rather, that Mr Webb can in view of the cause which be espouses, do anything in Parliament to assist all sections of the community or, say, the great bulk of the electors we shall be glad to afford him space to enable him to do so.