MR. WEBB'S PATRIOTISM

Grey River Argus, 26 November 1914, Page 5

MR. WEBB'S PATRIOTISM

(To the Editor

Sir, — Instead of attending the drill of the National Reserve, where I would have been more profitably employed I visited the meeting held last night by Mr. Webb, our late Member, and as a sample of misrepresentation, vituperation and self admiration it took the bun.

The candidate exuded his oratory in the orthordox Red Fed style of his compatriots Sample, Hickey and Co. For a person who before the bye-elec-tion preached anti-militarism with -all the vehemence of the soar) box orator, and has dozens of times decried the grift of the Dreadnought as money robbed from .the workers, -his clumsy attempt to explain that h" is patriotic was quite up to the Red Fed standard Of course the audience swallowed it wholesale.- I don't think. The fact rpirjains. and even* voter in the Grey Electorate Red Fed or otherwise Vnow? it, that up to the hour of the denarture from Greymouth of the first West Coast Contingent, our patriotic member had tiot bestirred himself in any shape or form to assist the Mayor and citizens of Greymouth or any other town, in his electorate in the Patriot cause. He said last night he met the boys at Still water and went through to Christchurch with them.. His own sens*e of duty to his country should have moved to. do something more than this, and hi? thin attempt to explain his inaction — for vote catchinir purposes— will no doubt be accepter! by the -electors for what it is worth I am etc.

NATIONAL RESERVIST 'Greymouth Nov 25th, 1914