MR MCDONALD AT ORMOND,

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 37, 6 September 1887, Page 2

MR MCDONALD AT ORMOND,

A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE.

Mb Allan McDonald addressed a meeting of the Ormond electors on Saturday evening, the hall being crowded. Punctually at the time appointed, Mr McDonald got up and said that he did not make pre-arrangements—-ho had never asked for a vote in his life,— and he hoped they would appoint their own Chairman. On the proposition of Mr Currie, Mr Thompson (of Tangihangi) was unanimously appointed. The Chairman said they all knew the business of the meeting, and ha hoped the candidate would be given a fair and impartial hearing. (Hear, hear,) and applause. Mr McDonald was received with enthusiasm, Of course the most points similar to that delivered in town, and there is no necessity for repetition. He thanked the electors for the honor they had conferred on him in the past, and at the same time challenged anyone to say that he had abused the confidence reposed in him: The last time he addressed them was when they placed him at the top of the poll as the representative of the constituency. Hexhad been asked by some of his friends not to aayganything about the way he had been slandered by the Herald but he did not want quarter himself, and was determined to give none. The paper had slandered him when he went Home— called him everything they possibly could except an aetfial murderer, And when he came back they cringed on their knees, crawled on tho earth, with a humble apology. They started afresh the other day because of electioneering purposes. They accused him of going to Wairoa with a bankrupt. Whyj should h e not do so if he liked ? There were two or three bankrupts running their man, one of whom had gone through the Court three times, and he did not believe the other had paid a slxilling in the pound. (Applause.) He said that paper had been the ourse of the country from the time it was started. If there was a grievance between two man the paper would take it out until it came to the wall. We were interested in keepingjeverything within ourselves and to live as well together as we

possibly can. The three main questions for the political platform Were free trade in native lands, a local Waste Lands Board and the] settlement of the people on the land ’ That was what we wanted. [A voice: You can do it.] As to the party cry raised against him, he did not care whether the man was Grey, brown, or black, or who the man was i give him measures and not meh. The land belonged to the people and no one had a right to monopolise it. What could he have done 27 years ago if he had been a Rothschild ? He could have bought up the whole country, and they would now have been starving,—they should have been entirely in his hands. Would that be honest or fair ? The other candidates had not the heart to speak their minds. Every vote not given to him mean 4 one for Graham, as Gannon was only splitting the votes. He was game to speak out what he thought, and therefore some would not vote for him, but he was prepared to go to the House and do the same thing, and he would not aak one of them to vote for him unless he intended doing what he believed to be right. (Applause.) Referring to the har. bor question, he would if he had his will have put the whole of the members who had got things into such a muddle off the BoardStrangers had been brought from Taranak* to go on the works for the reason that they could be got-to work in one pen; residents here would be inclined to be independent, but one man hiust be. dealt with or else work would not be given. He was an abused man because he had the pluck to bring it up in the Harbor Board. [The letter re the Me Ewen consignment was then produced.] He had fought hard for the harbor, and he was sorry to see the mess that had been made of it—a bill had been introduced in the House to have the mis-spending of money legalised, Mr Chambers went on the platform the other night and said, " The members made fools of themselves ; we want a bill to white-wash us for the past—we were ignorant of what we have been doing.” Why if they were ignorant of what they were doing, did they keep on the Board ? Why did they not see it the first night he was on the Board, when only £7OOO had been spent; whilst now it was nearly £70;000 ? And yet they went down to Wellington with a Bill giving power to seven or eight men to tax the people as they liked; but because he took the stand he did be got abuse heaped on him, The Board were only the trustees for the people, and it was for the latter to see what had been done with the money -the sooner the whole thing was divulged the better. (Applause.) As to the desertion cry raised against him, he said he did not belong to either the Government or the Opposition—whoever brought in Liberl measures would have ; .his support. (Applause.) It was the duty of their representative to try and get all he could for the district—there had been log-rolling from the first day Parliament ever met in New Zealand, and

there would be till the end of the chapter. Repeating his previous arguments against Mr Ballance's native land policy, he asked them to tell him what man on the East Coast had ever made money out of the natives? He had told Mr Ballance at the banquet that he was astonished and ashamed that one who was always in the same lobby with himself should bring in such a measure. Now the Herald and the other candidates went for him for having consistently opposed what they had supported and then turned round and opposed when it was years too late. He would make Natives live as he did. [“ That is right,” and laughter.] The speaker then referred to Mr Bryce’s pardoning of Te Kooti. [Mr Kemplhorne: That’s Bryce’s only fault.— Mr McDonald : That is enough for me I A voice: It ought not to be a fault for you, Kempthorne. (Interruptions, laughter, and nrvnlo itha.M SnnnnsintT fba

tinned, the candidate who had boasted of having six children had had them thrown into the pig-stye by Te Kooti to be eaten by him or the pigs, would he not have an abhorrence of the man who pardoned him ? (Hisses and strong references to Bryoe.) Regarding retrenchment iu the Civil Service, he believed the only place they could reduce it was in Wellington—he was certain it could be done there. One reason why we muet have a Waste Lands Board here was that the members of the Boards in other places had lands of their own to sell, and of course they did not care to have cheap Crown lands put in the market. When returned as their member—[Voice: You resigned.] He was game to resign if he could not attend to the work, which was very seldom done by other members—the member for Tuapeka had gone Home without resigning, and had not even taken his seat in the House once. He, on the other hand, had called a public meeting, explained the position in which he was placed, and a day or two subsequently he put his resignation in the hands of his lawyer, Mr Whitaker. Then the Herald made a big howl against him, but when ha came back they said it was a lie from beginning to end. What could they expect from gn editor like that—Almighty God would not

give him the power to look a man straight in the face I [Voice : He can look straight. (Satirical laugh from Mr McDonald.)] The result of their going for bankrupts and all kinds of people was that one- of the proprietors became so unpopular that he was compelled to sell out. The speaker then referred to the Jerry Mullane incident. [Voice: It served Jerry right.] He did not know what country that man belonged to, but he thought the man who would not stick up for his country should not have the right to vote—Jerry deserved the credit of every man in the place for having the pluck to do it. [Voice: Jacob Tomshack; laughter and applause.] He asked them to work together for the beet; if they believed he.was the best man they could send him to Wellington, it they did not think so they could keep him at home—he would not think the less of them for it. (Loud applause.) A large number of questions were put to the candidate, but there were only a few new points brought out. Mr McDonald said he would do all in his power to prevent the importation of Kaffirs for sheep-shearing in New Zealand; he would try and prevent "that brute” Te Kooti making his proposed visit in January—if the police were game to do their duty they would arrest him for having thrown his uncle overboard, for which he had not yet been pardoned ; he had supported and would still support Grey's Law Practitioners’ Bill; he thought if there were forty or fifty Catholic children in a district, and their parents wished a separate school, that they should have it, and be paid by results ; he would not support present licenses being taken from publicans without compensation, but future licensees must take the risk upon themselves; men were entitled to fair pay for their labor—although he was a sheepfarmer as well as those who wanted the reduction, it was easy to see why they did not support him.

A vote of confidence was then proposed and seconded, and dedaced unanimously carried.