Capt. Russell's Havelock Speech.

Hastings Standard, Issue 186, 2 December 1896, Page 2

Capt. Russell's Havelock Speech.

The following is how Captain Russell's Havelock speech is crossexamined by a Havelock youth and handed to its last night:— Captain Russell said the Government was composed of one man and six machines. That followers of Seddon necessarily lost all their individuality and became machines also. Dealing with Mr Fraser he said lie could not understand him having respect for him (Capt Russell) as a man and not as a politician. Capt. Russell said that it is necessary for a man to have served on a River Board or on a School Committee before we can know his line of policy. Here the Captain made a slip, for if it is so necessary to know a man's line of policy how is it that the Leader of the Opposition refuses to enunciate a policy'? He has passed sentence on himself and will be duly executed on the 4th. The Captain protested against ' State interference,' which he gave us to understand was sapping the national energy. But the Captain supported compulsory arbitration and did not consider it the biggest piece of State interference between capital and labor that the Government has given us. It is puzzling to understand how the Captain arrives at his conclusions. The Captain gave us no hint how he was going to restore confidence. Presumably he wishes to restore the confidence of the electors in the Conservative party, that party having forfeited it six years ago. The Captain was adverse to the Government buying up estates for settlement in Hawke's Bay until the unoccupied Crown lands were disposed of. He carefully refrained from telling us whether or not the Crown lands still unoccupied in Hawke's Bay were suitable for purposes of close settlement. In short the speech was more remarkable for what he did not tell us than for anything he said. He gave one the idea that he was afraid to bring his boat close to the shore of practical politics for fear of getting on the rocks.