MASSEY’S LAPSUS LINGUAE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 216, 30 August 1911, Page 4

MASSEY’S LAPSUS LINGUAE.

LA I REN S( )N S I N CTIOU S RECTITUDE.

POLITICAL DEPTHS HITHERTO UN PLUM BED. [by TKI.KG-RAI*I< - SI’KCIAI.. I (own Corre sponde nI.) Wellington, Aug. 29. The member for Lyttelton went outjafjns way last night to give the House a more than usually clear and forcible idea of the unctuous rectitude which he evidently claims as his distinguishing characteristic. It - was based upon a slip of the tongue but the opportunity was too good to be lost, and the member for Lyttelton dived in without the slightest hesitation. During the debate which was not remarkable for any lack of acerbity, Mr. Masscv defined a Tory as “one who used public funds f<?‘ r his own personal purposes.” A monicnt later he naturally corrected himself; ho meant, of course, partv purposes, and the House accepted the correction ; in fact none thought twice about it. It was the sort of Hug that happens ten times in a <- a.v, and nobody seems one penny the worse for it, but before the gallery cleared and they were full to repletion, Mr. Laurenson boiled over with righteous indignation. Traitorous, was uie word he ap)tted to Mr. Massey’s statement. He used the word advisedly, he said, and he went on to castigate any nrin who would degrade Parliament by innuendo and personal abuse. In fact there was no measure to tin***' righteous indignation the member tor Lvttclton gave way to. and in tones that rang with awful wrath across the Chamber, he demanded tu know who had been guilty of the unclean act referred to by Mr. Massey. flic galleries went home with the idea that there were political depths which had not hitherto been plumbed. If they had remained a few minutes longer they would have found that after the supper adjournment it, was explained that Mr. Massey s reference was merely to the use of public ( funds for party purposes, a charge as old ns the Liberal party, and one which had been made time and time again and never disproved. It.was made in the early days of Mr. Scddon ; it was repeated as he grew in jiower and political affluence ; it attained its majority at the election iff 1896, and for years past no member of the Liberal Government who knew what lie vis talking about has had the severity to seriously attempt to prove that it. was baseless. It was left, to the member for Lyttelton to butt in, at a most, nnopportunc moment, “Alone. I done it.” as they say in melodrama and the H< use left h’m alone with the golden harp and the home-made aura t hat he had readied up for (the otfi'nsion.

After Mr. lierdmnn had declared that there was no man in the House who disregarded debate more than Mr. Laurenson, lie said he (Latirrnsi'ii) vis the Kcir Hardie of the New Zcab’nd Pailiamcnt.

“Pity he is not here Io deal with you.” observed Mr. McLaren. “He will never be here,” Mr. Hcrdtnnn replied. “A’ou deal with me. 1 believe you pride yourself on the fact- tb.at. you are known as ‘Fighting Mae.' 1 believe that if they were h< re they would rather call the member for Wellington East ‘Skiting Mae.’ ”