THE INTELLIGENT VOTER.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, 11 April 1908, Page 5

THE INTELLIGENT VOTER.

; An interesting sidelight is thrown oil the rough and tumble of 1 British tics by the,.confessions, .contributed to Blackwood, of an 'msuccessful candidate in the elections of 1906. Hisiwas a country constituency, with four AmaU towns in it, and he was a. country gentleman, with few convictions, , but bound by .the political .traditions of his family. For two years before; theelection he ‘'nursed” the constituency assiduously, holding meetings regularly, and canvassing quietly but systematically. No sooner was his candidature .announced that he became the butt for all' sorts of clubs and institutions in need of money. Athletic clubs,; volunteer corps, literary societies, clergymen who perhaps had thundered against him a few days before, and a' host of other bodies and people, wanted subscriptions or gifts:- ' The first year these calls on. his purse cost Him.’£76o. The second year, he spent £ISOO-in this way—“ground , bait” it is/egjled. . Altogether, the election cost, jiiin -.]tfell over £3OOO. Imagine, then,j6is feelings when, after the election/ -hejieard two men discussing his -defeat at a club. “X. would have-got-in'fiil : right, if he hadn’t been so horribly stingy.” He knows of one member-who is accustomed to spend, about £4OOO a year in “keeping his constituency sweet.” The law against bribery is useless; the bad old practices still flourish in hew guises. The aspirant to political honors will learn a good deal from this article/ but it. will not improve -his opinion of the intelligence of the free and independent voter. “Reckling” is one of the''Candidates greatest trials, and he must have either experience or a natural gift for repartee to feel safe when questions begin to be asked. One night a young fellow came forward at one of this candidate’s meetings, and, holding up a loaf, asked whether it was a freetrade or a tariff refong loaf. The candidate had no idea what was meant, but fearing a trap, he took the loaf, divided it in two, and holding up the pieces, declared that the large one represented his party, and the small one the other party. Qi course he scored. Another night an old gentleman read out a. long rigmarole by ■ a man we will call Poffenhauser, and asked the candidate what he thought of that. “I think Herr Poffenhauser is a blithering idiot,” said the candidate. Effect of this extremely’ rude reply—extreme delight of the intelligent voter. '