THE MACKENZIE MEETING AT OTAKEHO.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 23 November 1911, Page 5

THE MACKENZIE MEETING AT OTAKEHO.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —It seems to me that if a man becomes chairman for the Opposition Tarty, that ne is' held responsible not only to command order and a good hearing, to Mr Mackenzie for the Government, hut is haole to all sorts of abuse for the uncalled-for, ungentlemanly remarks made by Mr Mackenzie at our Otakeho meeting on Saturday. With your permission, 1 will give here a true statement, and the reason why I did not ask- Mr Mackenzie to botn withdraw and apologise for his abusive language to one of our most respected young men, and the whole family is known over Taranaki as being upright and truthful. The Minister for Agriculture had a full house, made up to a good extent By people (I have no doubt in saying) gathered together and | brought there by Mr Dan Hughes to give Mr Mackenzie the impression we were not opposed to the Government. Mr Hughes being chairman of Mr Macken r zie's committee, and myself chairman of Mr Dive's, we promised to do our best to give the two candidates a good hearing. This, I 'will snow, Mr Dan Hughes did not carry out.. At our last committee meeting we had strict orders from our secretary (a brother of >the young man abused by the Hon. Mr Mackenzie) that we were to do everything in ■our. power to give the Minister a good hearing and keep up the dignity of the' Opposition and residents of Otakeho. I knew there was a very bitter feeling against the Government and the meeting had not well commenced when this feeling became evident, and I at once called on Mr Mackenzie's chairman to restore order. The chairman apparently lost himself for the time being, after giving us. the astounding announcement that he was thinking of turning his coat for the first 'time m his life. The next unfortunate incident was Mr Mackenzie (a Minister of the Crown) accusing this young man, in putting a question, of telling a lie. Now, I. want to be truthful. I know it. has got abroad that Mr Mackenzie's words were, "You are a liar," and that he repeated them He (Mr Mackenzie) might have repeated, "You are "telling a lie," which I take to be one and the same as liar:. The uncomfortable silence which . prevailed showed how sympathetic the audience were for the young man and much respected family who wereV'es'ent' and I here ask the Hon. Mr Mackenzie how he would have acted had he—as in this case—had^his aged- mother hearing himself told by a Minister of the Crown, he was telling a lie/ and in the abrupt manner it was done. .

I am accused as chairman of the Opposition for not calling on Mr Mackenzie nab only to withdraw :but apologise. I will be honest in saying I was on the point of going even farther than this, and telling tfie Hon. Mr Mackenzie that no man could possibly forget himself more, than he (Mr Mackenzie) had done, and his withdrawal was uncouth tor an educated gentleman. But, am I to blame? .Our secretary (the young man's brother) was in the hall and he had been most careful in giving us i n / Ructions not to .cause annoyance against our opponents, and^l consider 1 d^henght thing in avoiding a

3>i^*W^ C"!f d °f not Mr Sl^* 1 *°* tempting tp assist Mr Mackenzie to:answer aquei tionhe got atjea about. I consider I did my duty tfSen I asked Mr Hughes to sit down, which he did. It is here I consider Mr Hughes proved tSfcraTto h^promise, and now I am suppS tb Ser fer r°^ **®m to^e^in Hon. Mr Mackenzie^after the must say^l enjoyed the Hon. Mr Mac wmm The Meadows, Otakeho. J™l ?? blish this with some modifications as the writer sigiis his thT ha*" But> bounf to add WJ f V? g made some enquiry we We failed to get confirmation 5 the statement^that Mr Mackenzie used the gjen lt by the writer of this letter —