Arrowtown: February 20, 1896.

Lake County Press, Issue 696, 20 February 1896, Page 2

Arrowtown: February 20, 1896.

The election for the Christchurch seat, rendered vacant by the appointment of .Mr W. P. Reeves to CHRISTCHURCH the Agent - Generalship, took place on ELECTION. Thursday last, and resulted in Mr C. Lewis (Oppositionist) securing 4714 votes, Mr T. E. Taylor (Prohibitionist) 4302, and Mr R. M. Taylor (Ministerialist) 3196. Thus, it will be seen that Mr Lewis had the substantial majority of 412 votes. Speeches were given in Christchurch, prior to the election, by three Ministers, but their efforts to secure the Government candidate first place were of no avail. What a humiliation and crushing defeat, and we have no doubt that there will be many such, “ sensations ” when the next general election takes place. What is pleasing to know is that no leader of the Opposition opened his lips on Mr Lewis’s behalf, consequently the constituency, as regards the latter section of the House, was left free from perturbation, and the choice made was of the electors own free will. It has been said by a few that if the contest were left to Mr Lewis and the Government candidate, the latter would have gained the day. The Ministerialist would have had a bare majority if he had secured two-thirds of the votes polled by the Prohibitionist, but would anybody (with the exception of the Government supporters) ever dream of such a thing? Positively No! It may be of interest to know that with the return of an Oppositionist, it will will strengthen t l e side which our member, Mr Fraser, belongs to in some degree.. While on the subject of politics we may mention that Mr Fraser is not going to have exactly a “ walk over ” for the Wakatipu electorate at the forthcoming general elections, as Mr H. Graham, of this town, informs us that he will contest the seat against our present member.