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Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1922 THE NELSON SEAT

THE two candidates for tiie Nelson seat have been busily engaged for the past few weeks in meeting electors in all parts of the constituency. Both have left no stone unturned and meetings have been arranged wherever it has been possible to hold them. Each day we have published conuftunicatcd reports of the meetings and we have given the candidates a great deal of space. It would seem, judging from the communicated reports, that both have had excellent meetings wherever they have spoken, and both appear to he equally certain of victory on Thursday next. The communicated reports in Friday’s and Saturday’s issues indicated that the candidates were becoming a little frisky, and the space placed at their disposal was used for “digs” at opponents rather than for further expounding their views. But there js no such tension of feeling on the part of the public ns a whole. From what we can see those who are on different sides joke about the differences, rather 1 than squabble over (hem. This is a good sign; for the issue is clear and certainly not worth fighting over. Mr Atmore a following is largely personal. For twenty years he has been wooing electors in Nelgfijj an d what he does not know about the electioneering business is not worth knowing. His appeal is not on political grounds. He wishes the people to sink all party differences and vote for Mr Atmore. His opponent apparently is no, stranger to organising and campaigning. Ho takes fondly to electioneering and if it came to taking the gloves right off, the bout would not end in the

f?is) few r(iM»Kis. Ijnlike Mr AI more. Me J (lill)ri ! s is mil mi personal j grounds. Hi' inakcs in> nf'ologv h*r his I appearance in tin- 1 ’ni'ii:ii;sn-nt ;ir\' stake, | ami it’ he in lirsl past itm post, he teds al least sure. lim electors will fun I nulls ing wanting mi Iha personal <l l '- Ah the same time, his ;i]>] ><’it lis mainly us; a (luwrmnnit t;imlid:itr ami a supporter j of tin; ' deform Partv. Al Ids Hireling al llm Empire Theatre. Mr Massey slated this did not mean that a mcmher of (he partv would l-.e pledged lu vide tor any (.loveriiment measure. All il meant eas that lie was expected to vote tor the (lovernment when n was iu danger by reason of a no-conlidee.ee motion. Clearly, it is Mr Aunore s endeavour to secure election with the trerst pos siblc, hand. We do not blame him. l-hcre is much in the Independent stand that appeals to us. lint at the same lime, il must be realised as a fundamental that the rights of (he. people come before (hose, of any candidate, and it is front the viewpoint of the general elector that we write. Now, however independent a candidate may claim himself to be, the public have a rigid to know just where die stands in relation to the political parlies, lor one ol the first tasks of a newly elected member almost, invariably is to vote on the main party issue in the form ol a no confidence rnolion. lie has to make a decision then, and one vote may change the - whole eharaeler of the government ol a country. Now the people have tpt inalienable, to-knowdiow a candidate will vole on probable no-conlidencc motions. We pointed out after Mr Atmortys meeting tit the Theatre Roy ft I that lie. emerged from it. absolutely free to do whatever he chose, ev,eu lo voting the present Labour Party into, power. It was explained, of course, that till Ids speeches were such as to warrant the belief that he would not do so, but his Ircedotu of choice was there all Hie same. Next clay the communicated report of Air A(more's meeting contained a reply to q question in which Air Atmore stilted his vote would never he used to .place (he Extreme party iu power, and on another occasion he said lie would never vote any extreme party into power. In neither of his references to the matter, lias Air Atmore named the Labour Party as at present constituted; but we presume from the context that this is what he meant, .and if we are wrong he wdl doubtless correct us. Air Atmore has done ’the right thing in making this declaration lo the electors. From his pledged word, there is no fear of apy elector who would not support the Labour Party on any consideration whatever, voting for a representative who would help to put that party in power. Every elector has an inalienable right, lo know what his or her representative will do on such an occasion, and Air Atmore, we are glad to say, has 'recognised the fact.

But it is no loss incumbent on Mr Almore to state clearly what be will do on a con-confidence motion moved by Air Wilford. All Hie circumstances point to his vote being cast to put the Massey Government out, but there is no definite pledge ,that ho will do so. It is Mr Atmore’s duly lo give that pledge. Mr Almore was elected in 1911 without any such pledge, and there was great resentment throughout the district by people wlm felt they had been deluded. But Mr Atmore on that occasion was perfectly free to vote how he chose. On that occasion we upheld him in bis freedom, but, frankly, it was a mistake to have done so. Mr Almore asks the people to sink party and vote for him ns the people’s representative, but he does not offer to sink party if elected, nor can bo. He must vote cither for or against the political parties on no-confidence motions. Otherwise the electors of Nelson would bo disfranchised. What, lie asks is for something that belongs to the people—the right to choose between the parties. Such a declaration cannot weaken his candidature in any respect, whatever (if it did there would, of course, he just the same need for it) for we do not think anyone will be voting for Air Atmore in the belief that ho will support the present Government. Mr Atmore is in duty hound to make this declaration. With such a declaration, electors will know just where they stand, and everything will be on a fair footing.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM19221204.2.10

Bibliographic details

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 4 December 1922, Page 4

Word Count
1,069

Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1922 THE NELSON SEAT Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 4 December 1922, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1922 THE NELSON SEAT Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 4 December 1922, Page 4