THE WELLINGTON PATRIOTIC MEETING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11867, 20 January 1902, Page 5

THE WELLINGTON PATRIOTIC MEETING.

A JARRING NOTE. [by TELEGRAPH.— OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington", Saturday. The one jarring note in the splendid patriotic demonstration of yesterday, namely, the.dispute between Mr. Atkinsou, one of the members for Wellington City, and the Premier, in reference to Mr. Atkinson's position at the meeting, is regretted on all sides. Mr. Atkinson writes a letter to the papers to-day, in'which he gives his version of what occurred. According to the account, the Premier strongly disapproved of an M.H.R. being asked to move a resolution, as such a step, he considered/ would give the matter political colour. It was pointed out to Mr. Seddon that Mr. Atkinson was a citizen of 10 years' standing, as well as a politician, but the Premier was obdurate. Mr. Atkinson felt himself bound to resent 1 this, and says: " My reply was that, though in the morning I had volunteered my readiness to give up the honourable , position the committee had allotted me, I could make no such offer now, I had been willing to put myself entirely in the hands of the - citizens of Wellington through their committee, but whatever the decision of the committee might now be, I felt it to be incompatible with my respect for my constituency or myself to accept dictation from an outside source, from one whose , expression of opinion to the citizens of Wellington on their management of their own meeting was in s the strictest sense of the term a sheer impertinence. I should, therefore, speak in the place the committee had originally allotted me, or not speak at all, and if their decision necessitated the latter alternative, I should feel obliged to publish the reasons, for my failure to attend the meeting. In order, however, that no note of discord should mar the meeting in any way, I should withhold the publication till after the meeting." ' Mr. Atkinson, of course, did not speak, and his letter is published to-day. . The Premier, in reply, has stated to a Post reporter that the reason why Mr. Atkinson did not move the resolution was as follows: In the first place, Mr. Seddon said, the committee that waited on him with the resolution did not only come to put that before him, but to consult him about the meeting generally, which he regarded as only natural, seeing that it was at his -suggestion that the'meeting was being arranged. : Had they told him fTiey only came about the resolution, lie should not have offered any advice. .Secondly, he could not see how, if Mr. Atkinson spoke, they could refuse to allow the member for the Suburbs, Mr. Wilford, to speak, and then some country ; members , might have wanted to speak also. yHe thought it would be wiser to keep outside of politics or party, and the result had justified his view of the question. There was nothing personal against Mr. Atkinson, nor political, as far as ha was concerned.