MR DUTHIE’S SPEECH.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1057, 2 June 1892, Page 35

MR DUTHIE’S SPEECH.

£xk, —With your permission, I conclude my remarks cn Mr Duthie’s speech. Speaking of the proposed postal reduction, he aays, 41 But the postage still remained the same, although there was now even a still larger surplus, and they (the Ministry) still continued the taxation on the necessaries of life.” Would Mr Duthie have us believe that this taxation can be removed by an Order-in-Council ? If not, how can it be removed by Ministers ? This is simple claptrap. Again he says, ** The money allocated for public woiks was all in process of beihg epent, and when that was gone they would have no more money unless there was a fresh loan floated.” There would be truth in this if our future legislation were to be carried on under a Duthie regime, but thaDk goodness ! there is no chance of that. What did his great friend and “ venerable statesman ” (save the mark !), Sir Harry Atkineod, do the last time he cajoled the country to put him into office but turn round and borrow two millions? But do Dot fear, Mr Duthie —those wretchedly low fellows who have stolen the name of Liberal from your noble self are just aB likely to object to a loan as you are. It is unnecessary to follow the honourable gentleman through his attaok on Mr Seddon’a public works policy and the misrepresentation of Mr Seddon’s words in regard to it. I have only to remark that if the men referred to “ were unable to assess the moral wrong Mr Seddon was doing them,” there are but few men 1 trust in any class of society “ unable to assess the moral wrong” Mr Duthie does Mr Seddon in imputing such meanness to him. And here let me ask Mr Duthie what right he has to assume that the Hon Jno. McKenzie is a less honest man than himself ? Wbat right has he to assume that if this gentleman had £50,000 placed at his disposal to open up Crown lands with, he would misappropriate it and spend it in bribery and corruption at bye-eleotione ? Surely Mr Duthie’s animus for his opponents must have run away with faia discretion. This is a personal insult hurled at a man from a public platform, a direct

imputation of personal dishonesty that should land any man convicted of it inside H.M.’s gaol. This, certainly, comes with consummate grace (or something else) from a partisan of a premier who perpetrated more political jobs than all the other politicians of this country put together. Mr Duthie must have felt himself in a very bad esse when he had to descend to baseless assertion of this kind, and if he again indulges In this kind of talk ho will find himself in a worse case still, for every rightminded man objects to this kind of thing whichever side he belongs to. Ido not think his most ardent friends ever supposed Mr Duthie would make a brilliant politician (statesman is out of the question), and certainly if there were any of that opinion his speech at the Opera House must have disappointed them. It must have been a considerable effort for.that well known and truety Liberal, Mr O. M. Luke, to have proposed that vote of confidence, because it was only the other clay when he formed one of a deputation to the Government on the subject of the Te Aro Railway, that he told Ministers he had every confidence in them ; however, we know hia hopeful disposition, and that explains the position.—l am, &e , Elector.