DUNEDIN WEST.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7002, 25 July 1884, Page 4

DUNEDIN WEST.

The Returning ofpioeu (Mr J.Jackson) announced the result to be :-~ W. D. Stewart .. .. .. SOi T. Dick .. .. .. 480 Majority ~ .. ..21 There were 10 informal vote?. He declared Mr Stewart duly elected. Mr Stewart sincerely thanked tho electors for the honour conferred upon him in electing him to represent ouo of the most important j constituencies iv the Oolony. The contest, ko far as he knew, had been carried on fairly and with good-feeling on both Bides.—(\lr DICE;: " No.") He was sorry, to hear Mr Dick so express himself, but so far as he (Mr Stewart) waa concerned he could say that he had beeu most careful not to foster a hostile spirit. He was very sorry if Mr Dick did not appreciate bis endeavours in this direction. He (filr Stewart) would do what he could to render the services devolving on him to the satisfaction of all; aud hoped that the elections would bring about a measure of prosperity, and remove the depression the existence of which they all lamented. He should discharge his duties without fear, favour, or affection.

Mi- iliOK, who was greeted with cheers, said that be had to moßt heartily thank his Committee and thosa electors who had voted for him. He had been beaten, but not through any fault of his friends aud supporters. "He accepted his defeat with contentment, he-might almost say with- satisfaction; for though beaten to-day he was by no means vanquished. Mr Stewart would have to look -well to tha roll i£ he meant to beat him (Mr Dick) next time, for he had every intention of standing by Dunedin West j and if it remained a single electorate he would be in the field again nest election. Aa to the good-feeling and fairness with which Mr Stewart had said the election had been conducted : the good-feeling he (Mr Dick) admitted; tho fairness he objected to. The day before tho election an anonymous slanderous report had.been printed and published by his opponents, of which they were so ashamed that they had not even affixed the printer's name to it. He believed that the goodfeeling of the electors was satisfied that it waa not fair to publish such a document, which was utterly untrue, slanderous, and cowardly, when there was no opportunity of replying to it. After the last election Mr Stewart had said something about taking action for certain alleged breaches of the Act. He (Mr Dick) would not, even if he could, take such action in this case. His opponent was elected, and he (Mr Dick) would let him have all the benefits of his position. With the exception of this document, the election had been fought out honestly and well. Now all was over, he trusted that the electors would do all they could to support Mr StewaH as their represen tative. He for orie was willing to do so; but even if Mr Stewart did his best; lie (Mr Dick) did not say that he would not ''meet him in open tight at next election. Mr Stewart said that he had already told Mr Dick that neither he nor his Committee were responsible for the authorship of the document referred to; and after apparently being satisfied on the point Mr Dick had no right to make .such a charge against them. Mr MackerraB1 name had also been most unwarrantably mixed up with the circular. That gentleman had had no more to do with it than the man in America. He (Mr Stewart) most indignantly denied that anyone on hia Committee was the author of

the circular. Mr Dick perfectly understood that .Mr Stewart had denied the authorship on behalf of himself and his .Committee, but would he deny the circulation? ' Mr Stewart had already said that neither himself nor his Committee bad had anything to do with the authorship of the circular, and that was all he had to say on the matter. He considered the document was a very able production, and had been told that the sting of it lay in its truth. An old settler had assured him that the assertions made in it were true. However., it went for what it was worth, and if untrue it could have done no harm.

Mr Dick : An anonymous circular, [and issued too late for a reply. Mr Stkwart said it certainly was anonymous, and would therefore carry icss weight unless its statements were true.

Mr Brownlie : The simple question, Mr Stewart, is: Who addressed thecircular 1 Waß it addressed by your'clerk? Mr Stewart: That~is not the question.— (Laughter, "Oh, oh) "and hooting.) Mr Brownlie : That is the question. A Voice: Tho question's too straight for you. - ■ .

Mr Stewart : I .beg to propose a vote oi thanks to the retuming-officer.—(Uproar.) Mr Dick having seconded the vote, the pro> ceedings closed.