The Opunake Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 1897. THE WELLINGTON SUBURBS ELECTION.

Opunake Times, Volume VI, Issue 261, 9 March 1897, Page 2

The Opunake Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 1897. THE WELLINGTON SUBURBS ELECTION.

All the Government papers are working themselves into a white heat over the Mulvaney letter which played such an important part in unseating Mr Wilford. Messrs Hislop, Duthie, and Bell are denounced for making use of it to unseat Mr Wilford, and some of the papers suggest that Mr Hislop, when he got possession of the letter, should have sent it on to Mr Seddon, to whom it was addressed. Had Mr Hislop done so, it would no doubt have reached a safe haven in the waste paper basket, and Mr Wilford would to-day be posing as a pure minded Liberal and be comfortably seated as M.H.R. for the suburbs. This would have been very heroic and magnanimous action on the part of Mr Hislop, but had he done so both Mr Seddon and his own party would have looked on him as a fool. If, as the Government papers suggest, the high code of honor should protect such letters, why did the Government introduce such a clause into the Act for dealing with corrupt practices, making it criminal to write them. If it is criminal and dishonorable to write them and seek to gain a position by their means, how can it be looked on as dishonorable to make use of them to bring punishment on offenders. The face of the matter is these same Government papers feel ashamed of the intrigues on behalf of Government candidates being bowled out, and having no cause to defend have turned to abuse the other side. If the Government, in passing such an Act, were sincere, they should be only too pleased to have its provisions indicated, even though ultimately it should result in the loss of the seat to their side. Had the boot been on the other leg they would have acted in precisely the same manner, only then it would have been a virtuous action. We daresay if Mr Seddon were to publish all the correspondence received by him of a similar nature during the election, and strictly comply with the provisions of the Act passed by his own Government in the interests of purity, he would find himself left with a very small following indeed. But then Messrs Seddon and Co have far too much worldly wisdom to do anything of the sort, und on the principle " that all is fair in love and war " very few will be found to blame them. It would be just as well, however, if they would admit now and again that tney are only mortal and that the sacred seal of their coufe3sianal is a convenience to them like to other ordinary mortals.