A CHALLENGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1834, 14 January 1887, Page 11

A CHALLENGE.

The ordinary monthly committee meeting of the Protection League of Ofcago was held laat night at the Young Men's Christian Association Rooms, when it was resolved to hold its next meeting in the North-East Valley. A letter from Sir Julius Vogel waa read and received, containing a challenge re arguments brought forward by him (Sir Julius) at the recent meeting held in the Lyceum Hall, when it was resolved to hand the letter in to the several papers for publication, asking Mr A. H. Shelton to wait on the editors of the Times and the Evening Star for replies. The letter is as follows : —

Waiwera, December 28, 1883. A. H. Shelton, Esq., Hon. Secretary Protection

League of Otago. Dear Sir,— l am obligel by your letter of the 16th December and am glad to learn that the address I delivered in Otago has been of service. The strlotures of the Freetrade organs of the press have ib teems done no harm, and this is creditable to tha good sense of the community. Iv the course of tha remarks I made I anticipated, you will recollect, that the papers would not fairly meet my arguments. They were good enough to prove the truth of my prediction. , They attacked me freely, Indulged in platitudes, misunderstood what I said, credited me with saying what I did not utter,— in short did everything but frankly stating my argument s and exposing their fallacy.

lam sorry for this because some of the views I expressed were, I will not say novel in the sense of originality, but in that of having a practical bearing on the condition of the community under discussion ratber than the usual Freetrade discursiveness about principles applicable to an imaginary condition yet unknown on this planet. So important do I think it.to come to close quarters and to get rid of all the rubbish of personal invective, distortion of argument, and copy-book generalisation, that I am prepared to abide by the following offer, which you are at liberty to make known:— lf the Times or Star (or they may join together if they like) will on one column fairly represent my arguments, and on another answer and rebut them to,the satisfaction of an impartial and competent judge, I will give £10 to that worthy old institution, the Benevolent Instil ution of Dunrdin.

I would myself •■pitomise the arguments, only that I think it is better for the papers to do so for if they cannot understand how can they answer them. The judge may be someone we mutually approve within or without the colony, he should be a clear-headod man, a partisan of neither Bide.

I will not stipulate that the papers shall give £10 to the institution if they lobb, but it would be a graceful action on their part. Once more I must 'nay everything depends on their correctly representing, not distorting, my arguments, and if they will send me the epitome th>-y make out, I will approve or correct it, if it be sufficiently nearly correct to enable me to do so. In justification of the unusual course I am now pursuing, I must plead the great importance to the whole community of having the question of its fiscal policy fairly argued without misrepresentation or distortion. — I am, &c,

Juuus Vogel.