THE GENERAL ELECTION

Otago Witness, Issue 2231, 3 December 1896, Page 22

THE GENERAL ELECTION

MR SCOBIE MACKENZIE REPLIES TO A SLANDER. Id the course of his address at North Diraedin Mr Scobie Mackenzie: referred to certain underhand misrepresentations that were being industriously sent round about him. The truth could always be relied upon to ultimately overtake falsehood, but when a general election was taking place within a week or so it might not have the time.— (Laughter.) First of all he might say that a courteous and evidently inspired letter appeared in the Daily Times nalcing him whether he was a member of the Liberty League and actually on a ticket with Messrs Finkerton and Gore. He could answer that very shortly. He was not a member of the Liberty or any other league. Hfl had no more notion of who composed the Liberty League than the man in the moon. Two personal friends of his own, merchants in the town, he incidentally knew were pn it, but he was quite iv the dark aa to who else composed it Whether he was on their ticket or not he could not say. He hoped he was— (laughter),— and as a real friend of temperance he hoped to get support from the other side also. He objected to the Pecksniman tendency for one league to look down upon another as if they were on a lower moral platform.— (Applause.) They might depend upon it that there was no one combination in Dunedin a whit more respectable than any other. — (Applaupe.) People eutside could make a ticket of whom they chose. There was a falsehood going the rounds about; him which he bad a strong repngnanca to mention. A ridioulous story was being circulated calculated to pat his Catholic friends against him. The story was that at the time of the Bruce election between Mesßrs Allen and Lee JSmith he (Mr Mackenzie) had written a "Passing Note" in the Ofcago Daily Times depreciatory in some way of the lamented Bishop Moran, a man for whom he had the profoundest respect — (applause), — in common with the whole of Otago. At two previous elections thin ridiculous story had been trumped up with the same base object of iv jaring him. Well he had to-day turned up the files of ths Timeß to find out what the offensive remark was whoever wrote it, for he (Mr Mackenzie) was certainly not the man. — (Applause.) Here, then, is the remark, which will be found in a "Passing Note" of April 30, 1892:— If the bishop gets all his pigs to market (ray metaphors are getting a little mixed, but that j comes of reading Mr Lee Smith's speecbe*)— if the bishop, I repeat, gets all his pigs to market he will j poll 250 votes solid for Leo Smith. ' Now, I don't think the man who wrote that intended anything at all offensive by it — (hear, hear) — for the expression getting pigs to market is a mere proverb for gathering everything together. But, in heaven's name, wby should people say I wrote it any more than Mr Pmkertoa — (laughter) — or Mr Millar ? Let me say, once for all, that not one line or letter of it was written or directly or indirectly inspired by me. I don't suppose even my opponents would believe that I would stand on this platform and tell a deliberate falsehood. — (Applause.) And even a less scrupulous man wouldn't do it when he knew that at least a dozen or more people in the Daily Times office must know the facts. There is a notion, I find, that I am a regular writer in the Daily Times. lam sorry to say that's nob the case. I have but the slenderest and most fitful connection with itr. laieure yon that the man who depended for his living for all he could find to write in this colony would have a mighty hard time of it. — (Laughter.) If anyone is inolined to believe this stupid story of the "Passing Note" by all means let him do so, only let me be done with the subject for ever. I fiud it is very much easier for lies to get abroad in the town than in the country. Well, now, a word <tbout falsehoods that appear about me in the progressive column o£ the Star. — (L»ughter ) You saw a aentouce quoted trdm Hansard the other day, to the effect that I had pronounced the Eight Hours Bill to be a bad and vicious Bill. Well, do you know wby they quoted that one sentence alone P ' It was because if they had gone on a little further it would hay« been shown that I was the strong supporter of the eight hour system. — (Applause ) I am, and have been all my life, a sbrong supporter of the eight-hour system. If any attempt were made to lengthen the day's work beyond eight hours the working men would find no stronger champion in all New Zealand than they would in me. — (Applause.) I was so hard driven in my own early days— as a young man I meanthat I had little time for self-improvement, and many a bitter regret it has caused me since. The eight-hour system rests upon exactly the same foundation as the British Constitutionthat is, upon custom and common law. ,1 don't know whether yon are aware that all our constitutional machinery of Governments and Premiers, and prorogations and dissolutions, rest upon custom alone. There is no. Act of Parliament deflaicg, prescribing, or regulating the British Constitution. It is all the stronger on that account.. It is the same with the eighthour system. It is part of the common law now. It is the Bight Hour* Bill, which is always got up jast before a general election, that is bad and vicious, because it makes it a penal offence fora man to employ anyone for overtime payment.— I (Applause.) Just fancy a ship wanting to clear out of the harbour in a hurry, and the owners not being able to pay anyone for overtime. Fancy the mashiuory of a mill breaking down, and the manager being unable to get men to work overtime to put it right without the whole lot being run into gaol by an inspeotor. — (Laughter.) I represented a country district when I was in the House. Can you conceive my approving a law which would compel farmers to let their crops rot in the field, and at the same time prevent harvesters from getting overtime wages. The commercial City of "Dunedin would sink into the dust under such legislation. The working men are being grossly deceived over this business, and if I cannot win this election by speaking truth and common sense, I prefer not to win it at all. — (Prolonged applause.) Mr Mackenzie then went on to allude to a letter that appeared in the Star warning operatives against him because he was a Freetrader. It appeared all the factories were to stop if he got in. — (Laughter.) The writer forgot that he had been a member nine years, and the factories of the colony had increased during the period rapidly. He had never proposed to reduce an established protective duty in his life, and never would. It was too late to do it then. — (Applause ) That was the very reason he always warned people about putting on protective duties so readily. Once on they could never be taken off. They might; take his word for it that ill these duties were proposed, not really for Protection, but for revenue.— (Applause.) Protection and revenue couldn't stand together. The very essence of Protection was that revenue should cease by shutting out the imported article. But they would find that the invariable result of new duties was more revenue — (hear, hear), — which meant more taxation on those who could least stand it. The speaker then went on to allude to the attempt to frighten shop assistants into

the belief that the Opposition would repeal t6S Shops Act.— (Laughter.) Why, he himself (Mr Mackenzie) was a supporter of the Shop* Bill, and only exprecsed doubfe «bou6 the clause which compelled small and struggling shopkeepers who employed no labour to cotnpulsorily close.— (Apphuae ) Furthermore, almost the entire Opposition voted for the Shops B i 11. At this stags ho pro* duced the Hansard of 1891, which showed that only four members in the whole House voted against the bill. Next year it was actually carried on the voices. These tricks of his opponents were to be expected at elections, bud they were unworthy, and credulous people who were misled by them would be sorry for it when they found out the truth. Mr Mackenzie also alluded to the attempt} of the writer of the Pro* gressive column to make mischief between himself and Mr Fish. He quoted a remark made by him (Me Mackenzie) against Mr Fish in the heat of debate, but basely emitted to say that; the very next day (that also was in Hansard) he (Mr Mackenzie) had gob up in the House and frankly admitted that bis language had been too violent and undeserved. — (Loud applause.) Mr Fish was like himself. He had many faults, and especially faults ot the tongue.— -(Laughter.) Bub he was a man of great ability and of crushing common sense— (applause)— and he took leave to think that ability and common sense were exactly the qualities required in the House ab thepreaenb time. — (Renewed applause.)