THE WELLINGTON ELECTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2370, 3 August 1899, Page 17

THE WELLINGTON ELECTION.

RE-ELECTION OF MR JOHN HUTCHESON. .WELLINGTON, July 25. The 'polling "for , the election of a member to represent Wellington in the House of Representatives tooß place to-day. The vacancy was caused by Mr J. Hutcheson, the senior member, resigning his seat, and he now sought re-election at the hands of the electors. Mr Hutcheson was only in a minority ot two 1 booths, being 43 behind his opponent at the Victoria Hall (Adelaide road) and one behind at the Ci'itex-ion Theatre (Manners street). After the final return came to hand, and Mr Hutcheson's majority was known, Mx Jellicbe addressed the crowd, thanking those who had supported him, and stating that probably, no candidate for parliamentary honours had ever had to contend with such a combination as had been brought to bear against him. Mr Hiitoheson, in returning thanks, said the electors had knocked the shackles off his wrists, and he would go back to the House a free man. The people that day, by their votes, had proclaimed, that they, j and not Ministers, were masters, and liis i victory would be sounded throughout the colony. The official result was declared as follows : — • , , Mr John Hutcheson ».. 6945 : Mr E. G. Jellicoe ... . ... 4971 Majority for Mr Hutcheson, 1974. At the general election in 1896 the polling was as follows : — J. Hutclieson 6411, Sir R. Stout 6306, G. Fisher 5859, A. R, Atkinson 5831, C. Wilson 5570, A. A. S. Menteath. 5560, F. H. Fraser 1811, J. J. K. Powell 185, A. Warburton 91. The total number who voted on that occasion was 13,168. At the by-election on March 9, 1898, caused by the resignation of Sir Robert Stout, the polling was as follows : — John Duthie 7283, R. C. Kirk 6254 j total voters, 13..537. — — % (Fkom Our. Own Corresi>ondekt.) The result of the by-election shows that the Premier was quite wrong when he declared that there would be very little interest in the contest, and that very few would take the trouble to vote. As a matter of fact, 11,716 people recorded their votes, only about 1800 less than the number which voted in the Duthie-Kirk election, which was one of the -most exciting by-elections ever held in the colony. The I general opinion is that the majority of those j who refrained from voting were supporters , of the Opposition, who did not care for cither nf the candidates. Another significant fact is the reversal of the Government majority at the Skating Rink, the Ministerial stronghold. At the previous byelection I&eyhad a majority of 474, which was to-day ■ converted into* a minority of 129. Of course the Government will continue to declare that they had no part or lot in the struggle, but among those who knew, it was all along an open secret that the whole of the influence of the Government was silently given to Mr Jellicoe. This is borne out by the fact that the vote of confidence in the Ministerial candidate last night was moved by the president of the Premier's Great Liberal and Labour 1 Federation. Mr Hutcheson's majority of

] 2174 is said to be the largest on record" iiT 1 New Zealand. Mr. Hutcheson resigned owing to his vote against the Government in connection with l the marine scandal, and asked the electors : to endorse his, action. Last night he exr j plained the issue before the electors as fbl- ■ lows,: — "The amendment to the Address-in-Reply, for which he voted, stated that apart from the marine scandal the question of whether Parliament had the right to inquire into the action of Ministers was. in- ; volved. A majority of the House negatived i this proposition, a~nd so freed Ministers from parliamentary control. The question the electors had to decide was whether they would obtain control over Ministers i or not." The marine scandal and the responsibility of Ministers to Parliament were the only definite issues before the and the majority of 2174 for Mr Hutcheson may be taken as "the opinion of the people of Wellington on the Oppositior amendment.