THE TAIERI ELECTORATE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2545, 24 December 1902, Page 4

THE TAIERI ELECTORATE.

SOCIAL AND PRESENTATION TO MR J. J. RAMSAY. Mr J. J. Ramsay, ono of the unsuccessful candidates for Taieri in the recent general election, was tendered a complimentary social on- Eriday by his supporters in the Volunteer Hall, at Masgief.' Mr D. T. Shand presided, and there was -a large and representative gathering of ladies and gentlemen. Apologies for "absence were received from Meesrs M. Cohen (Diinedin), D. M'Pherson, Donald Reid, Donald Reid, jun., M.H.R., W. Brown (Dunedin), J. '-Law (Gimmerburn), J.-Spence -(chairman of Mr Ramsay's committee), P. Kenney (Hyde), J. Nicholson (Hampden), and Matheson (Kokonga). The Chairman, in the course of a short opening speech, eaid they were assembled to do honour to their friend, Mr Ramsay, | and to , show him how they appreciated him. as a man and as a politician. — (Applause.) He supposed there were some present who did not see eye to eye with Mr Ramsay or ■ agree with his politics, tut he was sure they all thought he was a fight good fellow and a tip-top fighter. — (Applause.) He was a ] fearless man' and was not afraid to say 1 what he thought, and could and would fight j for what was right and just. He was not ' going to say anything about the services Mr Ramsay had done for the public in the past ; he would leave those things to speak for themselves, for he was sure Mr Ramsay would not care to hear his prais?s isung from the platform.. — (Hear, hear.) He wa3 glad to see .so many present, and thought j their guest might welMake the size of the audience as an index of the- esteem and regard in which he was held in the district, j — (Applause.) The Hon. Mr Bolt was called on to make ' a speech. Referring to the late contest, he ! said that both Mr Ramsay and Mr Reid ' were old friends of his, and his regret was ' that Mr Ramsay had to coutest the election ! against so honourable an. opponent as Mr Reid.— (Applause.) He Humorously took off the courteous manner in whicli Mr Reid and Mr Ramsay met each other on the night of the election, and eaid it reminded him of Byron's description of the meeting be- j tween the arch-angel Michael and Satan in ) j the "Tision of Judgment." In concluding i a ppeech which was well received, Mr Bolt referred to the long period during which Mr Ramsay had been connected with nublic bodies, and mentioned that he was at the time of Li's appointment the youngest justice of the peace ever gazetted in the colony. Whenever Mr Ramsay's time did come to enter Parliament— and he was sure it would come.— the constituency which returned him would get an honest and right fearless worker and a n.oet intelligent man as a representative. — (Loud applause.) During an interval in the mueical programme, which was contributed by a party of Dunedin singers. The Chairman said a most pleasant duly devolved upon him— namely, the presenting to Mr Ramsay of a purse containing some 88 sovereigns, as a token of the esteem and regard in which he was held in the district. JSot only did they wish to chow their esteem and regard, but .also their admiration fothe grand, though up-hill, fight he had njade of the last election, and also for the graceful manner in which he had accented his defeat. Mr Ramsay had already served the public in a great many ways, and he hoped he would have an opportunity in the future of serving the people in r> still greater way yet. — (At»plause.) There was plenty of room in Parliament for men of his calibre — fearless men. men of energy, men who were not afraid to speak out their min3s,— and -they would be very glad when they saw Mr Ramsay occupying a seat in Parliament. — (Applause.) Tip till a few months ago Mr Ramsay was only known through his connection with the Education Board to the majority of people in the Taieri, and he thought it was only given to a few to be aule to make bo many friends in so short a time, and he trusted that Mr Ramsay would yet occupy the mayoral chair of Mosgiel. He had very great pleasure in handing to Mr , Ramsay the purse of sovereigns, with the ' -****&*. ibat Mrs Ramsay and himself might

have a long career of peace, happiness, and prosperity. — (Applausa.) He. might mention that the purse did not include anything from the Green Island people, as they intended to give Mr Ramsay 'a. social on their own account. j Mr Ramsay, who on rising to reply was , received " with hearty" applause, said they ; had that evening asked him to undertake the hardest task allotted to him in connec- ■ tion with the Taieri contest, for he could I assure them h© was far more at horn© facing i the :whole of the artillery of his hostile^ eritic3 during the election than he was in standing up to respond to. such, eulogistic, speeches as he had had to listen to from Mr Shand and the Hon. Mr Bolt. He would, indeed, be more than human if he did not feel proud and pleased "with -the reception J- accorded to him this evening, for he was j comparatively a new chum in that district. ' and although they had not dono him the I honour to return him as the member for the j Taieri on this occasion, they had placed him such a remarkably good second on the poll, and met him in such a friendly spirit;' that he felt almost as prdud as if "ho had j been cock of the walk.— (Applause.) Thp. j contest between Mr Eefd and himself had I been characterised by an entire absence of j anything approaching -ill-feeling on either ! side. Not only had that been so between J the candidates, but the s?.me spirit of friendi liness had existed between their supporters. t This was, in his opinion, as it should be, and it was because both Mr Reid and himself had fought their battle without *perI sonal references.— (Apnlause.) There was I no reason on earth why men should make a personal matter of political differences, and ho made it a rule of his political fights ! to >=o conduct them as to maintain the confidence- of his friends, convert as many , of his opponents as he coulcC fiul conimand the esteem of the whole of ihe [.people, and he believed he would not .b" | accused of egotism if ho said tbat he had be°n ! able to do so in Hie Taieri, and tliafc, with i , the exception of about two oi* three— at the J outside half a dozen — on whose pet roms he had been forced .in Ee-lfrdefsnco to tread, he had made life-long friends during the 1902 Taieri battle.— (Applause.) That nitrht was not the time to discuss, any thine savouring .of party politics, but 'ft/isbuld not bo out of plare. he hoped, for him to say that i he End all his j lifr> mad© it a rule in his J capacity a« a public man to speak out hip i mind, regardless of consequences. Tff> had done so in the Taieri election, and doing so had perhaps- cost him' vote-a. but the leopard could not change his spots, and ho had no desire to change his reputation for fearless outspokenness, not even for the position of an M.H.R.. because he claimed, as a Seotrhman. a native of the lnnd of Bruce and Wallace and Bums, and as r. unit of that great nation to which tlipy all belonged, that a man should never barter his independence for anything, and that whatever might happen, The man o' independent mind Is king o' men for a' that. — (Applause.) Wo wanted more independence in our public life, more outspokenness, more straight-forwardness, and less subservience to mere party rule, and he hoped the young men of New Zealand would realise this, and take an active interest in the welfare of their colony. For his part, he had always done so, and always would do so. He was not going to cay he did not feel his beating, because he was a3 human as any man, and no man who had, as he had. devoted years of time and study to public questions, and taken an active part in public affairs, could 1-eln feeling /disappointed when he found himself for the third time placed second on the poll ; but he hoped he was made of better stuff than to tate any such discomfiture to heart, because the man who stood for a public position was no man at all if he was not prepared to accept the public verdict ; and he had accepted it. he hoped, in the same spirit that he had fought the battle. — (Applause.) He would continue, as heretofore, to be ready to lend a helping hand to anything he thought was likely to be for the welfare of the district or the colony as a whole. It had been rumoured that he intended to leave the district, but he had no such intention. — (Applause.) He hod since he came to the Taieri made hosts .of friend^, He Jikcd the j&osje and the

place, and so long as he was in business in Dunedin and the district he would" continue to Jive amongst them and take the same lively interest in anything going as he had done during the past six months } and as the years rolled on, if he was able to remain' amongst them — as he hoped he would be,— he had no fear that they would beoome better friends, and that he would have in the lowlands of the Taieri as many staunch, and loyal cronies as he~had on -the Taieri highlands. — (Applause.) He would not weary them with a -long speech. In fact, he could! not put his sentiments into adequate language on this occasion, but he would like before sitting down to express his hearty thanks to his supporters for their disinterested help. He had not paid a single) shilling for assistance" in -this election.,,. -His secretarial work had been free. iTot - a single paid vehicle had been engaged, nor had he disbursed money either directly or indirectly to influence the election. He was proud of the support he had got of- the" men who had stood so loyally around him, and also of the help given him in the figKfc' by the ladies. — (Applause.) He could assure them he was not likely to forget it, and he belicvedi they would not forget him, for he had never yet lost any political or nersonal friends ; and he knew that he was nob likely to lose any of those the and he would merely jiow say. 'to them all,".Thank you," and. ask. them i'o- hriit' "three, years, and. oee how., things" turned out' "He; was particularly proud of the support ac-r corded .him in .Middlemareb,, because the/, challenge had been deliberately thrown.down by Mr Mason," of that place, and" taken up by himself; janclv.the verdict , given by the people who knew the men unS the facts had been such that it would bs a bold man now who would dare to repeat those charges. — (Applause.) During the evening a very enjoyable concert programme was submitted by a Dun? pdin party of singers. Messrs BlenHnsoppi A. Wright, Jones, and P. Lemon contributed"" quartet?, and solos were rendered by Mrs Lemon, Messrs Wright, ■ Blenkinsopp, Wil-he-lmson. P. Thomson, and Anthony! ' The' \ several items were well received, und encores were numerous. Mr P. Lemon acted efficiently as accompanist. - Refreshments were handed round, after which the floor was cleared, and dancing was indulged in for several hours-