SENSITIVE POLITICIANS

Otago Witness, Issue 3043, 10 July 1912, Page 13

SENSITIVE POLITICIANS

CAUCUS SECRETS' COMING OUT. MR ISITT OBJECTS TO CRITICISM. (Faoii Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, July 5. A most obvious attempt to delay the progress of the want-of-conlidence debate occurred in the House of Representatives this evening. The member for Christchurch North made a statement protesting against a criticism of his political position by the Christchurch Press. The opportunity was seized by the Minister of Labour, who attempted to raise a breach of privilege, but the Speaker refused to allow the interruption of the debate. Shortly after 8 o'clock Mr Isitt rose to speak. He said he wished to refer to a matter that affected his personal honour. He referred to an editorial statement in the Christchurch Press of July 4 regarding the recent caucus of the Liberal party as follows:—"When it appeared, however, that Mr Millar had the largest following, a small coterie of those present, led by Mr Isitt, forgot all about their previous pledge and said that they would support no Ministry with Mr Millar in it, and it was at' their dictation that Mr Mackenzie was elected and the stopgap Ministry was constituted. It is a Ministry formed upon a veritable threedecker structure of broken pledges." Mr Isitt stated that he was invited to the conference by the then Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), and .immediately on its constitution it was suggested that a resolution should be carried calling upon all present loyally to support the majority vote. The Hon. R. M'Kenzie : There was another before that. Mr Isitt: I immediately rose and pointed out to members that I should be placed in a false position unless I made a clear and definite explanation. I pointed out that there were certain men whom I could not possibly support as leader. When the resolution was put I did not vote. I offered to leave the room, and that offer was not accepted. I am not quit sure about it,, but I think the Labour members also made a statement of their position. Mr Isitt added that when a public man gave hard knocks he must expect hard knocks himself. If he was not prepared to submit to that sort of thing he had no business to be in public life. A man's honour was just as dear to him when he entered public life as before. Mr Laurenson: "Hear, hear." Mr Isitt : There is newspaper criticism and newspaper criticism: but I maintain that this is one of a series of attempts made by this paper, not to criticise, but absolutely to destroy public judgment a.s to his honour and straightforwardness. Mr Laurenson: "Hear, hear." Mr Payne, Sir J. G. Ward, and the Hon G. Laurenson all wished to speak, but the Speaker ruled, that except to oxplain some misrepresentation, they could not do so. Mr Payne claimed that he had been misrepresented in the article, as lie had been referred to as a pledge-breaker and a member of a coterie led by Mr Lsitt. Those statements were incorrect, as the Labour members had previously stated in tiie House that they would not support y. Ministry including Mr Millar. Mr Payne expressed a hope that the Press would dissociate tho term pledge-breaker from his name.