A CHALLENGE TO MR HINE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 85, 23 November 1911, Page 8

A CHALLENGE TO MR HINE.

(To tiic Editor “Stratford Post.”) Sir, —Mr iliac is growing angry. Tire Whangamomona meeting was not congenial and Co ‘his liking. The report of that meeting has vexed him. Ho says the report was villainous and in some parts untrue. -Mr .Mine has little sense of proportion and less of political chivalry. What a shame he is not privileged to shout from every platform his wild and fanciful charges against the Ward Administration. It is positively too cruel to attempt any lair criticism ol his political doings and sayings: he should no allowed to march straight on to victory and no obstruction should bo permitted to impede his triumphal advance. tu Stratford, some time ago, 1 suifered myself to hear tiie pain of silently listening to his harangue against tne Government, and, to my mind, most of those, present must have taken him as a huge and privileged political joke. Though I have much genuine sympathy for Mr Hiuc’s numerous political short-comings and defects, yet when tie deliberately charges tno Administration with wilful corruption it becomes• every honest man to challenge him and bring him to task. Political corruption is a terrible crime not only on Clio part of the Government, but on the part of every person implicated, and Mr Hino’s assertions of corruption are a reflection, nay, a stigma, on every official in the service of this country. I take it that Mr Hi no is quite conscious of the nature of his charges and is aware that in making them he is bringing every civil servant in this colony undr the shadow of suspicion. Corruption of administration cannot exist without heads ol departments and officials under them being accomplices. There can be placed only one interpretation on Mr Hino’s accusations, and that is that he'knows of specific cases where corruption of administration has been committed. Now, I here challenge Mr Hine to mention a case of wilful corruption on the part of the Ward Government, and then 1 will be delighted to discuss the matter with him or any of his friends through the press.' If lie fails to produce one genuine case of wilful corruption then the public must conclude that ho lias adopted the policy of creating suspicion to retain his seat. If Mr Hine accepts this challenge it will not do for him to deal in vague generalities for such a treatment of the subject would tend to mislead the public. A discussion at the present time would serve to clear much of the misrepresentation that has been created in this electorate, and I feci sure that the truth would emerge as the discussion pressed forward.—l am, etc.. THOMAS BOYLE.