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Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 61, 18 April 1914, Page 8

f . One little point in Mr Isitt's speech oh Thursday evening is'worth reverting to. The "member for Christchurch North, in his justification of Sir Joseph Ward's silence with regard to the Liberals' new policy, felt called upon in his impetuous unpolitical way to drag in the old allegation'of slander, misrepresentation, and vilification which he denounced as the lever with which Mr Massey and his party ousted their opponents froni power. Ever since the sorry debacle, members of the Opposition have" toured up and down the country seeking political revenge on the enemy who had descended (they' said) to such means.' Sir Joseph's trusty- - henchmen haA*e reiterated the... .allegation to tlie point of boring every non partisan. If is one of the weapons with which the Liberals hope to administer a finishing stroke to the GoA'crnment. Well, then, supposing the slander and misrepresentation to have been made: the . Opposition, has had two years in which to refute these slaanders, and, surely, with such a good case, Messrs Isitt, Russell, and Co. should have convinced the electors ere _now that the Reformers won to power by political illegalities.:: The.'public ♦can"<be relied on to judge such a charge* as%as been laid at .the, door of the' Government. Ii (as is .stated) public accepted the word of the Reformers two' or .more years, ago. thatv the Liberals had proved themselves so< ■■unworthy of the country's confidence, then it is a reflection on-the general; intelligence of the electors to suppose .that after all that has been said in. refutation of the charge, they have not yet grasped the fact that the Liberal Administration was put out of office by means of unfair and . unjust allegations. The case for the Opposition should have been made clear ere this, without there being any for all the wearisome repetition that has obtained. It is about time-'that the political Billingsgate was dropped, and the Liberals got down to yeal work and let the country have a look at their policy.