BENT ON BOTHA.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13481, 22 July 1907, Page 3

BENT ON BOTHA.

The London correspondent of the Sydney Daily Telegraph writes: — "Mr T. Bent's striking individuality has already brought him into prominence in Great Britain. He does not at all share the. enthusiastic acclamation giveii to General Botha, and, speaking recently, he said; — 'We will not in my country echo this acclamation of him. We have tpo many broken legs, too many wooden arms, and too many sorrowing widow's therq. I hope in the future Botha and his friends will keep their word, and be as true to the Empire as we in Australia.' Some of the papers were very indignant with him for saying this, and waited on him to get him to retract. He explained to the papers that waited on him that it has always been his policy to speak what ho thinks, and bis explanation reads as follows: — *.I first spoke out what Mas in my mind at the moment, as I make it a rule always to do, but I cannot help it if my utterances do not always appeal to everybody. But I added that it was difficult for Australians to join the English people in acclaiming General Botha just at present, for we had, in Victoria especially, only too many evidences of the South African war still remaining with us. When the conflict broke out thousands of our best men threw up everything to aid the Motherland, a land which they had always been accustomed to love and look upon as their own real home, and we find it very hard .to forget that many of them have never returned. As Treasurer of Victoria, I could only say that I had to deal with so many cases of pensions to armless ' men, men with vooden legs' , and poor widows, that one found one's memory very retentive.' "