Mr John Sheehan at Shortland.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 4039, 8 December 1881, Page 2

Mr John Sheehan at Shortland.

Mr John Sheehan addressed a meeting of the Shortland electors at the , Odd* fellows' Hall last evening. The hall was crowded, and Mr J. Gibbons was called to the chair upon the motion of Mr Comer.

Mr Sheehan, who was greeted with applause, asked the audience to give him a quiet hearing, as he was suffering from a bad throat. The contest had now resolved into a personal one between himself and Mr Speight, but he would deal with this further on. If elected, he would first do his best to get the electoral boundaries of the Thames district amended. Secondly, he would work for the completion of the Thames-Waikato railway; if the Government would go on with this work he would giro them his support in this matter,, but if not he would fight for it himself. he would try and get the Government to purchase the freehold of the Thames Goldfieldr. Be this matter, he thought Government should make up to the local bodies the loss of revenue they sustained yearly by the payment to the natives of miners' rights, fees, &c. He had been asked what good he had done for the Thames, and in reply he stated that there was not one public work from Tararu to the Kauwaeranga to which be had not given his assistance. More than this, he bad helped (he, Borough to obtain the Domestic Water Supply, and also the large water race. He hoped the Templars would not forget this. (Laughter.) He had also introduced the Homestead Act of 1874 —the most liberal land law in the colony— and which was now in operation in the Thames and Te Aroha districts. He was in favor of extending the power of this Act. Thames electors had been, told .that Sir George Grey was in favor of Mr Speight standing for the Thames. To dispel Jhis opinion he read the following .telegram from Sir G. Grey:— , _ . ;

" Hon. J. Sheeban, Thames,—To prevent any misunderstanding, I beg to state that I have in no manner interfered with the Thames election, nor should I think it right to do so.—G. Gut.'"

Mr Sheehan then referred to the circular issued that morning by Mr Speight, in which he contradicted some statements made at Paraw&i and Tararu by him (Sir Sheehan). He first took the clause in which Mr Speight contradicted the statement that Messrs Sheehan and Swanson paid a part of his election expenses at City East, and that Mr Sheeban had frequently assisted him since: 'He and Mr Swanson, though they did not bear the whole cost of the election, subscribed towards it, as the following telegram from the Seoretary of the then Central Com* mittee would show:—" Hugh Mollhone, Esq., Thames.—Be wire, Sheehan gare me cheque for ten guineas, special subscription towards Speight's City East expenses in ■ September,; 1879,-^Jnio. JLisa." He had frequently assisted' Mr Speight while in the House since that time, but not with money—and if he had he would not hare made it public." Mr Speight further said that his expenses were to be met by the Central Committee. This he denied, as no such agreement was ever made; Speight's expenses were, met by subscriptions, and no doubt Mr Speight had to pay a share of them.,., He then referred to Mr Speight's statement that while at Wellington he (Mr Speight), Sir G. Grey, and himself had arranged that Mr Speight should stand for the Thames, Sir G. Grey for City East, and Mr Sheehan for Waitema'.a. This statement was borne out by Mr Viall, one of Mr Speight's own supporters, but he could give it a flat contradiction, as neither Sir G. Grey nor Mr Speight had said one word to him about it, and he was in ignorance of the fact that Mr Speight was standing for the Thames until he was telegraphed to by that gentleman. This he did not consider was right on Mr Speight's part, as he should hare told him, being a person^ friend. He had learnt that Mr Speight's friends had for the last three or four months been saying things of him which no man ought to say of another, and which no man would dare to aay of him were it not election time. He then referred to a circular issued by "An Elector." When the bill re the granting of New Zealand wine licenses was being discussed-, he was all there, and carried the measure in spite of Mr Speight and Sir Wm. Fox. He challenged them to show him a single division on an important question on which he had not recorded his rote. :He then went at length into the way the work of the session was earned on, showing that the divisions he had missed were of no consequence. He was not, in this election, driving Speight out, but Speight was trying to drive him out. At Mr. Speight's address to his constituents in Auoklaud on April Ist, 1880, he was* asked whether he would again stand for City Bast, and made th.c following reply:—" I stood for City E.M* as (a unit of mj party. At the next election I will place my services at the disposal of my paity, and [will go where

they may direct." This he had not done, as he had come to the Thames of his own accord. After a fevr other remarks, Mr Sheehan described bis action on the Prttotere lands, saying that he had first offered to secure the title for the Government, but when he dealt with it it was an ordinary business transaction. He had always been in favor of the land being bought for the people, and had fought successfully against the land sharks and capitalists. It was the fault of the Government that the Patetere lands fell into the hands of speculators, as they had given them the chance

On sitting down, Mr Sheehan was warmly applauded. . The following resolution was moved by Mr James Craig, seconded by Mr Manning, and carried unanimously:-—" That this meeting having heard Mr Sheehan's address, tender him a hearty vote of thanks for the same, expressing at the same time the opinion that he is the most fit and proper person to represent the Thames constituency in Parliament, and further, that this meeting pledges itself to use every exertion to secure his return." Three cheers were given for Mr Sheehan, and the meeting broke up with a vote of thanks to the chair.