THE WELLINGTON ELECTION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6125, 11 March 1898, Page 2

THE WELLINGTON ELECTION.

a ~"" i 8 CURRENT OPINIONS.. y [FnoM Our Correspondent.] y WELLINGTON, MARCH 10. „ The Idea of March have come and gone. p The result has surprised all, even those in '' the inner circle of Mr Duthie's s-toporters, c and tbe magnitude of the majority by v which the Labour and Liberal candidate r, was beaten has taken most people come pletely aback. Innumerable and varied are the explanations of his defeat. Treachery ' in the ranks of the Labour seotion of the fc party is, perhaps, tbe explanation which is f most often met with. An excited elector f had no hesitation in stating to uie this a morning that " tho t raitora who had stabbed- . Dick Seddon behind his back were John Hutcheson, Tom Taylor and Hindmarsh." e The one who comes in for the roughest handling is Mr John Hutcheson, which is >f somewhat strange, as, of thc three, he has s least actively engaged in apparent elece tioneering, but his "secret, silent and •- surreptitious" influence, it is averred, has 's been used against Mr Kirk, with the re- ! h suit of widening any breach which may e have existed in the Labour ranks, and o which, if left alone, would have healed a- long before the polling day. In many ii* cases it is surmised that the members of t certain unions did not vote at all, though n generally speaking the large'proportion. it of non- voters were to be found in the if ranks of the out-and-out prohibitionists, e Another set of political wiseacres explain e the result of the poll as being due to the stand taken by business people who would, <1 in the case of a general election, vote for a Government candidate, but who on the present occasion knowing practically d nothing of Mr Kirk, came to the con-i t elusion that the Government would not be e weakened by Mr Duthie being returned, 0 and therefore voted for. him.. A view -- somewhat similar to this is taken by = the defeated candidate in his ad's dress to the electors. He refuses to a accept the verdict as any expression }j of want of confidence either in himself as 1 a candidate or in the policy which he announced and was prepared to fight for. -» He therefore hoped to take the first B opportunity of again offering, himself. as a Y candidate for the -seat. Mr Duthie, in . his address, holds that his victory is really important, in that it had indicated . the right of the constituency to choose its own representative, rather than to have one thrust upon it, and that it had unequivocally condemned the interference of those whose appearance in the contest necessarily carried intimidation and terror- , ism. Both papera comment at some length on , the result. The Times remarks — " It cans not be denied that the result of this election is adverse to the Government, in a peculiar and pregnant respect. Ministers 5 staked all on this contest and challenged ! a fair fight on a straight issue. They had ' that fair fight and were beaten." Further j on, after referring to the facts 4 that the , Opposition has no policy to offer the J t country and that the Government's policy ' is rather at a standstill, the writer says that what both parties have overlooked is 1 that we cannot staud in perpetuity' where ' we are. Reforming legislation must go ahead. There is still a great deal to be done, many abuses to be abolishi d and many deJ fects to be, reme lied. What is required , now, if the Liberal Party is to succeed and [ the do-nothing party is to be confounded, ' is a vigorous forward policy. It will be i objected, perhaps, that for such a purpose borrowed money must be obtained. Why [ not ?. -Works are required; that, cannot be '• made . on the barter system, lands are ■ waiting' to be opened up and settled,' \ and in .many other . respects there* is good cause" why imoney should be obtained and reproductively spent. The Post has two leading articles on the: ! subject, both of which are pitched in a ; high key. '1 he first article opens with the [ assertion that "the revolt against the dishonour that has tainted public life has come," and the hope is expressed that it will swell into a constitutional revolution, ln the second article it is stated that there is no denying the' fact that the result is a severe blow to the Premier's Government and personal prestige. In some speculations which follow respecting the state pf parties, the Post expresses the opinion that Mr John Hutcheson, senior member for Wellington will, next session, be found among the members of the left wing.-* I