POLITICAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11093, 2 June 1914, Page 2

POLITICAL.

THE LIBERAL CAMPAIGN. MR RUSSEU AT MILTCN. (Special to the " Star.") MILTON, June 1. . This evening Mr G. W. Russell addressed between four and five hundred people at the Coronation Hall. The' Mayor presided. The speaker had a capital hearing with only one or twe interjections. , ' The audience followed the speaker closely and repeatedly broko cut with ] loud applauso. In the course of bis speech, which, covered ground generally familiar Mr Russell said that Mr Merries was always . innocently charming upon the plntf .us In bis recent speech at Greyrnouth he admitted that in the matter of borrowing his Government had followed in the footsteps of the former Government. "Why blame us?" he asked. ( "The Liberals ought to say 'there is more joy in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance.' " To a member of his audience who remiuded him that he had voted against old age pensions, Mr Hemes said "Oh, yes; I 'fid-nit it! A man can bo converted, can't he? You have only to look at the Salvation Army to see a number of cases of conversion." Tb'' <;"'••'1 c ""is e ,: Tf-"i"'v £!•;■■ I to hear of Mr Herries's conversion, and felt inclined.to shout "Halleluiah!" He would like to c ee Messrs Massey and Allen. in 'the same position of admitting that they opposed practically every one of the Liberal.measures-that they now claimed credit for administering, and might then be prepared to regard as sincere their alleged conversion to Liberal principles. In the meantime t.h<? speaker thought an old couplet, slightly revised, would meet their case— The devil was sick; the devil a Liberal would be; The dovil got well; the devil a Liberal was he! Concluding, Mr Russell said that when the Libera] Party weYit back into power it would be •to picV ur> its . record at the I point where it left off in 1912 andto I give the country once asrain the blessing of a Liberal and Progressive Government, which would devote itself, not to the interests of a single privileged class, but to tbp industrial, the social, and the political betterment of the masses of the people. At the close of the address, which occuoied two hours, a veto of thanks to the speaker and confidence in the "Ward party was carried unanimously. The meeting broke up with cheers for Mr Rn.-sell and Sir Joseph Ward. Counter cheers were called for Mr Massey but niet with a.feeble rfcbpcr.ee. Mr Russell afterwards held a meeting of Liberals when forty assembled. A Liberal Association for Bruce was formed and it was resolved to organise tho district thoroughly.