POLITICAL PORTRAITS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19815, 5 December 1919, Page 6

POLITICAL PORTRAITS.

THE PERSONAL SIDE. SKETCHES OF CANDIDATES. (No. 6.)

Possessed, of a genial disposition, a reuc.y wit, wide experience and sound 1> ;bti ‘al principles, Mr Leonard M. Isitfc has at his command a host of friends and supporters, and bids fair to get to t-'e winning jxist before his opponent ■ ts into sight. Ho was horn in Bcd--1 England, and came of a strongly Lnieral Dundy. After leaving school he entered the firm of Dent and Ml--crotts. who own tho big Hood Street u o.c Ware,louse. A desire to come to iNew Zealand took him, and reached fruition when ho was aJoiD nineteen years of ago. Arriving in this conntrv, ho got into the wholesale soft goods trade, hn'°' v ni> a two years engagement null Messrs Sargood, Son and Eweu iu order to undertake tho work of a- Mothodist homo missionary in the mining di-tiict of Lawrence. Seven years later ho became an ordained minister, and was subsequently apnointed to tho eharge of the Taranaki Street Church, \\ cllington, whore ho look up very vigorously social and temneranoo work. From Wellington Mr Isitfc came to Sydonliani, whore, associated with Mr T.’E. Tay.or, tho Rev P. R, Munro and others, ho commenced tho prohibition fight. Later on Mr Isitfc resigned his office as a church minister in order to tour the Dominion and demand legislation which would give to tho people tho power to adopt no-license. Air Seddon gave a local option measure, which has "radually been evolved into the present law. Next Air Tsitt went to England, and got into contact wnti the leaders ol the temperance movement there, speaking at a. number of their big meetings. Shortly after hia return to New Zealand, he received a cabled invitation to go back and lecture on temperance for a term of three years. Ho accepted tho invitation, with* the result that at intervals of twolv© years he lectured in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. He did nor, now ever, become divorced from Now Zealand, and finally came out hero to settle down. Although then keenly tineiesTed in. tin. economic and social conditions of tho people, ho had no desire to enter Parliament, hut on the death of Air T. E. Taylor, his famous colleague, he consented to stand for the Christchurch North seat, and won it. Once he was in Parliament, there asserted itself in him that fascination which attaches to political work, and ho retains his seat until this day. with not the slightest intention of retiring from it at this election. A\ bile, he says, no one realises more elenrlv than lie does tho meekness of the party system, and the need for drastic constitutional reform before much practical good can be done, yet he is still working for the evolution of something which will give New Zealand Parliamentarians a definite opportunity of doing prnetieal’work.