PRESS COMMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17030, 2 May 1923, Page 1

PRESS COMMENT.

LIBERALISM VINDICATED. (Special to the “ Star.”) WELLINGTON, May 2. The “ New Zealand Times,” commenting on the Oamaru result, states: “The Government has suffered a really tremendous defeat. The Prime Minister intervened in the contest with immense vigour. He fought so hard that he appeared to be the central figure, his * second strongest Minister,’ the candidate, playing but a subsidiary part in oiie of the greatest electoral contests of recent times. That was the importance given to it deliberately by the Prime Minister, who actually staked the very existence of his government on the issue.” The “ Times ” pays a tribute to Mr Macpherson’s fighting qualities and Mr Wilford’s timely intervention, and proceeds: “But the best weapon handled by Mr Macpherson was Liberalism. He told the history of Liberalism ; he flew, its flag ; he upheld its principles. That was the chief element of his success. He burst the bubble of the argument that declares Liberalism and Reform to be one and the same. In this Mr Wilford helped him well, and between them the two have replaced Liberalism on the old pedestal from which the thoughtless removed it. In that we have the significance of the Liberal victory at Oamaru. The significance is accentuated by the enormous effort put forth by the other side and emphasised further by the tremendous and unprecedented defeat ol : the campaign headed, planned and conducted by the Prime Minister himself.”

RESENTMENT OF ELECTORS

The “ Dominion ” in a brief comment declares : “ The result affords further proof of the instinctive resentment of the average elector to the unseating of a sue-

cessful Parliamentary candidate on legal grounds. It would be difficult- to recall occasions on which a beaten candidate who has petitioned to upset an election on the grounds of informality or illegal procedure has been successful in the election following on the Court’s judgment in his favour. Electors do not trouble over much as to the justice of the petition. Their sympathies usually go out to the candidate whom the law has unseated as a matter of sporting instinct. In the Oamaru byelection, Mr Macpherson cleverly turned this feeling to his own advantage and secured a clear-cut win over Mr Lee. It is probable that in ordinary circumstances Mr Lee would not have of the Government to upset the election, but in view of the state of the Parties and the petitions by opponents of the Government to upset the elect t-ion of the Hon C. J. Parr and Sir Maui Pomare, he no doubt felt it his duty to the Government and to his party to do so. Though his action was justified by the circumstances and by the judgment of the Court, it no doubt as is usual in such cases, militated against his chances of success in the contest by gaining for his opponent a sympathy vote.”