A DISGUSTED LIBERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12657, 20 November 1905, Page 2

A DISGUSTED LIBERAL.

To the Editor.

Sir, —I often wonder what reason "<some writers can 'have in writing such and falsehood, as sometimes apTpear in newspapers. Only last Friday -I noticed in. your issue of that day two -itetters among others that to my mind .-"were made up of abuse and falsehood. •'-One letlter was just full of falsehoods the Independent Political Labour -Jjeague, and as most of your readers --ilvlho cafe to take an interest in these "rmjattera know that the Independent political Labour League are not run- » •candidate, and though the memifcers generally do support Mr Hogan, ■ Jtihey do so of their own free will, and -tohej would not break any of the rules of ~i#ie League were they to vote for any - aot'her candidate. In fact, I know two ■ ■xxr tthree who will support other candidates, and as for Mr Hogan 'being.in -any way pledged to the League tfli-at is -a, falsehood. I understand Mt Hogan will 'himself to support certain mea.s- - -sires tlhat he has outlined in his speeches, 'but that is. the only pledge I ;3iave heard of his making. The other .'.letter was written, I should say, by one -of iMr Willis's supporters by the way lie the other three candidates. ' jßhey say when one has a weak case it .as to abiise the other side. It seems -strange thaat 'before Mr Wollis started iMs campaign things seemed to be run.ning fairly smooth without all this - Tafltmse, but this last week the contest -seems to be going towards a mud-sling-■ing contest. At all events soon© of Mr ■Willis's supporters would like it so, and iperlhaps the patience of the oth^ir three "^nay even give out: then " What Ho!" know it seems quite lunny the idea some people get of this party burcine-ss -Mr Willis makes so much out of. They --teeem to tthink^that all Liberals should jgive way to the party. Now who is the party? Is it >Mr Seddon and^j Willis ".for Wanganui, and Mr Seddon and ssomeooie else for somewhere else, and so on right through New Zealand? Or is it tihe Liiberal and Labour Federation Jbhat afteTwerds proved to have no char-

ter? iMr Willis's platform seems to be, " I am a party man, aald in right ox* in Tvirong il supoort tine party." Well, iseeing that he~makes so much of the party business as a (Liberal, I would be pleased to know where the party meet. I -would like to attend their meetings, provided of course they allow a man a voice and .an .opinion of ibis own, and don't expedt (him to he too blind to the faults of tlh© party. I can quit© understand Mr Willis <on the party business •when 'he was at Parliament, because not so very long \ago a very important question oaime up. That was the land question. Now Mr WiUis affia-med it as a principle that no more Crown lands ought to be sold. Mr Seddon. did not. Ma- Taylor moved that no more Crown land ,bs sold. Well, now Mr Willis was in a fix. The party said one thing, Mr Willis's principle said the opposite. Well, what did She do? Why, he voted wMi iJhe party and tagadntst his principle, and after the whole business was done, and tho Hottse just aibout to move on to another measure^- he told the House foe had made "a mistake and voted in the wrong 'lobby. Mr iSeddan two sessions ago told the House that the Government would never countenance any alteration in the present system of education. Mr Willis, in the Opera House quite recently, told the Wang-a--nui electors that he 'had offered to bring in a ißill to give Catholic schools State aid, and tin© Catholics "then refused at. And he said, " We'll, whenever you want it I will do it for you." Now supposing Mr Willis or any other member brought in a Bill to give State aid to Catholic schools, and the. party went agar'nst it, as promised by Mr Seddon, what would Mr Willis dc-^-for the party or for the principle? Is it not logic to suppose he would do the same as h© had done before —vote with the party and against the principle? I am inclined, sir, to think this party business can be worked too fair, and «s a Liberal I am about sick of the way the supporters of this Liberal patrty conduct their affairs. I fancy it would he 'better for a candidate to support measures, not men, and I for one, when Mr Seddon comes, will take very little notice of who he picks as the party man, 'but use my own com-mon-sense, and vote for the^strongest man, not from a party s&andpoint though.—l am, etc., A DISGUSTED LIBERAL.