THE LIBERAL SPLIT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12658, 21 November 1905, Page 2

THE LIBERAL SPLIT.

To the Editor

Sia*, —" A Disgusted Liberal's " letter is entertaining reading. 'No doubt it is galling to.an opponent of Mr Willis to see that the latlter is steadily gaining ground, and that the p.arty to which he belongs is hardening round him. Mr Willis made" a late starf, and his opponents got away with a good lead y but the old hand iis riding a great race, and ■will prove a desperate finisher. Your correspondent's endeavours to fix all the blame on iMr Willis are laughable in view of the fact that, although all the other three Liberal candidates are opposed to him, yet the feeling between two of those three is (if rumour is -correct) far more "bitter than against Mr Willis. It may be, as youa* correspondent says:—" It seems strange that before iMr Willis started his campaign things seemed to be running fairly smooth without all this aJbuse, but this last week the contest seems to be going towards a mud-slinging contest." But who is responsible for that? Certaiining not iMr Willis and his supporters. The reason for any bitterness being shown is that, now Mr Willis has dffcarted, the other three find themselves going to the wall. Hence these tears. Mr Willis's supporters have never attended other candidates' meetings for" the purpose of raising a disturbance and preventing the speaker getting a fair hearting. 'Can the supporters of every other candidate say the same thing ? Whatever (bitterness may have been shown has certainly been on the part of those Tviho have been endeavouring to alienate the party from Mr Willis and at the sa/me time to secure the advantage over one another. The only thing they have in common is opposition to Mr Willis. In view of the fact that their efforts have proved unsuccessful, and that, the Liberal party is still standing by the present member, it is only natural that the gentlemen I refer to should be.a, trifle chagrined and bitter. But the Liberal electoi's of Wanganui ■are not fools. They see that to divide their forces is to let a Liberal in. They mean to stick to the one man who can carry the Liberal flag to victory.— I am, etc., AN AMUSED LIBERAL.