THE GREY SEAT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12889, 23 July 1913, Page 4

THE GREY SEAT.

THE SECTARIAN QUESTION. RED AND GREEN ALLIANCE. (By Telegraph.) ! (Special to "Chronicle.") WELLINGTON, July 22. A rumotfr that Mr. Michel's support--ere had approached the local head of ■ the Greymouth Roman Catholic Church (Dean Carew) with the object of inducing him to change the Catholic voto from Mr. Webb to Mr. Michel, form-- ; ed tho subject of a question at Mr. Michel's meeting at Greymouth last night, which is reported by the special correspondent of tho "Evening Post." Mi1. O'Donnell (the questioner) # asked: Are you aware that two prominent members pf your committee went to a well-known clergyman and asked him to try ancl get his congregation to pl.orlrr^ themselves not to vote for a So cialist? ; / ~: Mr. Michel asked for names. • Mr." O'Dbnrieil said lie could provo Chat Mr. Michel met the two members near tho Post Office and learned tho answer. Mr. Michel: Names? 'v \>Mfv O'Dorihell■':• Jeffries and Wivrdi of Arahura. ;■.. .-Mr. Jeffries - came.. v forward...' oh tho stago_ and said that as far as' ho was concerned it wias a. deliberate lie, - He was a poor manj.but he-would; \ giv« £50 to any charitable institiition if the statement could bo proved. The •insinuation seemed to "be'that Jio »p ■ "prpsiehed ;Dean" Carew. He was quito prepared that Dean Oarew should comGfonvard and decide* for or against;him.';. ;; ■ Mi*.; O'Dpnr.ell i. I: might'have1' made s ' a mistake'about tho name, but'WarcT was certainly one. Mr. Michel declared that he had had no private conversation with any.clergyman •of any church with regard io tho election since he entered the- contest. Ho did not think any member of his committee hud had such n conversation. Ho denied that ho had ever had to apologise to a clergyman in Ross. ' Tho "Post" correspondent, in referring to the sectarian issue, says : "There is no; doubt that a number of niischievoms stones and insinuations, some, of them based on religion and some >on character, have hden in circulation in thin electorate. There is also no doubt that Mr. Hannan has been tho victim of many of these, but as it is within tho capaci+v of any irresponsible person to invent p. story and start it upon its courso a candidate woul:] seem to have no piwer to stop this sort of' thing. In almost every religion there aro bisrots who will refuse to vote for p, candidate because he is not of tbeir religious colour, and who will say so. By a process of mutual retaliation this ooxroding diseasp fefds <on itself. There ! is also no I'm it to the stupidity of some of the slanderers. . . The wiso saying that T-uignage was given to man to enable him to conceal his thoughts is especially true just now in Grey. Thin is largely due to tho mixing of tho sectarian * with* the political issue, i and to th i crosscutting of business interests ami personal feelings. There is r. general atmosphere of suspicion which one will not bo sorry to get away from." According to Mr. Webb it has been ■ reported that he went to confession at I tho Roman Catholic Church in order \to gain Catholic votes. Another story ; is? that ho was in tho habit of beating i bis wife (!i3 is a single man).