The Wanganui Chronicle FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1925. MR. COATES’ SUCCESS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19442, 30 October 1925, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1925. MR. COATES’ SUCCESS

If those who were about the city on Wednesday afternoon need evidence other than that of their own eyes and ears as to the effects of the Prime Minister’s visit to Wanganui they can find it easily. They have only to look at last evening’s issue of the local organ of Nationalism. This unique journal—unique, we are thankful to say, by reason of its embittered partisanship in a country whose newspapers for the most part maintain a high standard of honour—this unique journal shows in its two columns of editorials that Mr. Coates has aroused its very gravest years for the safety of its pet candidate, the local representative of Nationalism. This will not have surprised those who heard the Prime Minister and learned what manner of man he is. But most people, we are sure, will have been pained rather than surprised by the attempts of this venomous critic to belittle Mr. Coates. No one else can have detected the “outward drift’’ of the audience during the Prime Minister’s speech nor have seen the “large number of vacant seats.” We are able to say ourselves that perhaps a dozen people left their seats while Mr. Coates was speaking, and this surely was not surprising at an afternoon meeting which was begun late and lasted rather longer than most people expected it to last. In many other centres that the Prime Minister has visited during his pre-election tour the Opposition journals have at least reported him adequately and in their comments acknowledged the success of his meetings. It has been left to the Opposition journal in Wanganui to adopt a different method. It is obvious, of course, that fear is the source of its inspiration, and it is equally obvious to those who listened calmly and fairly to Mr. Coates that the fear is well grounded.