POLITICAL SITUATION.

West Coast Times, 19 June 1912, Page 3

POLITICAL SITUATION.

MR. ISITT AND THE MINISTRY. ALLEGATIONS OF INCONSISTENCY ATTITUDE ON LIQUOR QUESTION. CHRISTCHURCH, Juno 12. “ I hold the member for Christchurch North in high honour,” said the Rev. R. S. Gray at a No-License demonstration last night, 11 for the action he took in that great crisis in forming the present Government; yet ho has boon taunted with it, and one man who aimed at being a political leader dared to speak of this man as if he had boon untrue to his position and pledges. As a man sent in practically by the Liberal Party, although he was an Independent Liberal ho said ‘ I will not sit behind any man Who is attached to, or implicated with, the liquor traffic,’ and that man to-day is not. the leader of the Liberal Party. If Mr. Isitt never did anything else, and never does anything else, he will be remembered for just as long as we have memories.”

Commenting on this “The Press” says:—“We really do not understand the way in which the Prohibition party are continually patting the member for Christchurch North on the back for saying, as the Rev. R. S. Gray put it last night, that ‘ ho would not sit behind a man who was in touch, and im-# plicated with, the - Liquor party.’ Is not Mr Myers a member of the Ministry which Mr Isitt helped to bring into existence, and is not Mr. Isitt Impporting that Ministry to-day ? Personally wo think that Mr. Myers is far the best member of a very inferior Cabinet, hut that does not alter the fact that ho is a very, eminent brewer, who lias on more than one occasion been hold up to opprobrium, with the lost of his class, in the Prohibitionist organ. This is what makes it so difficult to realise the exact point of Mr. Gray’s remarks. At the same time wo admit that it is a very touching sight to see Mr. Isitt and Mr. Myers working together in the same political clique, as they would have ns believe, for tin; regeneration of the human race. It makes one hope that the millounum is after all not very far off.”