Party Politics and the Pulpit.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8614, 2 August 1895, Page 3

Party Politics and the Pulpit.

TO THE BDITOB.

Sib, — I muset ask your indulgence for a lino or two in reply te •• Iconoclast's " letter in yesterday morning's Chronicle. I should not have troubled to do so had it not been a protest against » few statements made. A reference to the contribution in question forces the conviction upon one that the writer must either hare deliberately stated what he knew to be untruths; or io must bo lamentably ignorant of the history of his own country. I prefer to think his blissful ignorance inspired his indignant tffuiion, but perhaps if I give him a fact or two it may serve the purpose of educating him a littl*. To otart with he rushes bald-headed at the Fraser appointment tv show how corrupt tho Saddon Governmeat is ! For his information let me tell him that Colonel Frater was appointed to ths position he now holds by the present Government I can Hot do better than quote an opponont — a loading opponent — so I will mention Sir Robert Stout. Sir Robert moved a want of confidence in the Government oAer this appointment and said—" So long as the charge made agsiuet Colonel Frater stands unre • f uted and unchallenged he ought not to be appointed to office in the House " Virtuous ludignttion ! almost on a par with " Iconoclast." And yet. Sir Robert previous to this stood on th« publio platform at the Thames and with clocjuenco invited the electors there to return Mr Fraser as their representative in Parliament ! On five different occasions Col. Fraser was elected Mayor of the Thamei ; be repreiented the district in three Parliaments, and in addition was appointed a Justice ot the Poaoe by the Hon. G. F. Richardson ! In addition to the above it has been proved that there was no violation of the law, but yet the masterly mind of "lconaolast" says there was horrid corruption The Government, says " Iconoclast," spent £18,000 of the Dubl c money ia th« purchase of a comparatively worthless estate — the Pomohela — from a" follower " of Mr Mackenzie's on the eve of a general election. let me again quote Sir Robert Stout. " I do not intend," said he, " to deal with this Pomohaka business for the opinions I hold about it appsar iv the draft report I brought up befora the Committee, and so far as I am concerned I bolieved what I stated in that report that no cha rye of corruption can be made against the Minister of Lands" But. the graat "Iconoclast" says there was corruption. I merely took these two cases, sir, becausa thoy were the first mentioned, but I could go through the whole list in the same manner did I think it oecossary. I think, however, I have said sufficient to prove " Iconoclast's" ignorance. Before ho rushes into print again ho might endeavor to learn a little moro and not be so foolish as to give veot to a smattering of jumbled-up politics, whioh he has probably picked up at street corners. He concludes hit epistle with a flourish of trumpets worthy of his indignation, but whilst ho gave us the author of the concluding verses why not have favored us with the name of the author of the few preceding lines ? He could not hare boon serious when he quoted I them, as their absurdity when applied to New Zailand is manifest, even to suoh a luminary as " loonoclnst." There have been oartjing critics in the past and we must expect to find them at all times. There are those who by constantly repeating falsehoods come themselves in the course of time to boliovo them, acd to imagine that it is simply impossible for the Government they oppose to do a good act. However, the working man to day knows what " Liberalism " has done for him, despite even the sll-wise and pure " Iconcc'a«t," and he also knows what his condition was and wuuld be again if monopolists and fanatics held power. " Icmoclaf.t," like the Rev. Hammond, carefully avoids the real point at issue as contained iv your leader relative to the colony's financial position. We must expect occtaional wails from our Tory friends whether they be ministers of religion or groundlings, "Iconoolast" infers that few, if any, Ministers of the G*if el look with favour ou the present Government — an inference equally as rash ai that given expression to by tho Rev. Mr Hammond. Every right-thinking person knows, as was stated in your subleader, that tbe masses one a great deal to the efforts of tho Liberal Party. The church at Home in tho past his worked for the classes as against the masses, but in New Zealand, and at Home now, are working with the Liberal Party in assisting to raise the masses from ths thraldom to whio i they were previously subj acted. A sorry sight intUed it wsuld b* to oooa moro favour th« classes as against the massoe, who, by standing shoulder to shoulder, succeeded in completely turning the tables on their opponents at the last general election. It should be more the duty of Ministers of religion to bring back the masses into the churoh, and not drive them awuy by preaching against the very men who have done their level best (of course they are not immaculate) to upraise the poorer daises. Had " Iconoolait " stated the truth, he would have said that the reason so many of the latter waro without employment was because of tho action of ' the Conservatives, who previously held sway, and who represented tho landed and wealthy olajees. They were so embittered at the taxation being lifted from tbe masses and placed on tbo shoulders of those beat able to bear it, that they should have withdrawn all the capital possible that should have been emended in improving their lands — cut off their no«a to spite their face— and dismissed tb» hands previously employpd, bb, instance, the case of the squatters and farmers in Hawko's Bay— — the seat of the Conservative champion, Oaptiin Buasull. " Iconoc'ast," like many another poor deluded would-be politician, should study the question a littlo moro deeply btforo b,e ruehei into print.— l am, etc,

VSBITAS.