The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1898. THE WELLINGTON ELECTION.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9380, 5 March 1898, Page 2

The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1898. THE WELLINGTON ELECTION.

TYm Opposition are not quite so cocksure of winning the vacant Wellington seat as they were at the outset of the contest, before the other sido had chosen its candidate, and when at one time it looked as though there was to bo a split in the Liberal camp owing to the Labour Party wanting to have its Own way. Once [ the matter had been settled, and Mr Ivirk decided on as the candidate to defend the Liberal banner, the spirits of the Conservative candidate and his supporters began to droop and doubts to disturb them as to the result of the fight, which they had at first looked upon as a certain victory for their cause. The defeat of Mr Kirk, they argued, would be a deathblow to tho Scddon Government and consequent^ to tho party it represents ; ergo, the Wellington Conservatives must win and convince the rest of the colony that the time was ripe for & Mum 6f the party to pflwer. No doubt it would, help in that direction if they could secure the vacant Wellington seat, but they are now beginning to despair of doing so, as they have counted up the probable number of votes Mr Duthie is likely to get, and are chagrined with the result [ so much so that tliey are about putting up Messrs George Hutchison and Scobie McKenzie, M.'sII.E., and Dr Newman arid Messrs Hislop and Menleath, ex-members, to make platform speeches in favour of the Conserva tive candidate. At tho opening of the contest, before Mr Kirk stopped into the arena, Mr Duthie declared that he could make all the speeches necessary to convince the Wellington electors that he was tho man they should support ; but he signally failed to do so, and when Mr Kirk had made a speech or two it became apparent to his opponent's friends that they must get platform helpy and try the efficacy of Messrs Hutchison and Scobie McKenzie's silvertongued oratory. They are both adepts at special pleading nnd masters of a vitriolic kind of wit which, thoughapparently impromptu* is of the most studied nature and the result of much thought. They have failed to impress either tho House or the country with their continued charges and inuendoes against the Seddon Government, and are looked upon as disappointed office-seekers •whose political digestion has got sadly out of order, and tinged their natures with the green hue of chronic envy and disappointed hopes. They are friends of the Conservative candidate, whose hatred of the Liberal Government is quite as deep as theirs, but of a somewhat different origin. That they will fail to convince the electors ofWelliugton that he is tho right man to replace Sir Robert Stout we feel convinced, as it only needs the Liborah of that electorate to stand firmly together, and exercise their votes, to secure Mr Kirk's return by a substantial majority. The latter aro looked to by the rest of the party throughout the colony to successfully defend its interes s in the coming election, which, without doubt,is being viewed with increasing interest by both sides as the day approaches for the poll. The Liberals of Wellington should leave no stone unturned to ensure the victory of their candidate, as the other side is doing all it can in the contrary direction, and is doing so with very powerful assistance, in the shape of very influential men and abundant funds. The ballot-box, however, is the safeguard of the people's liberty, and has been their political salvation, as it enables them to vote as their reason and conscience direct, and to baffle the attempts of the capitalists and land-monopolists to compel them into doing otherwise. The issue in thia Wellington election is a plain one, and is simply, " Are the electors of Wellington in favour of a return of the Conservatives to power, or of the present Government continuing to administer the affairs of the colony?" They know how the former bungled and blundered when so long in office before, and how successful, despite every obstruction and discouragement, the Liberal administration of the past seven years has been. The country was never so prosperous as it is to-day, nor its credit higher. Yet t' c party, which, when in power, emptied the colony of its able - bodied men, and had its cities and towns overcrowded with half-starved hordes of unemployed, has now the effrontery to ask the electors to turn out the Government that has done so much good, and to replace it by a piebald team of political failures, whose policy consists sole'y of a burning desire to get possession of the Treasury benches. The electors of Wellington, we hope, arc 100 wise to assist in doing anything so fcolWi.