VICTORIAN ELECTIONS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXI, Issue 12124, 22 March 1907, Page 6

VICTORIAN ELECTIONS.

|Borne * Picturesque" Speeches.

The Rev W. Judkins, a defeated candidate for Burnswick (Victoria), editor of the Review of Reviews, and an ex-New Zealander. spoke thusly of the Victorian League of Sportsmen in a recent speech; They were a league of swindlers, a.nd not a league of sportsmen. One gentleman who was at their meeting said he had never seen such a lot of "tugs." There were bo many with low brows, retreating foreheads, and coarse faces that it was marvellous that they could have been scraped out of Melbourne. Hojre an interruption occurred, and Mr Judkia, proceeding, cried: "The weapons of slander are being used. We .don't want to win our fight by calling people names. "— (Laughter.) The candiatc gave a history of his own life at considerable length, showing that it had been perfectly reputable. He added that last July a friend in New Zealand had written informing him that the Police Department in Wellington had been asked by the Police Department in Victoria to make the closest crutiny into the character and career of W. H. Judkins in New Zealand. He at one© wrote to the Victorian Chief Commissioner of Police (Mr O'Callaghan) askiin? if any communication had been received, who had instigated the inquiries, and the nature of the reply, if any, He had never had the courtesy of a reply from Mr O'Callaghan. Next he had written to the Chief Commissioner at Wellington. He had a better understanding of his official duties, for he replied, but stated that such matter* were confidential. On receipt of this letter he again wrote <to Wellington, asking the Chief Commissioner to furnish Mm with any particulars he knew concerning his career in New Zealand — (Laughter.) He replied: "The information sought" is already in your possession, so I do not consider it necessary." —(Loud laughter). But he did not givn un the fi*ht; he wrote to Sir Joseph Ward. The facts were laid before Sir Joseph Ward, and lie was asfced for a copy of the report. It arrived, this report, which had been sent to Mr O'Calliw)»an at the. instance of certain individuals, and it read : "Mr Judkins is a man whose character is above repspach. There is nothing known against him in New Zoalanu."— (Cheers^ Sir Joseph Ward's comment was that no other report could have been eriven — (Hear, hear.) Mr Frank Anstey, M,L.A., the sitting member, who waa re-elected', hurled back some equally strong" language at Mr Jndkins. Someone, he said, had inferred that £1,0(10 had disappeared from the Seamen's Union during his term of office. In reply to that, he had never been connected with the Seamen's Union, nor had the Seamen's Union ever suffered from defalcations. Needless to say, that slanderer was a Judkinite. He was an infamous s liar, and he presented such liars to his opponetn. — (Cheers). The speaker continuing, said he had never made comparisons, but had Been compelled to do so. Mr .Ttidkins had concluded hi.a meetinfif at Glenlyon Road the other night with the peroration lo the electors to "Buck up and vote for God." He (the , speaker) got buckets and buckets of 'slush and never obiected to it, but there was no mention on the ballot paper of the Devil , or the Deity. He took it that Mr Judkins was the 'Deity and he was the angel , of darkness. — (Laughter and applause.)