The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1909. MR. CUTHRIE'S SHALLOW REASONINC.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIV, Issue 12945, 9 December 1909, Page 4

The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1909. MR. CUTHRIE'S SHALLOW REASONINC.

Mr D. 11. Guthhie, M.T. for Oroua, delivers himself of the* statement that, as there are 34 freeholder;, in the House, this show.s that the majority of the electors of New Zealand demand the freehold. The which is a shining example of the fallacious reasoning peculiar to that type of politician who never looks below the surlacc of things. The la&t general election showed that the country was overwhelmingly Liberal in sentiment, but it certainly did not show it to desire the Freeho'd, oven if 34 freeholders were returned. Free nolH ven»us Leasehold is a straight-out issue which can only bo satisfactorily settled either by a referendum, or by a genplal election fought upon that is3ue alonp. But la*t general election, like most g?ne-i-al elections, was fought out upon a complication of issue*. Thus, one candidate for a seat may be a Leaseholder but a l-oor local member, while the other may lie :\ Freeholder aud an active member. And if the hind question i- not a burning one, naturally the active member will win. Or we may find a Freeholder who i.s a strong advocate for the interests of the timber industry opposed by a Leaseholder who considers other matters than the timber industry require first attention. Naturally, ii the district is a timber district, like Rangitikei for instance, the Frce-holder-cum timber man will win. Or, as also happened in Rangitikci, a Liberal Freeholder may he opposed by a Tory Freeholder, and the electors, even if Leasehold to a man, will naturally prefer a Liberal to a Tory. The Leasehold candidate may believe in Prohibition, which means that the Liquor vote goes against him, even if the Liquor voters, individually, all believe in the Leasehold. This invariably happens at elections where thy issues are so numerous and complicated that it is impossible to separate them. (." the Government will fight an election on one isaiie alore, viz., Leasehold v Freehold, it, aloo Mr Guthrie, will tiud the 54 Freeholders now in the House materially reduced in numbers. Or if it will take a referendum it will speedily find an answer to its boast that, "We find out what the peo} le want, and give it to them !"