PREMIER AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 990, 3 December 1910, Page 10

PREMIER AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS.

$ At the supper adjournment last niglit a number of members of .the Legislative Council met tho Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) in the. Council. Chamber and expressed their sympathy with him over the Black pamphlet. Tho Hon. W. C. F. Carncross said lie wished, on behalf of tho Council, to express thoir sincere sympathy with Sir Joseph Ward in connection with certain anonymous attacks which had been made upon him. They did this; not because of the position ho held, but because they believed no man should be subjected to . such underhand influences as ho (Sir Joseph Ward) had been mado the victim of. (Hear, hear.) Tho Hou.'.W. C. Smith also expressed sympathy with tho Prime Minister in the attack made,on him. In his opinion, Sir' Josojili Ward stood higher to-day in tlio opinion of every fair-minded person. in tlio Dominion than he ever did. The Hon. C. AI. Luko also spoke in a similar strain. The Prime Minister,-in reply, tendered his sincere thanks to the Council for what ho regarded as a unique compliment. Ho valued very highly what had been said. He had never been do-, featcd since he entered public lifo, and had carried out difficult public positions for a number of years. . If ho had been anything like he liiid been painted in a scurrilous. document, people would not have stood by hini in the way they had done; (Hear, hear.) Ho recognised that' a man in public lifo must make strong opponents, but he could say that throughout his long public career he had tried not, to injure a fellow-man, but on the other hand had always and frequently done his best to help him. In regard to this matter which had just been ventilated, he had known of what was going on, but 011 account of tho official position lie held ho recognised that the proper course was to maintain a quiet, and dignified silence. , An, opportunity to reply in tho'House had come unexpectedly, and he took it. Ho believed that every right-thinking person in the country, of whatever shade of political opinion, would recognise that tho attack that had been made on liiin was a low-down underhand thing. Ho again thanked tho Council' for the'eompmnent paid him. After the Hon. Sir C. C. Bowen had expressed his opinion of the "disgraceful attack" made on the Prime Minister, three cheers were given for, Sir Joseph Ward and ono for Lady Ward.