LABOURS OF HERCULES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1511, 6 August 1912, Page 6

LABOURS OF HERCULES.

DESTROYING THE HYDRA. \ — 1 WHAT THE LEADER MUST DO. ® ■ The Hon. I-'. M. B. I'isher was received, p with tumultuous ' applause and lusty t cheers, lie thanked the audience for hav- , ing come out to do honour to the Minis- ( try, anil he thanked Mr. Skinner and tho members of his committee for their kindness o.»d their expression of it. Ife could never forget the support of his friends'who had fought his up-liill battles with him in past years, and he would bo unworthy of his position, unworthy of his very existence- ()n earth if lie proved false to iho trust those people had reposed in : him*. Whta he iiad first come out as a eumiidate for Wellington Central he could 1 not get -n committee. He .. advertised a L meeting to form one,-but only five people turned up at.it, and at his first public meeting he could not get a man to tako tho chair. Things were different now. Ho mentioned, that lie had the honour . of holding precisely the -same portfolios that his father had held 2,1 years ago, and. that to. him was a great source of pride and ' satisfaction.' (Applause.) A public man wjis punished "by the public if he ■ had ' what was called a personality. .To sue- ' coed he must have strength of character 1 to face public opinion, to put his back ito the wall. Ho, in his time, had had some ' unpleasant tasks, but he had had his re- ; ward in the approval and confidence of his own ]>eople. His Government meant ■ to do right, and if they did, -..right they • would have the public closo l.p behind ' them all the time. (Applause.) It had ■ been said of a candidate: "Beforo tho i election he promises his reforms, and . after the election he -reforms his pro- - niises." This party had come to tho . country with a definite policy, and whilo ■ ho could not say what was gol ing to bo declared next day,' i ho did .venture to say there would not- bo niiy falling away from tho i pronounced policy of tho Opposition that . went'to '{he-country an December last. As J time \veiit on,, it might bo possible—in- , ! deed, it this Adininis- J ; tration -w'Ould become corrupted. "But," i • Ko .kiiid, "you afo the power- behind .tho < ; throne.'- Yon .'are the.' judges '.to. whom: wo i miist'appeal.'.'. You iiro tile '.source" from ] : which .we draw all our potentiality,, and , from you.'we ask,-we invite,' criticism ; wo.'beseech you to watch them closely, and ' . sco that .they conduct their administ'ra- , tion in the interests of the country and , the people. If they do that you will bo ; ablo to keep Ihem in power tor' many [ years to come." (Applause.) The party, L he continued, had learned in adversity ; the valuo of union and co-operation, and i they must not relinquish'their enthusiasm ' and organisatioii now that success had ' como to them, lie likened Mr. Massey to ' Hercules. He had been called to clean the stables and to slay the hydra. "Tho ! hydra," ho said, "was a beast with several hejtds. The Opposition has several heads. ' (Applause and laughter.), When Hercules cut the principal head off Hie hydra, two new heads grew in its place, and now when my honourable friend the Prime Minister has cut tho principal head off that hydra wo> shall expect to see two grow in its place next week. It will be for tlio lender of our party to keep on cutting until he has destroyed not only the heads but the hydra itself." Mr. . I'isher concluded with a warm eulogy of i his election secretary, Mr. W. A. Thompson, who had loyally stood by him as a public man. He attributed most of his ; successes to the individual efforts of this j one man. He thanked his chairman also, i and ho thanked tho people for having . come out to pay such a generous tribute lo his leader and his colleagues. (Ap- ' plause.)