A GREAT MEETING

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2126, 18 April 1914, Page 4

A GREAT MEETING

If is doubtfa} if ever' before in "Wellington so many people hatfe gat-luffed at on-o spot- to listen .to a political atkbess as assembled, /it tho Town, Hall last evening. We jto not refer merely to' the , imnoen.ge. .gatlicr': ing within the hall itself j but include also the equally large jwiniber of citizens who feng before ei-gfet o'clock found tho doors barped. agaißSt them owing to the seating aecojiirtiodatiqiii i being already fully occupied, Thousands were tornea away on this afr , count. It is striking ■evidejiee of : tho interest which is being taken by the pmblie in tho political situation, as *ell as a, romaFK.nW.e- tribute to the . Blinjster of .Justice, $$n, -IfEjifeMAJf; who haaja.ißTi'ihe.Mli l to reply to , :tne- speech made by Sir Joseph Wpl> ■ it> the same r/uilding a week &gO, Tlifi ; opponents of the (3ovfcrnnU>nfc had; rallied in some farce, and it ■; quite evident early in fcfto proceedings : that they had 'organised their plan of campaign. All their efforts, however, broke- harmlessly, against the' imperturbable, good humour and, un-; yielding persistence of the Minister of Justice. The obvioitsly organJsed. attempts id disconcert :lrim never m] .a single instafteo debarred hiiii frerij. , malting -his point, and often tte m.ost. eathaswatia of the admirers &f Sir - JoSBPis Ward antl of tho Red Fed.?,* tlen mast have found their ardour coofeg under tks iivfhrenefc of the ■ man who smiled -quietly at ttaif.de; iMHatrattMis and i-ef'ttssd to deviato' one liairVbreadtlit frgm tjto . courie ho had laid down foi' himself. T : o< ■w&t&s tho close of ! the nieetiiig the s enthtteiasw of the Waidists and Ketf Fcderatipnis-ts pl-ftiiily rnodfefated. It ms a tribiHe which men ancj.' uromea ■, semetiraes insenßJhly.pay ig eowisgol which is clearly backed by A'Sensa o- j (kitj- and oiitepokenftess wliidi fej frankly- sincere. The more enTplmtic j and outspekem Mn. Sbrdsiak fascanio as to tte obligations resting on ifoa Gorenimonfc d«ring the strife- d-js» orders—the nu>ro'r€sol«Wy he dtvj 'daved his rcadiness to pursi'ie again ] the sa-nie ecmrse under similar concfition'S"the more- -entlrasiastk. became ika tkiijonstratiotts of approval famn the great bulk of tliehugo Audience, and Jihe more silent Jiis opponents. And tho same \vns the caso wleii, refoi'rhvg to Sir Jos'eMl Wa : r»-, he took off the gloves and' uhoived tho Leader of the Opposition as the shaj-' lo\v, bombastic-, petty pSTfcy politician he really is. SIR Jesuit Wakd's fol* lowerg present .on stvcfiit oeeasions ch«er<!i) their teader very heartily, ■ but the chorus of appi'oral *hich swelled forth when Mp. HERftjtAS deHoimcecl Sin. Joseph Work's attltadiu in connection with the strike., left no rttoni fof doubt as to the- veal vic*s of the tn:eat majority jiiresant. It was indeed a niijhl .for the citiwft who enjoys plnin, straigh-tJof-' ward speflkinjflf, is distinct from thm BKtliotls of the shufficr an<i timeserVcr. Tijoro was fto tfirtHUing, _»o splitting of straws, no evasive feyi-sts: and tuvns; but- ttefkite, clear- , cut opinions, forcibly expressed and firmly adhered to. Tho sort of speech hi fnefc that could not fail to coni' ttiaud tho respeet of frfosds ftnd oplionctits alike- It is not neeesSM'y to discuss tbo speech in d<j-tftil. Those who tea-d the full suttiiattry of it which will be foitnd in o«r news cpluinjis cannot failto recognise. that , the speech is ofto whicli gives evidence of strowjrih, a efoat ttras-p of the larger politicn-l atiestioas pi the rftoment, and a hi.ffh Konse of tho oliliiraH&ns resHna on Ministers In the , fulftimeut of fhfl trust reposed in them. There is nothing petty or narrow in it; on tie contrary, it is 'framed oil broad, strftng lines, showing deai , - ness of outlook, fimuess of purpom, and a proper appreciation of the need for an active and progvessive policy of development. i Sin Joseph Ward fa con- ■ .stantly fn.seting with < emb. arra-ss- : meats through tho indiserctiotts of ;iis fi'ioßcls, and fin incident at the close of last night's meeting, while it -nuisfc prove iliunjinatinß is" the general pubiic is likely to ho somewhat ilisconcflrtiftg to oiif "ISh :ral" friends, Jnst as tii& huge crtng was about to disperse an individual who had oectipi«<J a pwminont place on. the front Keats at the rear ef the platform w,ive<i his jivms wildly and shouted at the top .of-his voice .for cheers for Sir . Joseph Ward-. Ttw intemstißp .point- about the incidoflt h that f-hc genttcmau in Cfuestioti was ono of tboso most iu cvidento in diahirbifig Mtt. FiSUEn's

■meeting a few evenings ago. His i.'fforts on i-liafc occasion resulted i» his hdng 'ejected from the mentian anil l/ciiip fined in the Magistrate';-; Couvt, with w.vanil others, for crcafcing :t disturbance. Jn vtew of the auxicty which has feeen shown by the loading lights of Warclism to disclaim responsibility for the attempts to prevent Ministers obtaining » faiv hearing, tho mal of the particular gentleman referred to must, we fair. prove somewhat ewihsmssing to his [fiends. It at Mn. Fismers meeting h« was ejected and fined by the Court for creating <t disturbance, and a few. evenings later is to be found txt Mr. Hg'rdmak's meoMne loudly calling for_cheers lor Sin Joseph Ward, it is fair to assume Unit ho h a gijod aj.icl true Warditis. It would be very interesting b> know how many of the other disorderly disturbers of recent- meetings were followers of Sin Joseph Wmid, whose meeting,' it will be recalled, was •singtikfly free from interruption of any kind,