"NOT'PLAYING THE GAME"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 66, 11 December 1919, Page 8

"NOT'PLAYING THE GAME"

THE STRUGGLE IN THE WAIRABAFA MR. M'LEOi) ISSUES A CHALLENGE By Telegraph—Special Reporter. Masterton, December 10In the fight tor the Wairarapa scat Mr. Hornsby has been using in his campaign the .statement that some if his opponents have, in order to injure his chances, said that ho was one of the candidates submitted to tho Reform Party at a meeting in Carterton. M.r. M'Leod spoko of this" matter lust night at Maryborough. "I .vant to make one reference to this trouble arising out (f something that is supposed to have been said about something which is supposed to have happened at a Reform meeting nt Carterton. It was stated that 1 jumped at what two other honourable' men refused, Mr. Morrison and Mr. MacCiregor. AVhat was the obvious conclusion? That I was not playing tho game. My retort to that was—and I passed the remark to one or two private individuals—wliy didn't he say there woVe four insteiid of threo before that meeting? That is the truth, notwithstanding all the camouflage and twisting that goes on, and every Liberal that.'sits in this room, if he has taken an active part in the party organisation, knows that what T say is a fact. My opponent, at his Brancepeth meeting, said that if this was done (bis name submitted) it was without his knowledge or consent. T havo thrown out a challenge to him about a letter my opponent wrote to Mr. Massey and leply (of which he published only a portion). I hn.ve challenged niv oppolient to produce that letter and Hint reply. T tell this meeting .now, that I havo a copy of tlint.letter and Mr. Massev's replv in my packet now. I have shown it only (o a few intimate friends of mv own, and but for the fact that Mr. Tlomsbv's letter fcore tho word 'confidential' I would publish it. I linvß consulted leading pressmen, leading lawyers, and Mine of my friends as to whether I have the right to disrecard tho seal of confidence on that letter, and all of them have replied to me that,where a reply to a letter is used, as in this' case, unfairly , i.wl against me, T have tho right to break tho seal of confidence. T hope I will never be weak enough to do t.hic. T ask n"ain that the letter and the reply be published in full, and published in • three or four clays at most. I want to vn.rn tlio noople h»re that half the. letter nr something like that mav he published on the day before the election when T have no chance of reply. ' T ask that this •matter l'n eWml up three or four dnvs Kefore the election. I say straight out that my opponent, is not playing the game."