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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3201, 1 October 1881, Page 2

Under the heading " A Contradiction," the Waipawa Mail has the following amusing but rather startling statement: —" We have the authority of Mr W. C. Smith for stating that there is not one particle of truth in the rumour which has, within the past few days, gained currency in Waipawa, to the effect that he (Mr Smith) had originated, or caused to be published, a lying story which appeared as a paragraph in the Napier evening paper of 24th instant, respecting Mr Johnston and the Catholic votes." &gr»ia, iv an editorial foot-note to a correspondent's letter, the following appears: —" Our correspondent is evidently unaware of the tsct that the statement to which he refers was nothing more than a canarC, and was immediately by the Catholic clergy at i\Tar.jer." Now, wi;h respect to the " contradiction," we r-fcve the very best of all authorities for stating that Mr W. C. Smith did originate the " lying story " concerning the Catholic vote. Mr Smith not only told us himself that the Catholics had received orders through the church to vote for Mr Johnston, but that he had himself seen the circular. Mr Smith did not only tell us, for he had spread the story abroad before we published it. Receiving it as we did from Mr Smith we accepted it as a truthful statement of fact, and we did not believe it to be either a " lying story " or a " political canard."