TO THE WORKING MEN OF WAIPAWA.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4045, 9 July 1884, Page 3

TO THE WORKING MEN OF WAIPAWA.

[To the Editor op the Daily Telegraph.] Sir,—Will you kindly allow me one word to the'working men of Waipawa:—Working men, you are now to be called upon to exercise that judgment and intelligence on which your future prosperity in this colony depends. You have to choose a candidate for Parliament. Out of the two that are standing, the one makes a great fuss about being your especial representative, ' arid a great blow about what you would have been without him and all that sort of thing, whilst the other simply and quie.tly offer- himself as a representative of all classes, to do his utmost for the electorate and the colony as a whole. Very well. You will say, give me the man who raised tho railway wages 6d per day. Mr Smith certainly took care to get credit for that, but if you make enquiries I think you will find that when he brought the matter up" the" Government had already made the increase, and their decision was not influenced by' your member at all. But, you will say, the plate-layers Subscribed and gave him a watch which proves him to have got it. But only six or seven men subscribed for tho watch, and that does not -indicate public feeling. Then/again, the huge list 'of names illuminated and presented. Well, very many of those who signed that address hardly stopped to think what they were signing for, and numbers of them arc now'supporting Mr Tanner's candidature. Remember, that by supporting a man who represents a class you are com.mencing a strife between Labor and Capital, and you are making a war between the two things that should 'he : most closely united. The interests of capital arc in most ways identical with those of labor. When there is no capital there can be no labor. And yet you encourage a man to raise tho cry of labor against capital! .You must not be too easily led away and gulled. He Avill make you believe" black's white, and that he, of" course, made it so. Think for yourselves. If a man is not a clap-trap adventurer, he does not. need to poke all these things down your throats". Nearly the whole of Mr Ormond's supporters are now supporting Mr Tanner, and . a largo ' number of Mr Smith's • lato snppoiters are also for Mr Tanner. Electors, do not pledge your votes. Any man who asks you to do so destroys the whole system of the ballot box. Wait till the other candidate speaks, ank if you do not use your judgment, as I expect you will, arid return for our member a man who is a straightforward representative of all classes alike—no working man's loafer —and who has a stake in the district, which all representatives should have, I shall: be,'.sorry, fpr yon all and pity your misjudgment.—l am, <!cc., ~■:'. An Elector; ''Waipawa, July 7, 1884. ' ,-'.-.