SIR GEORGE GREY’S MEETING IN LYTTELTON.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1723, 28 August 1879, Page 3

SIR GEORGE GREY’S MEETING IN LYTTELTON.

TO THE EDITOB OP THE PBESS. SlB, —In attending Sir George Grey’s meeting at Lyttelton last evening I did not expect to get a hearing. 1 did not suppose that such a master of all election dodges was making such easily disproved statements without having made himself quite sure that the “ Liberal Association ” had made secure provision that no one should be allowed to answer him. But I thought it very desirable that this fact should be placed beyond all doubt, so that both sides should perfectly understahd the position, and act accordingly. For a Premier who has just told us that the position of the colony is such that “ war may possibly be averted,” and who has just been condemned by his lawful judges, should leave bis poet at such a critical time, and go about the colony whilst in the public pay, and at an enormous public expense, to try and influence the choice of the judges to whom he has appealed., is of itself bad enough; but if in addition to this ho is to make whatever statements he pleases, and any reply to him is to be prevented, by mere noise, clamour, and brute force, and only his side of the question to be stated to tho electors, I think it quite time that any lovers of fair play should insist on the termination of such one-sided proceedings. The chairman politely told me that I had no interest in Lyttelton, evidently forgetting that the same fact applied in exactly the same degree to Sir George Grey; and to might

■with equal point have told Sir Qoorgo Grey to go and talk to his own constituency, the only important difference between ns being that I was a perfectly disinterested judge between the “ old politician ” and the young one, which Sir George Grey could not even pretend to be. It was, however, far from my intention to find any fault with the young candidate. On the contrary, I intended to have commenced my speech by expressing my entire agreement with the views which he had so well'and so lately expressed, to the effect that in order to get the great liberal measures which he desires in common with myself, it is necessary that the country should cease to lean on such a broken reed as Sir George Grey ? Yours, &0., Alfbed Saukdbes. August 2Gth.