Manamatu Herald. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1890. Last Night's Meeting.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 4 December 1890, Page 2

Manamatu Herald. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1890. Last Night's Meeting.

If evor a man was hoi9t with his own petard, it was Mr Fred Pirani, the labour candidate, last night. He had, to quiet his supporters, issued a hand bill as follows : — '• Palmerston Election. Public Hall, Foxton. On Wednesday the i)rd December, at fi p.m. Fred Pirani will address the electors as above, dealing particularly with the " Manawatt: Herald " criticisms and exposing their fallacies. Questions invited. Be straightforward, and meet the candidate in public." Here was a challenge, which we readily accepted, and we attended the meeting so that this labour candidate might l.mnv that his customary misuse of figures and facts would be uiininvifiilly up, Al'trr Me

* I Pinini had opened his Jirsi sentence. with an assertion that wa ; grotesque if it was meant for the truth, Mr Thynne rose and putted that he claimed the right to reply, and he expected the candidate to assist him in obtaining a hearing. What a wonderful (.'feet this had on Mr Pirani Avill be seen, when it is stated, that, directly after this caution, Mr Pi rani told his audience that he would not take up their time in dealing with the leaders or questions put by the "Herald," but) would leave them to judge, if he could prove. that three assertions made by that paper were " lies," what the other statements were worth. Mr Pirani's assertions, as to what was the truth or not, met with so many contradictions during the evening, that we are content to merely say, that he failed, in even in this one undertaking by which he proposed to demolish us. Leaving the attempt to expose our " fallacies," — which showed the greatest sense exhibited by the candidate last night — he took up the time of his audience one hour in narrating little anecdotes with an absurd moral, all of which, he suggested, pointed to Mr Thynne personally. So thus has ended the much bragged-about "exposure "of our criticisms !! ! After the exhibition of himself last night, Mr Pirani must have estranged from him the last decent supporter that has up till now kept to him. He flung accusations broadcast, he called all his opponents liars, and scoffed at the opinions of the members of religious bodies. lie made a desperate attempt to appropriate a document which was lent him to read, and gave it up only on the determination of the chairman and meeting being most vigorously expressed. We hope that this is the last we shall have seen and heard of this most objectionable candidate. He has done more to create a bad class feeling, to create a doubt as to whether there is such a thing as truth and honour in politics, and to lower the Avhole tone of public contests, than any man Aye have ever met, and to have Mr Pirani as representative of this electoral district, would be to lower us in the eyes of the whole colony.