Manamatu Herald. THURSDAY, NOV. 16, 1898. The Government.

Manawatu Herald, 16 November 1893, Page 2

Manamatu Herald. THURSDAY, NOV. 16, 1898. The Government.

The tactics, the wishes, and the policy of the Liberal Government are just those things •• no fellah can understand," not even candidates professing to support them, or their own Ministerially managed Wellington newspaper. There appears to be two or three directing forces all at loggerheads amongst themselves— first there is the Premier, the other Ministers are taken no notice of; then the Party, known under many different titles, but composed chiefly ol Kuights of Labour, and thirdly the brewers. he •• Party " has issued an order to its members to vote for two Prohibitionists and one who is not. The Brewers do not like the selection, what on earth is to be done? The Ministerial morning paper has a leaning towards the Liquor interest, and Mr Kennedy Macdonald, another • Liberal ' candidate, not approved of by the • Party ' has a leaning towards the trade. The position is a troublesome one for the newspaper, and therefore on Tuesday we are treated to an eulogistic leading article on Mr Macdonald s speech. •• The candidate deserves the thanks of the Government for the clear, warm vindication he has given of the Government position from the first," is the start, ••he has deserved the thanks of the Liberal Party " is afterwards mentioned. Mr Macdonald's defence was " both just and discriminating as well as eloquent," it is turther asserted. What is all this praise [for? The Party have stated they think that Sir Robert Stout and Messrs Fraser and McLean are the best candidates, and yet the leader writer mentions the party ought " to stand firmly united before the country." Is this likely to be obtained by urging a discarded candidate on the claims of the Liberals ? The article has not the pluck to ask Mr Macdonald to sacrifice himself for the good of the Party, but in a slightly indirect manner pushes his claim to support in preference to the chosen of the Party. Mr Macdonald appears to have spoken with much knowledge when he mentioned •« The Liberal Party were presenting a most anomalous position in this contest ; they were split to pieces ; they were absolutely divided upon this liquor question." The Government candidates will learn an interesting lesson at the end of this month, and it will be the folly of trusting to the support of the Government if they are in antagonism to the interests of the Liquor Ring. It is, however, hardly decent in a newspaper so directly controlled by the Government, as the N.Z. Times is, to attempt to urge the claims of a candidate for support, who has been rejected by the wire-pullers of the Party. No wonder the Party is tumbling to pieces when we see these things done.