MR. HALCOMBE DISQALIFIED.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 72, 6 September 1879, Page 2

MR. HALCOMBE DISQALIFIED.

•.'.-. ■ ; " ;' -■''■:■;'■ -;,-^r;l ■■■<y<:.^{- ; : ■■■:, ■ It js neppssary t^at; ther question ;of ■Mv- Halfiptpbe'p;diß^uali4cation shpujd befullV^undppftopjdibeforeVthe.day of election,- as the b.u)k pf the, electors , are " - fully qonviriped of 'the w.isdpm; an4 tit-: pediency of the returnqf a.jloGatpan^U. datew .eleotio^ ; _.p£ means; BMp}^iM^4-Wi^''9Ri .9*s■part.; Although. the ; x-umor t -Qf ,db,qualir •ficatipnoL^i 4.]oeen,. current {since last JPriday, >wiiile there iras a . s.hado^- of!, a ' •doubt . itt: ', studiously . "avoideid writing a line on tbiis" subject. wliich-'\F"puld damage, ;Mr. J3"alcombe's plijanp^ p^8 T ucfie §$„.; The time foivretir r cepc£ isjnow past. - tbe.Dwa.uali§car tion r Ac t of 1878, by, -jfljiclif; al^ ■ fft!be» previous /Disquali^catlpnAGts ;\^ere. re-, pVal^iiWt-liei^e.ssiqn;^^ tion wa's not 'considered" by." the Legisr, laturej ;Clau§e I^i.jqa^df aiif oUpws ;— y IV A}l po^tractor* and piFil)^e?yanta a^re-andj shall be incapable pf b^ing' sUmipt^ed ts, or jOj^hplding a seat m, theX^gisiatifte Covincil, ,: gggf being elected oaf or of Bjttjng^or Tpting {¥'■* %H? b SfiPf % Souse'.^; .^YgJs-^iT.^v ■■■ ="■;. ":■::*" 7- r "".'■";. 'Ixjf pjause "Jfl.jt- |t^e a^. '^pfi^edi Jas ,|pls; "Oon|;i!ac|;or" me,ap.s, a, -person/ who eitheirby hiiisqlfj or direpjily or . indirectly, by or wi^hrd^isys, h^ut #ot a ; fi 'joint sioclt 9Q<ingany,, ({rjipi a\riy ' apr^ora^er Jot^v is; intere,3jßdjin^^^ cpntraci pr. j agrep.mjp£enl r ered' Wl I **- !*'s :i Majes|t^.o^jri|h any. ofl|ce'o^ .' dtiparjt^elil of the ; XioH^l^enl;^ ;with Wy person pj^ p^aoiis Jb^oy' on' acfcouWt of the; aeiprice pf^^'Nev^'^eabitidj'aiider, whichpublic iiibhey above tlie r ßuin'of •' £S0 is '■ "payable direptly qn inair,ectly ;-'(jo suohijie^-' 'son m apyone' financial yeaß;: "•■' y. ■■' 1: Pi? : >^ith the portioii 'pf ihe' ; pitaHori itali^vcised, \fe •h^lil»fte}td T d<?ial oh;, tfn^tji^; Appendix' Public^ ■^orksi '•■ Stater^ent " ' delitered '- by ; the Jion l tfamei I^|cai|idreyf on Thiir sdayy \ the Ity < will ■ tbe f ound a ", Schedule 6r J sleeper- c6ntraetß current; 10n til? J|t.: July, ; 1878, } ftnd contracts!-: entered into during the Financial year, tendefd 30th JunQ,^Eß|Q.^ : 0 'bears the Heading, and ; itn^'par,t|cu. lars '-; ar^ , \jn^ ' ( fpllp^iii^ ment ; Contractors\ n^mies 5. address j Np. 'of sleepers fiontr^cted fori ra^e^per sleeper ;; to be delivered at ; .rat 6 per '•' mpnth:5 i .^to»..he. cpmple,te4j total delivered to fate y remarks.' • In page 5 4 2 neadipg M r lt Wanganui," the ' following" entry appears .— l3th May, ]M&, & B; Ha^ combe ; Palnier^ton Ifp.rtli| 3lOsp[O,.tptara 5 2s, j^d.; TeJTaqe.End' v sjd!rig;;(nP rate per trionlh is given) 13tlit)etober^ lM$:" 1 'Mr.j Halcombe, js m this qfiicial ctocu-: merit termed tlie contr^ctor/v^ ' ' " ! In the ; page iof > the; "^blic, Works Statement r'^willbe found 'the of MX Sjielsoh, %lio knowing; that ;he would be disqualified as a candidate while a contractor/relieved himself of his "und.ertakiHg beffpr^ the\. nomination of candidate's tbo^' pl'acle'. / Mir. : Hal^ c^nibe <^ad ' the. -^me;' facilities o^en to him to 'remove his dikquaiifiOatioir, ;'but . failed to ; .take atlvarttage : thereof ; ;/aiid hence^ became not only disqualified, but 1 illfigaily nominated. Tthksb.edtt^eenied neqessary that the f oregoini* 1 particulars should obtain wide^ publicity, from tlie . knpvrledge that tltepeople a;*e the true judges of the actions of private nwi, a's :we^l as the intentions" of tlfe 1 Eegisfature. 'It has also beeu eoi\!udered wise tp give these details,, so any man pin read iov himself tcojn-^ie auth^ftjer cited , :as 'the question is one 'idq graVe. to be"; made to server alone a- par%- purpose m. flection strif%. In the han'dbiU jjublishe'd by^Mr. Halcombe, it is 1 sfaUd' that the Adt expressly prbyides for the freedom 6f 'action of an agent of a' Oofforfttibn. Let all men r?ad the Act for themaelyes, and they will not oiily be surprised !'.at the mendacity of the statement, but of i the imwisdpm ot the maa wko could

publjcly make such a misleading assertion, ft is one of the primal intentions of aty Disqiualification Acts to preserve the purity of the Legislature by tho exclusion of agents of political corporations from participating m its council*. It is oq.e qf the first qualifications pf a candidate jfo? Legislative honors that he is knoj^n tp be a frpe raan, ab}e to work for th« public gop4 Unbiassed by private interest, of the cpm^ands of authority. There is no doubt but that M?, Hal? combe has made a mistake m the question of Ms dis(j^alf,4catioji j as no' man who would seek to eyade the.l^w, would ask the people to make him a law maker. The act contains no reference whatever to the twenty men, as stated m the hand-bill circulated. If any man doubts this assertion, Ipp h|i» read the Act for himself . "" It natters not m the slightest degree ' whether Mr. Halcombe, when signing the contract m question described himself as agent for the E. aud^.A. Oorporatio'p.qrwhether he so signed himself as tbfi usual description of his occupation. He ip the contractor, and against him alone the Government could obtain compensation for a breach of covenant. His reputation and hia monetary interests are. involved m its. dueexecution more than any other man. That he is interested m the profits ac(cruing fcom th^e.ppp tract is equally 'plain, as he is interested m the profits ■and success qf tite' company. The following legal opmion has been handed to us for publication; and comes •from a well-known legal auth,o,rfsy ? — Be A. W. F. Haicombj;. In reference to the request for a^ opinion as to whether Mr. Arthur William 3?ollet Halcombe is disquaified by the provisions of " The Disqualification Act, 1878 " from being a member of the House of Represtafcives. I consider that if, as it appears from the Public Works Statement of last f session, Mr Halcombe entered "into a large contract with thi» Goveunment m his own jjame be is certainly disqualified, any understanding pr : agrpemerit between Mr. Halcombe and the E. and 0. Aid Corporatipn notwithstanding. Mr. Macarthur's letter; /which, apJpeared m ouEissuepf Wednesday last, is^as calpulated to mislead as Mr. Hal* ieolmbejs .hand-bill. The honor of neither of those gpptlenaen is sought to v be assajled, but their apparent wilful blindness impugned. It is not a question of the uriatlve merits of the candidatse lyitli l which the,, electors have now to deal, but the" difisiop of votes, which' may possibly secure Mr. Walter Johnston's election. Were Mr. Halcombe's candidature possible— through an oversight m the wording of the Disqualifipation Act— wliich it manifestly is not f— he could only become eligible for ejection by evading the spirit of the law and the wejltknown inteuttoh p| the Legislature: Thisi is a position, now pointed .."o'ut,;*.; no : man' |ealo»s of his public or pravate raputation ;would Bpek tp fill. The: duty; of the -electors is plain-- they? , Must blbct ; t^^ 9^7 QVXLiVWII- J.OCAX. -PANDIDATB, Ml*. ;: ■;'/-;.:•.;;; .'•■ ; -; ■:.". ".: