CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 76, 20 September 1879, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

(Our correspondence column being open n« res. ponsibility can be accepted m respect of optapo^ expressed by correspondents.] f ? .', .• "*; ■'■".

AN EXPLAIN ATIQIS;,

XO-THE EDITOR. Sib,— ln yoursub-leader of the lfthinstl you assert " that Had it not been for the. insulting "manner" in which Mr. Hjicombe's presumptive right to stand was put forward by me, Mr. Snelson would not have opposed Mr. Halcombe m Palmerston." I was in- • vited r by a post eardi signed by yourself,; to attend a meeting of electbw Vat c T°. w^ HaU, Palmerston, and I attended that meeting as on elector only; and m no sense, as Mr. representative. ; I hafl noWthorifcy to act m that capacity, and my statement to the meeting that Mr Halcombe rhadsaid publicly m n^y heari^"that he would not retire under any circumstahcei,". was made," not on Mr. Halc^mbe's' behalf, but because I felt. bound WfiHt/lh.^ meeting m possession of a' fact, ignorance of whicn might have stultified its efforts> I was^at ' the time perfectly well aware /that m doing so I ran some risk of damaging Mr. Hal-, , combe's, interests, as a, caudida.tg, by the pique that such a declaration would be likely to excite m Mr. Snelson and his; supporters., • Notwithstanding the experience of the past election (and m this Mr.. Halcombe agrees - with me), I would pursue the same course again vmder the same circi\instivnces J .:aß;>hei ; only 'straightforward'/ mode ;of. dealing;, ! ■What.a deceitful position would I have occupied m becoming one of a" committee to i make an arrangenient by which either Mr. Halcombe or Mr. Snelson should be^nduead to retire* had I riot first cleared the ground so that the committee might g[6- to work under a f ail andtf air understanding as to Mr; Halcombe's intentions, so far as they .were ,;kridwmfo me; "Agamy the reason given by Mr, Snelson for his refusal to retire was, | _ M _^_ir or TiTrer-oeuii .Uiiutfr U uu&apyieueiitauu 'about thSduvivtion'df the; Parliaulent about [ to be.elected^arid^tuitif'-'-Slß.'. Sri'ejson. states . that the above was not' his. true, repsbn^ I ;■ must assume your assertion about "my m;. • sidling manner '•' to bo, a misstajoment. .. 1^ am unawarethat anytning m my words,, oil .mariner, at the meetings could be construed; : intb'ah; insult; to the oleptors of jPalmerston.; Nothing was further from my tl oughts, yi did simply what I considered it my duty 7 to do of -Consequenoeg, and I P l ™ only sorry that your standard of morality is so law as to lead yoij, m yovir leaders of the!. 2pth/August and 17th; Sepeember, >o blame. me 1 ;'- for merely telling the tru.th. Th« southern candidate has undoubte,dly won the seat through Mr. Snelson's persistence m standing, when, as the. event lias he had scarcely twenty supporters 'out of ■ his own township, and I may '■ be' permitted to retort upon you the opinion very^cbmr monly held, that you yourself ■have been/" either, blin.dly op wilfi^lly, the. chief cause of Mr. Johnston's success .; by the' active part ycii have taken for. reasons best known to. yourself, m urging Mr. Snelson's hopeleW candidatui'e, ; th areby , spotting the. np'v tfiern votes.— lain, &c, ; . v ' ; ;7. '.;•:; "D v H. MA^iaTHUB/ [Mr. ilacarthur saj'S t a postcard,: signed by yourself, to' attend a. meeting of .electors at Palmerston . * * * 1 atje.iide.d, tt\\B,% meeting only as an' elector, and m, no sense as Mr v £^alcoin^b,e'B repvev seritative * * * .and "l- ■made.. the. state-,' ment because I felt bbund to pu"t the nneetiLng.in possession of a fact* ignorance of which might have stultified its efforts." Mr. Macarthur then proceeds to g[in\nifyhis owa straightforwardness, &c. &c, • and expatiate upon a "standard of mov-ality," all of which would be very telling were, there a particle of sincerity m eitheri'- Well, -we ; will not appraise 1 Mr. Maca^thur'-s standard of morality ; we will mereiy.'mentiph a fact or I two — very judiciously ign.orad by. that gentleman— and leave the public $P jnd^e.if ■■.he , i has given the true reason for what we have fittingly termed.t he "insult offered WPalmerstpri." Ma.- Macarthur ;r deny that lie made a special visit to Palmerston, three, Jays before he i received the post card, with a view of" getting Mr. Snclson to retire— or least to affect ah arrangement for one of the I candidates to retire? Will Mr. Macarthur deny that he, m coinpiriv "with Messrs. D.ungan, Ooleni,an, Alexander M'l>)nald, Lintdn'and- Sneison, had a ] long _ conversation as to the constitution of a tribunal by which the candidates shpu'd; abide ; and further will Mr. Macarthur deny tlmt he ■ himself proposed a course which was repcted as impracticable?' How was -it ihitt his manly, struightfprward spirit did not proiwpt him to then, say what he afterwards i-ashly : uttered? or how is it;,tha> m the .very lengthy episile printed above he refrained from taking the public, into his coijiPdence :in living the w/wZe truth J Is it cohsistent witfi tlifit manly straightforward conduct for which Mr. Macarthur gives himself jredit, that he should be a volunteer party to the arrangement of- a committee to confer with both candidates^ he, wi^s. abso- ■ lutely m possession of: the' knowledge, that Mr. Halcombe would not retire, under any L circumstances. W \^l.l it i^ofe haTP.'been 1 irtore straightforward had he then mat! e the ■ declaration, and so have avoided the expense jfcaliit\g a meeting together* and the trouble to those attending , it, only to inform them fchat the matter was a foregone conclusion. The le,tte». reads excellently well, and has been penned with some care as to effect, but we imagine that the little fiSod of light we Imve. just let m upon the subject will raise i question as to its sincerity, and. somewhat Iqtract from the grand picture Mr. D,. 5Vlacarthnr.has drawn of bimeelf, ■ Pro* the -•onstructioji of his letter Mr- Macarthur vould wish to lead the people to believe hat he knew nothing ahout the proposed trrangenient sought to be effected between 'he two bandidates; that he received the mvitation as an elector^ attended as suoh^

and upon the first opportunity explained Mr. Halcombe's, intention, so that there should be no sailing under false colors. If the letter be read alone, it is quite possible id believp that story. Whether, with the foot note attached, the same result can tfcj arrived at, we leave our readers to judge. — EB.M.T.] .