WELLINGTON NORTH BY ELECTION.

Taihape Daily Times, 14 February 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON NORTH BY ELECTION.

The Wellington North by-election is of very special interest to the who:c Dominion, because it has all the inherent possibilities of disturbing the very basis upon which the National Government stands. Wellington North constituents arc in a dilemma; they are undoubtedly entitled to be represented in Parliament, in accordance with agreement made at the birth of the National Government, and they would have just as undoubtedly sent a good, loyal Reformer to the House to replace Mr. Herdman, but that Mr. ,Massey has blundered in with a candidate many electors in Wellington North cannot tolerate. They are loyal to Reform, and it is because of their loyalty they find they' cannot record their votes for the candidate their leader, Mr. Massey, has, without learning their views or consulting their wishes, unjustly thrust upon them. Mr. J. P. Luke has exhibited all the appearances and symptoms of lacking that quality of loyalty of which they are seized; the two kinds of loyalty are incompatible, the Luke kind can never mix with'that of true Reform. This being so the electorate is divided, one side following the slavish, spurious loyalty and the other the genuine, admirable quality which centres around the candidature cf Mr. de Bathe Brandon After reading through the washy, unsatisfying address by Mr. Luke, one turns to the utterances of Mr. Brandon, every word of which reflects honour, uprightness, courage, self-reliance and an inflexible determination to foilow that course that seems to the speaker to lead to real progress. Of the better man there can be no shadow of doubt even, and as the nicely-adjust-ed equilibrium between parties, upon which the National Government swings, will be rendered more secure by the election of Mr. Brandon, it Is in the best interests of the country that he should be elected. We may differ with the National Government in its voting its own life despite the unexpected length of time the war is lasting, but a subsidiary arrangement was made between all parties; the country accepted it, or did not raise a voice against it; other by-elections have been decided in accordance with it, and it would be nothing short ot dishonourable to advocate unfair means to an end, however desirable we may consider that end to be. Mr. Brandon is a gentleman in every respect, he is an old colonist, who has ! filled highly important public positions; he is a capable, highly educated man in whom all old colonists have unqualified trust, and although he is not Mr. Masey’s nomination, we think it is in the best interests of the country at this moment that he should be elected in preference to the changeable Mr. Luke.