The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1918. THE POLITICAL EQUILIBRIUM.

Taihape Daily Times, 23 February 1918, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1918. THE POLITICAL EQUILIBRIUM.

("With which is incorporated The Tai hapo Post and Waicaarino News).

The political equilibrium necessary for the stability of the National Gov eminent is receiving some very disconcerting jerks. Yesterday, the advice came that the Government-nom-inated candidate for the Southern Maori by-election had been defeated, and the people's choice elected. The Wellington North affair does not look any too sure a thing either. 'At the. last general election Mr. Holland put up a poor fight against Mr Herdman; on the other hand Mr. J. P. Lmke got a nasty drubbing from Mr. Hindmarsh in Wellington Soutß. Shaken clear of the political boss element Mr. Brandon is the proper and natural successor to Mr. Herdman, but the boss, for his own unexplained reasons, has selected a "Joseph" candidate, and is trusting to political camp followers for victory. The progress of the campaign is not repealing anything very definite. Mr. Luke is stupidly harping upon the cry, "Support the win-the-war candidate," as though the war cannot be won unless he is elected. Most people would have more respect for the candidate if he abandoned that silly, nonsensical twaddle. Such talk is unmanly, nay, childish, and men are disgusted; but it only indicates the nature and quality of the intelligence of the men who use it. The best political expositions and the most statesmanlike addresses have come from Mr. Brandon, and on points in speeches Mr. Brandon is entitled to win. Unfortunately, there are camp-followers a nd carpet-baggers to take into consideration, and the result is that these flies are swarming around Holland and Luke. If noise, buzz and hum are reliable indications then it is a toss-up whether Holland or Luke will win. But what a fall for Wellington North, proud, aristocratic Wellington North! From Herdman to Luke or Holland is a very long way, and if either are elected we shall not be surprised to learn that the "bon ton" around Moturoa Street are confining themselves indoors for a time, ashamed to come down town—we shall sympathise with them. There are extraneous factors that are contributing largely towards the defeat of the Government nomination. The Second Division League is giving the Minister of Defence a very nasty time, and have caused copious metaphorical tears to flow from poor Sir James, who accuses the Second Division men of "Not playing the game." They had, he says, no right to let the public know of the inconsistencies resulting in hardships that are inhumane. i Letting the press know what was being done'was altogether unfair. He did not care what he had declared in the House; when he came to consider what he had said he found it was unworkable. We say that the Minister is, by his inscrutable attitude with a Second Division League deputation doing more to kill the chances of the Government candidate in Wellington North than all the other three opposing candidates put together. it is surprising that the Minister was not more careful in handling the deputation; his interjections were ill-judged and heavy scores were made against them on every occasion. He should

have remembered that at last "election Mr. Herdman polled just over four thousand votes and that Holland polled something less than two thousand; that in his own constituency Luke polled only ' half of what Mr. Hinaraarsh secured; that Mr. Herdman was a certainty, and during the campaign it was obvious he would be elected. The conservative vote unaffected by side issues is quite capable of electng a conservative candidate, but it is very obvious the true, the real conservative vote will be cast largely in favour of a bona-fide conservative second candidate, while at last election Mr. Herdman had no other conservative to split votes with him. At this election true conservatives will vote for Mr. Brandon, , camp-followers for Mr. Luke, but the r Second Division League troubles, and other minor matters are likely to draw strongly on the conservative vote in

favour of both the other candidates, and, therefore, there is mortal fear in the political boss faction councils. There seems to be three honourable issues, represented by accepted candidats from three political parties — reform, liberal and labour —but the, boss system has selected a "Joseph" candidate for some inexplicable reason, and whether he gets first past the post or not on the 2Sth of this month, there will be a cleavage in reform that will not be easy to repair. The position of the National Government and of reform would be much more secure by the return of Mr. Brandon than by Mr. Massey's candidate, and Ave cannot help feeling sure that a blunder is being perpetrated that is calculated to court defeat. The progress of the campaign is disclosing little on which to base opinions; it is at present an extremely open question which will receive the majority of votes on the 28th, but Ave are ; of opinion that it Avould be to the advantage of the whole country to maintain the balance of political parties until next December, when a general election will take place. Wellington North is an enigma that only the ballot will solve.