A REFORM SPLIT.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3351, 2 December 1919, Page 2

A REFORM SPLIT.

THE I\IAS"I‘ERTON SEAT. REV.EI,A.TIOI\IS OF TORY TSECRET ‘ DIPLOMACY. IdAb"l‘.Eß'.l.‘L)N, Nov. 28. The latest political development in regard to the l\‘.[HST’e‘l'i"‘Cl‘l seat in order to avoid Ret'o;m vevteA~splittillg, was touched upon by Mr Matheson, Independent Reform can‘d-idlatc, at his meeting to—nig'llt. Mr Matheson said that most of them know of the storm in the politic--xl teapot during the last fo\‘\' d:l_)'S. “I abhor‘ .seerecy,,’-’ lie zrzinl. “in any shape or form. We .-‘ll know how secret (llplOI)l{1(‘,_‘,' ‘.'.’f)l‘i{Cti ‘,jg)el'lli(<iousl_\;' in the war.” Mr, L\"Latheson stated that in 1908 he had stood down after }lCal'ilrg Mr VV. C. Buchaiiaifs opinion. In 19111 he stood aside in order not to split Ret'orln votes. In 1914110 left thg elect'i«on alone, as he considered it was not time to stand with the war on. However, we had drifted into ‘.2 system of govornrnent by caucus and Cabinet, and ‘.‘.\'.'ay from Democracy. In June last he came out as a candidate. ‘His reason was because he knew that two other Reform candidates were coming out, and he wanted to get in first, and he did not want the public to think that he waited to see how things were going before he came out. Now came the second episode -in -the drama. It was reached on return to New Zealand of Sir Walter Buchanan. Sir Walter Was, they may say, the ;;‘od father of the Ret’orm ]."arty in the Wairarapa. Now, not long after Sir Walter Buehanans’ return, the sitting member ;11::i<>m':-:='*d. his candidature, He tlyn saw Si‘: V.'a‘.ter later, and there '~.'.‘.1_.:-, some plain speaking on both sides. Sir Walter Buchanan had said: “One Hi’ _\/rou must s-.‘alld down.” A fortnight ago he -had seen sir‘ Walter Buchanan again and there was more plain speaking. ‘Ten days Sir VValter went. to him and asked -him to submit his name to a committee to chose whet'her Hr "Matheson or Mr Sykes‘ shoulcl be the candidate.‘ ‘ Sir Walter‘ Buchanan said.‘ to him: “You are doing a very unpatriotic thing by standing and splitting votes and letting an extremist in.” The speaker said that no one had~lnorg objection to extreinists °th'a.n he, but there was another reason why he should not stand. down. and ‘that was ‘that! he ‘objected to letting political ‘machinery getting in control. Mr tlvlatheson said he said to Sir Walter }Buchanan: “‘WllL—).t you wairt is an t obedient servant.” Sir Vvarlter replied: §‘»‘l would sooner support a second or 1’ third-rate. candidate than lose a single Evote.” The speaker said he put prin--1 ciple before party. ’ i Sir VVa.lter Buchanan said in reply: § “You are not out for Reform, but to :reform the Reforrners.” That may have been sarcasm on ‘Sir VValter Buch. 1 anan’s part, but the speaker was really out for that. ‘

“I am. out for a cleaner and more Democratic Govol'nlncnt,” said Mr Matheson. “The .scene_ has now changed, so far as “the Mastcrton seat is conce.rlled. b Peace has fic’d, and the battle has commenced. I agreed to submit my name to a comittee of four, the "election committee of Mr Sykes and my own. That committee met vto—day and came to no underst.an’ding, therefore the bathle has commenc'cd. I am going on with the fight. We have got to a stage in our ‘democracy when We will not be dictated to. Sir Waltel' Buchaman was determined that the per. son he selected should go to the poll, and was determined’- ‘to sweep all others awéty.” ‘