The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1919. THE ASHBURTON SENSATION.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3357, 9 December 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1919. THE ASHBURTON SENSATION.

With which is incorporated “The Taihape Post aod Waimarino News.”

From exposures of organised scheming and lying, and of positively alarm.ing verbal filth with which_ the columns of some newspapers are daily teeming, the present general election campaign is obviously being fought with tlle vilest weapons a decadent, degraded humanity can forge for its» satanic purposes‘. From sources where it was least expected it is discovered in its most hateful and sordid forms, and the chief revellers in both secret and blatant aspects are men who have hidden their contemptible shamelessH 053 under the cloak of religion. Most people are aware that a person named Howard Elliott busied himself with founding a. quasi-religious organisation to which -he gave the comprehensive appellation, “The Protestant Political Association,” From its inception Mr Elliott has been very much in the limelight, rarely in the best and untarnished characters. It has been a matter of doubt what his conglomerate of religion and politics did really cons-ist _of. It came to light, under the auspices of Howard Elliott, in a crafty campaign -against the honour and good name of a christian church, charging it wi.th those detestable acts, in which. it is now discovered its own parents conceived it. It was cradled in a scheme for defaming the lives of women, who were not only blameless, but noble, sacrificing themselves for the good of others, and this ill-bred hybrid between religion and politics seems-s-‘to have since been nurtured--in an ai‘3i‘losphel'e of vicious and viru"leift subterfuge against those Qualities which are best in religion and most honourable in politics. Its birth was characterised by a mania for religious reform, -‘but it has since developed political rabies for reform other than religious_ Its corruption is new calculated to be as destructive of all honour and uprightness in political life, as its youthful career was to all that ,was highest and holiest in religion. It set out, under the guidance of Howard Elliott, to reform, but chiefly to ‘dominate some christian churches, and to destroy others; it attacked the character ofthe latter, and sowed dissensionin the former to such an extent that pastors and congregations have been set at variance. Now, the Protestant-Political. bubble" has burst; a press message, received from Ashburton 'yesterday, has exposed the intentions of Howard Elliott, and disclosed the real nature of the damnable scheme he had invented for cozening and hoodwinking clea.n-minded christian people. This is the telegram:— “Mr H. M. Jones, Democratic-Liberal candidate, and formerly Secretary of the Protestant Political Association at Ashlburton, informed‘ a “Guardian” reporter tlrat two weeks ago the Rev. (?)

Floward Elliott came to him and aslflld ‘ him to withdraw from "the election con{test in favour of Mr Nosworthy. Elliott said to Mr Jones—“lf you will withdraw in favour of Mr Nosworthy your ‘ expenses will be paid to date, and Your name will be favourably considered, and forwarded, for a Seat in the Upper House.” Mr Jones .said to HOWal‘d Elliott, “The ofier does not apD€al t_o me, and I absolutely refuse to retire from the contest.” Mr Jones is naturally wondering who are responsible for such easy entrances to the Upper House; but of such is Howard Elliott and his Protestant Political ‘Association. The natural presumption, of course, is, that Howard Elliott is one of a class of despicable tools in political graft, and is using what is DlOclaimed as a religious organisation for ‘the nefarious, ulterior purposes of his ‘political boss, but however forcefully lsuch a presumption is pressed upon lone’S discriminatory powers, it in-ay be ‘that this virile boomer of the P.P.A.‘ may be weilding his organisation in favour of Mr Nosworthy, merely hop-‘ ‘ing that his own services will be re—‘ ’warded by translating him to a seat‘ ‘in the Upper House. Whichever way‘ ‘one views Howard Elliottfs Ashburton‘ adventure it is black, perhaps the blackest and most degrading act of ‘constituency nobbling that has ever‘ ‘sought to corrupt the political life of’ this little l)ominion_ When it is re-‘ ‘mombered that a continuous; process ‘of white-washing Howard Elliott has ‘had to be kept up from the very inception of his Protestant Political ‘Association, it seems amazing that the ‘services of so rash and indiscrect a person should have been picked up as‘ a tool byany political party, and it is ‘almost ‘beyond belief that any respon—sible possessor of political power ‘should have entrusted such .a. person with so delicate and danger-fraught a‘ ‘mission. Elliott would surely lnever‘ have had the audacity to ask Mr Jones‘ to retire from the ‘Ashlburton contest in favour of Mr Noswoi-thy on his own‘ initiative, for he is not only asking |Mr Jones to resign, but is asking an‘ ‘honourable man to hold himself up to the uttermost contempt of the people ‘of the whole Dominion, and of Ashburl ton in particular, as being a. ratting adventurer of the most corruptible -and ‘ disgusting character. The‘ words,‘ “British Fair Play,” become foul in‘ tlie, mouths of some men, spreading a stench that must render them unfit to move in any society. Was Elliottt so hardened a case that he did not cveni realise the nature of the offer he made ‘ to Mr Jones, or had he so miscalcu-‘3 later] the character of Mr Jones that‘ he thought the bait he had to dangle-Vu-ould be readily snapped up? Truly,‘ it will require many barrels of white-‘ wasli to make Howard Elliott again‘ presentible and bearable to the rest of mankind in this country. Who commissioned Elliott to damn the career and character of a brother member of the Protestant Political Associatim?! Did anyone employ him, or was the‘ idea conceived by him, hoping thereby‘ to secure personal kudos. emolumentl and political glory? We can .Ll;no::ti fancy seeing Elliott occupying a high‘ seat in the Upper House, with a halo‘ around his head, translated there as the founder and head of the 21-eat‘ Protestant Political Association, the defamer of the church to which pnl:?tical opponents claim allegiance. mad his Ashburton adventure proved suc~ ccssful something of that kind might‘ have been reasonably-r expected, but it‘ failed, and Elliott is discovered as the‘ charlatan,‘tlle protestant politi. :.i.l iw~l poster doomed to the disgust and ornlempt of all honourable people, men and women. Mr Jones’ frank exposure. of this most dastardly act; this vile effort at constituency nobbling; HUS dragooning of 'A.sh»burton electors at, the tail of the Protestant Political Association, has thrown a new light upon ‘ how some men choose to secure 6100*, tion to Parliament, ‘and how -)tlll.tl‘S‘ are rewarded with seats in the L"]1l301‘ House. Much more Will, of course, be‘ heard of Mr Elliott and his would-be! political victim at Ashburton, out it is‘ probable that the pi-otestan‘;l>o'lil-5.“-3-1‘ curtain will for ever be rung down on; the exit of Howard Elliott. His final‘ act is just about on a level «W 1 H 1099 l acts of his which her-'alded his en‘-‘ trance, and which were so l'.‘l'CllCl'l'dlll’." ly denounced in the Parliament Of; which he presumes to constitute himself a chief engineer. The sensation caused by Mr Jones" disclosures is sure to result in much controversy.‘ but nothing can overshadow the triple sin which has been laid upon Howard ‘ Elliott by Mr H. M. Jones, a brother‘ member of the Protestant Political ASsociation at Ashburton. The Ashburton Exposure is new the‘ all-absoi-bI::<: sensation '