THE LATE LIBERAL LEADER.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3393, 24 January 1920, Page 6

THE LATE LIBERAL LEADER.

SPEECH BY SIR JOSEPH.

Sir Joseph Ward said that he wanted to say what a pleasure it was to have the opportunity of hearing from his old colleagues, his formea‘ fellowmembers, and the new members of the party, their observations in connection with them farewelling him as former [Leader of the Loberal Party. (Aplplause.) Since the general election he ‘had received invitations from all but one of the electorates in the country to visit them, so that they could extend their hospitality to him and show their appreciation of what he had tried to do as a member of Parlianient. (Applause) But the election took place at or so near to the time of the Christmas festivities that he made up his mind that it was not -the proper thing to do at that time, and he had declined every one of them. Since that his daily occupation had been that of receiving eonimnnications running into many thousands, from the people of the country, the great majority asking himto stand again and go into the present Parliament. He wanted to take the opportunity of saying that his reply to all of them had been in the negative. He had thanked them all sincerely, but he had made up his mind on the evening of the election that, so far as he was eon-y corned, he accepted the position as he thought a sportsman ought to accept it. - .

‘THE BITTER PERSONAL ATTACKS.

He was fully cognisant of the bitter: personal attack concentrated upon him as head of the Liberal Party in practically every electorate in New Zealand. He fully recognised that such a concerted movement was Believed to be the most effective way of getting him out; and if they looked at the lead[ing articles in some of the great tjournals of this country they would I find that for the fortnight p..receding ‘the general election they were not criticising the Lobcral Party and the :1.-ibcral policy but dealing solely and I entirely with the “Warditcs” of Now i Zealand. He wanted to be frank and i speak plainly to them; and he intend{ed to d-o- so later in his constituency; : w'hel'e he had to Say farewell to those Iwho had stood by him for the past thirty-three years. He had been ;_:at.llerin_g‘ int'<_u'lnation since the general election, and piling up evidencein the shape of literature he had found of utterancrs that would be a disgrace‘ to the most barbaric people in any‘! part of the world. He had. been accused of doing things he had Il{‘.‘»'L‘l’l clone; and such statements ‘had been circulated throughout the electorates! to induce them to return the other party to power. He might say that, so far als he was concerned, ‘the other’ party was welcome to be in power under such conditions. (Applause) I

He would also say that‘, with all his national desire to help the country that he owed everything -to, he would not represent any constituency in New Zealand in Parliament on the score of bigotry. (Applause) In the 33 years he had been in Parliament, and his 26 years in Cabinet, he had never upon any occasion heard brought up for consideration. or discussion things, that had been charged against himinl black and white in this country. He Had never heard an illusion in Caloinct or Parliament to the maintenance of the traditions of Protestantism, nor the question of Catholicism discussed in any way. He had never heard in any single instance a consultation which the heads of any church, his own or any other, in regard to elections or’ asking for support; and he had never been asked by the head of any religious organisation in the country, his own or another, to have his position used for the 'promotion of any church or section of church people. (ApplauSe.) Right through nearly 33 years he -had been in Parlianient that had been so, and he wanted to say, without any feeling of any sort or kind,-that one of the most deplorable thing that could occur to a young country like this was how the traditions of the Dark Ages brought into New Zealand for the purpose of allowing any man to gain lary position, which, however noble it? might be to fill it to the best of one’s ability, xx‘-as not worth anybody adopting such methods to get into Parliament, He hoped that would enable those who (lifi‘ered from him in matters of religion to realise that he had never. once attempted to appoint anyone to the /public service on account of his religion. He. had the records in possession. and he challenged his opponents to attack him on that matter and he would show that they were most infamous liars in traducing a

public man in the way they had. I (Applause) He was not going to al\low the people to remain under the lwrong impression which had been deliberately circulated for political purposes, withtout giving them proof ‘to enable them to judge the so-called Christians who had visited his electorate, some working there for 25» years, not ‘on public questions, but making lying staztements with 21, View to putting him out of public life. (Applause) He accepted the result of theh elections; but he held that he was entitled to criticise the course adopted by his opponents and to take such action in regard t-o it as he could take later on. (Applause) Sir Joseph Ward spoke at some length on general politics, referring especially to the financial st.rength of the Dominion, and to theh need for 3 combating Bolshevism throughout the‘ world. He repeated that he would not again seek election to the present‘ Parliament. He. owed duties to his: family which he would now have more‘leisure to attend to. In conclusion, he heartily thanked those ‘present for’ their kind reception and the kind references madeito his services to country and Empire, and expressed his regret at -the sevenances of ‘the kindly relations that had so long existed between them. (Loud applause.) The National Anthem closed the proct‘e(lings'. A l