POLITICAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 138, 2 December 1911, Page 8

POLITICAL.

MR. HINE AND THE PROHIBITION LEADERS. To the Editor. Sir, —Will you kindly grant me a little of your valuable space in order to enter a very strong protest against the way Mr. J. B. Ilinc is indirectly causing an immense amount of harm to the nolicense movement in this district. Mr. Hine has always posed as an ardent supporter of no-license, and for years has worshipped at the foot of those leaders in New Zealand of that great cause. I refer to that great democrat, the late Mr. T. E. Taylor, and to Mr. Leonard M. Isitt. These men. have created for themselves an affection in. the hearts of the people of this Dominion by their straight, fearless conduct and advocacy of the no-license movement that won for them a position that thousands of people in the rank and file must enivy. These meai onoe had for a discipio Mr. J. B. Hine, but a time came in the history of their political life when it became necessary in the interests of our democracy for these gentlemen to speak. In M.r. Taylor's case the time was at the conclusion of the celebrated Hine charges. Mr. T. E. Taylor, speaJking in his pllace in the House, said' these weighty words: "That the inquiry proved this, that the Government was the cleanest government that had ever sat on the Treasury benches of New Zealand." How tlia-t statement must have hurt, Mr. Hine? You, Mr. Hine, knew whiat effect those words would have on the fair minded men and l women in the land, amd then by a virtue only possessed by himself, Mr. L. M. Isitt was elected to fill Mr. Tayilor's place, and in a speech, memorable because of its straight, manly criticism, he put the flail on Mr. Hine's Hack when he made these statements: "I want to-night, through the length and breadth of this House, to tell those men andi women throughout the length and breadth of this Dominion that there is no bribery, no corruption, no mal-ad-minisfcration, and that there is no political grait, that Ministers of the Crown are shamefully libelled; and men and women, New Zealand through, should turn a deaf ear to these coward'.y untruths." Wliw t is your position in respect to these ■ \\ix!er.s now, Ma*. Hine? Ever since yon received these rebukes you have never ceased to belittle them. Throughout this campaign your veiled .reference to the man that is dead and the open hostility to the one at present in our public life is re-acting on that great number of electors who put the Question of no-license into the forefront of their polities, and when you belittle the leaders of that cause you .belittle them. But are these jour troubles? Just as long as you can regain this, seat it is of little importance to you whose political reputation you can besmirch and what set back you can give any great social "cause." I protest in the name of the man who is dead and in the name of the man who cannot come here to defend himself, but above all, I protest against your absolute insincerity.— I am, etc., „ PROHIBITION. Stratford, November 30, 1911.