THE LIBERAL PARTY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 239, 9 April 1912, Page 4

THE LIBERAL PARTY

A RIVAL RALLY. SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER. By Telegraph—Special to News. Stratford, Last Night. There was a large attendance at the Liberal rally last night, including the Hon. T. Mackenzie, Hon. G. Laurenson and Hon. G. W. Russell. Mr. N. J J King, president of the branch presided and read apologies from Ministers and members of the Party. He heartily welcomed the Ministers, present on behalf of the Liberal Party. In the course of his speech he referred to the recent Reform Party rally at Stratford, at which, he said, men had taken the platform and called everyone connected with the Liberal Party all the names they could lay their tongues to. Whilst he regretted the retirement of Sir Joseph Ward—(lnterrupted by three ringing cheers for the late Prime Minister) —he was satisfied the Liberals of New Zealand bad confidence in the new Cabinet, and he hoped they would be given a chance to govern the country in the interests of the people. The manner in which the recent election had been conducted by their opponents was a disgrace to the Reform Party, which he considered could be more rightly named the "Deform" Party. The Reform Party kept crying, •'•'We want clean Government." "Well," said Mr. King, "you've got clean government; you've been getting it for the last twenty years, and you're going to get it all the time the.Liberal Party is in power." (Loud applause.) He then presented Mr. McCluggage, on behalf of the Liberals of Stratford, with a purse containing a hundred and twenty sovereigns. He ! paid a tribute to the clean manner in which his election campaign had been fought. Mr. McCluggage sincerely returned thanks and paid a tribute to the Prime Minister's capable work as head of the Agricultural Department, where he had done good work for the farmers As for the personal criticism and inuendo indulged in by his opponents at the election, he didn't blame the leaders of the party for circulating the stories, but he did blame thorn for not taking steps to' prevent men going about telling lies about Sir Joseph Ward and others. Coming to the recent Reform Party rally in Stratford, he said that Mr. Hine had been lauded to the skies for his action, but he would say this, that any man who would use a private and confidential letter as Mr. Hine had used his (Mr. McCluggage's) private and confidential letter to the Stratford Evening Post was not fit to represent this constituency in Parliament. He ridiculed the idea of Mr. Massey being Prime Minister, saving that for brains, ability and breadth of mind he was not within miles of the present or late Prime Ministers. He had reduced himself to the level of a schoolboy by the Payne incident. He was impossible as Prime Minister, for his mind was too small and his vision too limited. The Prime Minister was given an ovation, the. audience cheering and singing "He's a jolly good fellow" as he advanced to the front of the platform, which compliment he acknowledged by saying that the warmth of the reception would stimulate him and his colleagues in their work. There were many difficulties to surmount, but he would endeavor to convert them into stepping stones for future successes They had been referred to as the "stopgap Ministry," and other peculiar terms had been used by tlie leader of the Opposition, but thev could look with indifference on statej ments of that description. The Reform [ Party, by saying that they wanted clean i government," inferred that in the past it had been the reverse. The charges of | corruption and Tammanyism were false. Not a man of the Cabinet would sit for five minutes at the table if one of the Party suggested to them to do an improper thing. ITe nninted out that there were safeguards in the shape of the Auditor-General and heads of depart- ' ments. Jlr. Massev li".d said that he wanted the Opposition to get in and explore the pigeon holes. He could say this, that no head of a department Would allow Ministers to tamper with] official files. If this sort of suggestion and slander was to continue it would drive from public life the men most wanted there. After congratulating Mr. McCluggage on his fight and on its recognition by his constituents, the Prime Minister said that defeat in a fight where sectarianism and calumny ! played s.ikli a prominent part was a moral victory. Regarding land legislation he said th;;t Mr. Massey did not appear !<> know th- bnd laws, which, the Prime Minister explained, had been framed to meet the special circumstances of this country. Tn the matter of tenures, Mr. Massey had boxed the political compass. The Government was going to throw its energy into opening up lands and to bring the lands of the Dominion into the highest possible state of cultivation. They were already experimenting with poor gumlands, and hoped to make them productive. Speaking of the Hine charges, the Hon. Mackenzie said, "Fancy Mr. Hine being canonised becaused he made that display in the House. As a matter of fact, he had proved nothing but what had been admitted, and failed in what he tried to do, viz., shdulmh emfwyp mh shrdluun do, viz., to fix a charge of corTupt practice on the Government and on a man who was dead and gone and not here to defend himself." (Cliies of "Shame!") To prove corrupt practice, he would have had to prove that members of the Land Purchase Board were corrupt, but they were ' above suspicion. Mr. Ilinc should be occupying the same position over those charges as Mr. Massey was occupying over the unfounded charges he made during the last session of Parliament and for which he had to apologise. If the Opposition had had a majority when the House met why did they not contest. the election of Speaker. No! They cried "Divide" on a no-confidence motion, and wanted the division without debate, having declined to put up a Speaker of their own, and then sought to obtain a majority by declining to provide a pair for a Government member who was absent from the Dominion, through illness. Now Mr. Herries, of the Opposition benches, was a man who always played the game. He was at present out of New Zealand owing to the illness of his respected and honored wife, and if he were prevented from being present at the next session of Parliament, and if no other member would give that gentleman a pair, then he (the Prime Minister) would give him a pair (A voice: I "Playing the game?") "Yes, playing the game. If we can't play the game we won't stay there," Mr. Massey had said it was one of the blackest days in New Zealand's history when improper influence had been brought to bear to influence the Labor members It was merely that truth had shattered falsehood. There had (been poured on the sophistries of the Opposition such arguments and accuracy of detail that the Labor men, when they had listened, voted against Mr. Massey and his party. "If there had been improper influence, would not it have been evidenced in selecting the Cabinet, But there Avas no Labor man in it. Labor members had come to him and told him how they had been misled into pledging themselves to oust the Ward Government," The Prime Minister expressed the opinion that the country was not behind Mr. Massey. A successful campaign of slander had caused

Sir Joseph Ward to withdraw from pub- , lie life, but it did not say that Mr. Mas- j sey was to succeed him. Mr. Massey's' fight had been fought % good officers,' but lie had mulled his campaign. He was at once the hope and despair of his party—a tragedy of unfullilmcnt. He (the 'Prime Minister) felt sure that the public was going to give the new Cabinet a fa.ir trial, and if public opinion was represented in Parliament it would have a majority; if not, then on the representatives of the people would be cast the responsibility for their line of action. The Ministry was not going to the country vvitli a flourish of trumpets, but! would give good, solid work, and endeavor to (jlear the air of the slander and abuse, which Mr. Massey ought to leave alone, devoting himself instuul to affairs of State. He would then rise to higher ideals. Mr Massey, speaking a t Stratford, j said: "The Government of this country] is being run by half a dozen members of 1 Parliament. These are the people who are running the country." Well, who claimed to have brought the Labor members into Parliament? Mr Massey claimed I to have put them there, and now, 'because they used the brains that God Al- ; mighty had given them, and voted as their consciences directed them, he said. "Is the country to be dominated bv this small minority?" The following resolution was moved by Mr. N. J. King, and seconded by Mr. C. D. Sole, "That this meeting of Liberals heartily congratulates the Hon. Mr. Mackenzie on his appointment as Prime Minister, and on his choice of Ministers, and tiusts that they will have a fair and impartial trial in administering the affairs of the Dominion, and considers that the best interests of the country will be fully safeguarded by them." This was carried amidst acclamation.