STRATFORD NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 281, 30 April 1914, Page 3

STRATFORD NEWS.

FROM OUR RESIDENT REPORTER.

THE MAYORALTY. A KEKN CONTEST. * The remarkable interest shown by the electors in the Mayoral contest was maintained right up to the close of the poll yesterday. Throughout the day, motor-cars were conveying voters to the poll, which was held in the Town Hall, Air. P. Skoglund being returning officer. The arrangements for facilitating the recording of the votes, also for counting the numbers foi* each candidate, were ail that could be desired, and the result awaited with keen anticipation. The large assembly at the Town Hall on Tuesday night, when Mr. King gave his final addresß, contained a mixed element of partisans, but the majority of those present desired to hear Mr. King's explanations of the many telling points raised by his opponent on the previous evening. Mr. King was certainly not at his best, and once or twice his remarks were more pungent than polite. Possibly this may have been due to I pointed interjections and heckling, but! on the whole the audience was quite j ready to be amußed, and to all appearances enjoyed what fun they could get. Unfortunately the abstention from personalities which had previously been 'a commendable feature of the contest was departed from to some .extent. A little more taet and a few degress less of heat would have avoided much of the unpleasantnesSj but' possibly the crowd took it all in good }iart. When it came to question time, things livened up, and there was a persistent clamor going on, the questioners being howled at and cheered by sections of the audience.

RESULT OF THE POLL.

MR. KERKWOOB RE-ELECTED. There was a very largo crowd at the Town Hall last night, awaiting the announcement of the polling. The returning officer gave the result of the voting as under Kirkwood, William Patrick 572 King, Nathaniel John 512 The result was greeted with loud an'! prolonged cheering. Both candidates returned thanks, and shook hands. They dpscribod the contest as one of the raoßt strenuous ever fought in Stratford. Mr, King, in the course of his remarks, promised Mr. Kirkwood- his loyal support as councillor.

MR. KIRKWOOD INTERVIEWED. The Daily News' representative had a brief interview with the mayor, who said he regarded the result of the elec*. tion aai the ratepayers' endorsement of his policy relating to the "borough securing control of the electric 'light supply. His attitude .towards theeonipuny -would be absolutely fair, Haying due regard to the interests of the people, he was prepared to err on .'the side of tgenerosity than otherwise in<dealing with the company.

POLITICAL KK. WILFORD'S MEETING TO-NIGHT. Mr. T. M. Wilfovd, M.'P., the doyen i(jf the "flying Bquadron," left Wellington yesterday on his visit to'Taranaki. Ha v. ill speak at the Town Hall tonight on what the "Reform" Party promised 'to be and what it is, and a great treat is in store for those who attend the meeting. His Worship the Mayor will itake the chair. BERNARD'S PICTURES The current programme wljiiili will 'be finally screened to-night at Wis Majesty's Theatre is meeting with 'great appreciation, aad deservedly so. Those who have not seen it shonl«3 uertarnh* '.bo present this evening, when, in addition t# the enjoyable films, they will have the pleasure of listening to some of the best music of the day, and 'have '<ihe comfort of a warm and cosy building.

| GENERAL HEWS The Old proverbial gag of being -misre■portcd was trotted out by Mr. King on Tuesday night in reply to .1 qnestion 'by Mr. Fredric, put to the chairman. as t« wlethe'r he had, while at the Council,' at any 'time heard Mr. King "U i■■ license being granted to the Electric, Light Go. -"No," replied Mr. Kins; "T suppose he never has. I have been tin several occasions not exactly mi-sTe-port-ed, but, at any rate, the statements 1 have made have been misconstrued from what I wished to say." You tifvrdly feel the razor pass over your fac-e when Stan. Sharp handles tl'p shaving operation. Added to this delightful sense of comfort is the knowledge that every utensil j« sterilised. \nd everything is absolutely clean. Wxt Bell-ringer's, Stratford. The new wrnter clothing for men is attractive in many ways. Wise men will buy now while the va-rich' is big, and they will find "The Kash" prices made to suit them. Far W»h and low price Mullen and Marshall easily lead in Stratford. Your photograph will please them all —some of TOur friends have licen expecting one for a long time—don't, be satisfied with one taken wars ago. Send them a fresh portrait, just if? von are to-day, in your eevryihiv altire. Having your portrait token is as peasant as an informal call on good friends. Make an appointment to-day with 'Air. McAlistcr, Stratford.

MEXICO

Office and Job Printing Works: York Chambers (upstairs) Telephone No. 113.

j THE LAND QUESTION. GENERAL CARRANZA. The land question is at the bottom ot all tne trouble in Mexico. It is for this reason that Gentral Carranra is at present warring against Huerta. ShoulJ he cast in his lot with Huertu against America, the Americans will have their work cut out to gain what tliev want. As I look at what Xcsustiano Carranza has done since the day I interviewed hi-n in El Paso in li) 10 (says an American writer) he seemn to be llie only rock that has stood linn in its place during the storms tnat diave swept his land. I asked him why ho was against the Diaz Government. it is the land,' lie ex-' plained. "All of my people have Jiail their land taken away from them, and now they are slaves .to a few landowners. Some ot Madero's soldiers," he explained, "have taken up the war cry, 'Give ; us land,' and they have made this cry as they fought. Now Madero has put Diaz out of power and he will try to give the land back to the people. If ne does not do so they will not be content." And now Carranza is leading the great revolution against the assassin Huerta. He is the hope of the poor man in Mexico. He is the man Present Wils in hopes to see at the head of the Mexican Government. That night, Carranza, ,i 1 alone, took a train for Coanuila, and two days later Madero received a telegram telling him that Carranza was on theijob and had ordered a special election. In this election the people voted unanimously for Carranza for the Governorship, and standing like a Gibraltar, about him, Carranza has oeen his own man's man ever ijince that day. He start- , <ed .a revolution when Madero fell. His battle-cry is still, "Give the land back to the people!" Carranza is a stronger man than Madero. Maaero was smaller than liis,ow(i dream, ibut'Cairanza appears to ;be as large as the vision he sees. He is .a grim, forceful, determined man.. He was educated for the law, and prae-1 tiscd it until his eyes gave out. Then he went to ranching. '.There is not an I ounce of brigand in him. He is just a I great deader.

■SEVENTY YEARS AGO.. THE LAST MEXICAN WAR. ■Now that the United States is engaw»eil in war with Mexico, it is wort}) recalling the will- of nearly seventy years ago. 'lt is a chapter of American history. of which many Americans are heartily ashamed, though the war was popular enough at the time. Texas, wnic'.» has largely 'been colonised : *by 'people from the United States, had seced'.id from Mexico in 1833, and its independence hail ocen recognised by England and the other powers. The Texan Government wished to come into the United States Union, '.hut at first 'its'overtures were declined, and it was not until 1845 that the State was incorporated in its great neighbor, Mexico, which in spite of the 'recognition by the other countries, continued to regard Texas as a revolted Stitte, 'had all along declared that annexation by the United States womju be an act of hostility, and as soon :is Congress resdlved on , it, the Mexican Minister demanded his passports. The dispute might have been settled had not the United -States taken the most provocative steps possible. The United States claimed that the Kio Grande wis the boundary .of Texas; Mexico contended that it was another river. "The United States Government sent a force into the disputed area, which soon came Into; conflict with the Mexican troops. 'Tex is was not tile only cause of war; the Un'ted States Government complained of j "the system of insult and -sp6ilatio;r under which Americans had long hc.n' •suffering iin Mexican waters and terri-! tory. But there is grave reason to he-! lieve that the Government, in'fluewd by the slave States, which wanted .'.n I addition to slave territory, deliberately 1 promoted war. Both sides were unpr'. 1 -'\ pared, but although the Mexicans were 'fighting in a 'huge country admirably I adapted for defence, he advantages were largely with the Americans. Mexico, broken by revolutions, had neither Government, nor army to defend her/' says a historian. "There were offiiiiik ithere were soldiers, but there was no strength, no efficiency in either;" The war, which lasted from April. 1840 to February 1848, was marked by mu.li 'fierce fighting and all things considered.! *£he Mexicans made a very, credible resistance. The Americans.' fougfht their way right to the capital, near which trie' Students of the Military College some; of them mere boys,'heroically but wtinlv' 'opposed the invaders. In the meantime, California, which the war was! Mex'ican territory, had been taken, -audi as a result of a war which America :tereil upon on the qwstion of the ineor- 1 poiation of Texas and the alleged wrongs iof American citizens, the United .States ■gained half a million -square miles i'i terrrtoiy—Texas, California, New Mexico, and part of Arizona. It is true n,-. L ni tod flutes paid Mexico eighteen mjl-l-wu ddllttrs, but the enormous aceess'mi off territory was very cheap at that price., 7t is no wonder that Mexicans'have little: low for Americans. Among- the maj'jr- ; lty who Were opposed to war was .Jame* Jiussel] i.<B'well, whose anti-war verses in the famous "Biglow 'f'uners" a.<? known tliTOiighout the Anglo-Sax.™ [ wwd. They will be read long after the ( Mexican war is forgottoii It .everybodv but the -liityUvians. ' f