THE TAUMARUNUI SEAT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 156, 8 December 1914, Page 3

THE TAUMARUNUI SEAT.

To the Editor, Sir, —Liko racehorses, the followers of the Reform Party run in all shapes. You can never tell what the next move may be. The latest is that Mr C. K. Wilson is the accredited candidate of the Bible in Schools League, and that obsessed party has issued cards to that effect, but mark ye, they are not so sent to men, but women. My wife receded one this morning, and thinking it strange tlmt.l should hot have been advised also, I made some enquiries, and find that several men had some circulars for their wives, but ifot for themselves. Why tile distinction? Do these wearisome people think they can appeal to the j wife and not the husband ? Surely there | is some subterfuge in such a course. We have in our midst a parson of the Presbyterian persuasion who waited on a Chinese laundry man this week as to the question whether he had a vote. Now tliis Chinaman and the parson have been in the. place for many months, but this is the first occasion cn v.-hich Hie Chow Ims been honored with a parson - ical visit. Was it to receive assistance in the quest of support for the Bible-in-Schools movement or an endeavour to pull a poor ignorant alien into the Reform fold? I leave the question to be answered by tlu>. reader. Another inci- ! dent of this same sky pilot's ways was i the attitude he took up at the political . 1 meetings. When Mr .Jennings spoke at j Waitara, he was asked by thc ; reverend I gentleman his views on the question, j The reply was to the point that he be- j lieved in free secular education. An . attempt was made by t!it questioner to enter into a discussion, but the chairman, seeing someone else on his feet, called 011 him for a question. Now mark the difference. The same cleric was at Mr Wilson's meeting, but did not put the question to the candidate. Why? He afterward:; said he knew of his views. But is this what is called a "square deal?" Questions are usually asked for the purpose of getting a public expression from candidates, and evidently it did not suit Reformers to have their man questioned on this aspect, as it might influence the. broad-minded sec- . tion of the community in their opinion, or it might, be that Mr Wilson's j friends do not care to compromise, him. 1 If this is the attitude of Reformers and . Bible-in-School adherents, then the sooner both are.out of public life the better, for sueh .devious' ways are not of an elevating character. —I am, etc., MODERATE. Waitara, December 7V