ABOUT QUEER POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 December 1919, Page 2

ABOUT QUEER POLITICS.

(Published by Arrangement). To the Editor. Sir, —On the 19th of 'November there appeared in your columns a letter signed by John Diggins, of Inglewood, in which my name figures a good many times. I have not been able to answer it before out of sheer disgust. I would not refer to it now but for the fyct that so many of your readers have urged me not to let it pass without notice. That letter, so far as it concerns me, is nothing but a tissue of paltry falsehoods He says that he forgets the name of the lord I told him I worked for I should think he would "forget," seeing that I never worked ! for any "Scotch" or other "lord," and I j nevor told him that I did. He says I got plenty of porridge and 8d a day for sweeping snails off a pdth I nevor swept snails off a path; never worked for 8d a day. and never lost my deposit (not by hundreds of votes) when I fought against the public corruption carried on by tiie Seddon Government. I fought two elect! ns at my own cost, without the support of any party, and without any j committees; and. In one case, there were five : candidates In the field, and I was not the | last. In the other case, I was thought to be dangerous enough to bring Richard John Sed--1 don all the way from Wellington and Dannevirko to make promises of roads, bridges, bursting up estates, and the opening up of Crown and Maori lands; and all this against poor me, who was not even a resident in the electorate. But the late Mr. Seddon, like John Diggins, feared the 'ruth, and did nol like honest men. What Diggins said in his letter about me Is mere trash, and It canrest at that, but what he says about Mr. Massey is a more serious matter. Just have a look at this: "Massey allowed to bo imported the black plague which deprived New Zealand of thousands of her best." If the black plague was imported with the Banction of anybody, then the man who was responsible was the Hon. Russell, Minister or neaith, and a Wardite 1 This vile Insinuation .s on all fours with *he monstrous statement made by Mr. S. G. Smith when speaking from the band rotunda at Inglewood at tho Taranakl by-elec-tion a little over a year ago Mr. Smith had the front to charge the National Government (including Sir J. Ward) with being responsible for the deaths that took place on the transport carrying the 40'ns to tho front. But after he had been elected MP. for Taranaki on the strength of that, and similar outrageous utterances, did he prevent the plague from invading his electorate. Not he! Ho allowed it to enter Taranakl; he allowed it to invade New Plymouth; he allowed it to Invade Mr Smith's own. houso; he allowed it to attack the sacred person of Mr Smith himself, and he lay peeling and whining llkr a sick girl, with no more power over the plague ♦h,m a dying cat had over the phases of the moon!—I am, etc., •T. O. TAYLOR. Lepperton, December 1, 1919.