THE LIBERALS AND THE EXTREMISTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 December 1919, Page 6

THE LIBERALS AND THE EXTREMISTS.

• A CHALLENGE. Christehurch, Dec. 8. A violent attack upon "The Press" wag made by Sir Joseph Ward at the commencement of his meeting at Leeston on Friday night. Sir Joseph opened by saying that be wished to speak of a deliberate lie that had appeared in the columns of the Christehurch Press. He would like to ask the directors of the Press if they paid a man to tell a deliberate lie for the purpose of influencing an-election. He invited the person to whom ho had referred to come out into the open and take action against him for the statement ha had toad* and wm going to

make. Since Parliament bad risen, he had addressed 33 meetings—the present was his 33rd—and never once had he taken an improper advantage of, or said anylthi>g against, an. opponent Jn making his statement, he wished to make it clear that he was speaking without any heat, without any eac»tement, without any anger. He was doing it deliberately. Sir Joseph then quoted the fallowing passage from the Press: "The support of the Reds in. Parliament has been pledged to the Liberal leader; the arrangement between the Reds and the Liberals, although denied, is a fact, and is doubted by none but very simple people. It is the duty of all good citizens to make impossible the grasping of power by a combination between the Liberal Party and the Reds, and they can do this only in one way: by voting directly against the Wardist candidates. Only thus will they effectively range themselves against the forces of disorder of which we had a manifestation last.night." Such a statement, Sir Joseph continued, was a deliberate lie. In the House of Representatives he had made it clear that he would not take office if he had to depend on the support of the extremists in Parliament. He had said so in public, and in the presence of the extremists referred to. He haa sn.a in public that he was against direct action and force. He was the only leader who had put up an opponent against Mr. Holland and Mr. Fraser, and an Independent candidate was standing against Mr. Semple. The Labor extremists in Parliament, when they opposed public men, chiefly directed themselves against him. He had put up Liberal candidates against them, and in one place he had refused to put up two men, because if he had done so the split would probably have let the extremist in. That man, the editor of the professed to be a decent journal, must know the position. Ho (Sir Joseph) would say that the directors who professed to own an organ that was a guide to the public were responsible for the deliberate lie that was meant to mislead. He himself was the last man who would take exception io criticism, but when one found such a deliberate attempt to mislead, one mußt at least call attention to the need for the fair treatment of public men, no matter how much one might be against them. A similar deliberate attempt against him had been made before, Sir Joseph continued, and he had taken no exception to it, but he did not feel disposed to lie quiet under such an untrue imputation. He had never once discussed the political situation with either Mr. Holland or Mr, Fraser, and there was no agreement of any sort between them. That was the absolute truth, and he was prepared to offer a public challenge to the editor of the Press and the directors. He would put down £SOO, to be given to any charities that any independent persons might select, if they would do the same and come into the open and make a charge against him, or disprove that what he had Raid concerning his assooiationß with the Labor extremists.

Sir Joseph added that if had been insinuated that he had had Romotliinn- to do with what.had happened in Christ - church the previous night. As a/matter of fact, until Mr. Massey's secretary had told him in Oamaru on the same day, he did not know that Mr. Massey was* to sr.eak in Christehnreh that night. Personally he was strongly opposed to any interference with free speech, whether the speaker was a Reformer, a Liberal, an extremist, a moderate Labor man, or anything else. All had a right to a fair hearing, and it was detrimental to the country generally to interfere with that right. If one didn't like a speaker's politics one could vote for the other side.—£hristchurch Press.