THE ELECTIONS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1624, 23 August 1887, Page 3

THE ELECTIONS.

MR TWOMEY AT WINCHESTER. Mr J. M. Twomey addressed a very large meeting of the electors of Gladstone in Mr Carston’s Assembly Rooms, Winchester, last Saturday night. On the motion of Mr Kelman Mr D. Inwood took the chair, and introduced the candidate in suitable terms. He asked for him a fair hearing, urged upon the electors to give all the candidates a patient hearing as the ©lection was an important one, and urged upon those present to vote for the best man. Mr Twomey, who on rising was received with applause, said that he had received a fair hearing wherever he he went, hut had scarcely uttered these words when Mr Badham entered the room covered all over with flour, and was followed by a rotten egg. Shortly after a determined and organised attempt was made to stop the meeting, hut it was very soon put down, and Mr Twomey continued his speech. He was listened to with profound attention, and was very frequently applauded, for an hour and a-half. He said the first and principal question of the present election was, Would they reinstate the present Government in power, or would they hand over the management of the affairs of the colony to the tender mercies of Sir John Hall and Major Atkinson? This was the great question, for there was no other party in the House. The POLITICAL EEFOEM ASSOCIATION promised that new men would arise, hut where was their leader P and where were his followers ? Mr Peter Cunningham, Mr Stead, and others, had announced themselves, hut they had thought better of it. They dared not offer themselves before any constituency in Christchurch or in Canterbury. The Political Reform Association reminded him of the Great Mokauna, the veiled Prophet of Khorassan in Moore’s “ Lalla Rookh,” The story was that he was a great impostor who pretended that he was a heaven-sent messenger who had come into the world to perfect mankind. He wore a silver veil, and used to promise the dupes who believed in nim that as soon as man had gone through a certain discipline he would throw off this veil, and “ Then would the reign of mind begin on earth, And starting fresh, as from a second birth,^ Man in the sunshine of the world’s new spring Shall walk transparent like some holy thing. At last the veil was torn off, and hehindit was discovered the most hideous face and form the world had ever seen. Did not this illustrate the Political Reform Association? (Laughter.) It was originated by the imS' ire, moneyrings, monopolists and r importers of North Canterbury and it was imported into South Canterbury and planted at Hilton by Mr Postlethwaite, who knew that he (Mr Twomey) had friends there. It was remarkable fact too that it was confined to the Gladstone electorate. Branches were formed in all parts of it; he (Mr Twomey) was hedged in by them on all sides, but none of the other candidates were interfered with. At first the people were duped into joining it because they were told that it was not intended to support any particular candidate or party but to exact certain promises from the best man, for whom the Association would vote cn hloc. By putting on this veil of patriotism they aimed at posing before the country as an association purely and solely desirous of purifying politics, hut now the veil had been thrown off, and behind it they found the hideous form of the grain-tax J Ministry, personated by Mr Rhodes. ((Great and prolonged applause.) Pfhese were the people who desired to dkipe the people into voting as they (’the Reformers) wished, hut the ]people had seen through them, and inorw were anxious to disown them. It was an organisation got up iu the interests of the Hall-Atkinson party, end very few people, at any rate in Canterbury, desired to associate with them. - -betbbnohmbnt. With regard to retrenchment, he said it was more of an electioneering cry than anything else. He held that the present Government was the most economical one they ever had; they had positively reduced expenditure by £85,000, without interfering with low salaries, and the wages of the poor, and they promised to make a further reduction of £IOO,OOO. He would rather trust them to reduce expenditure thanthe Hall-Atkinson party, for it was the Liberal party that retrenched in every country iu the world. He quoted from Major Atkinson’s speeches to show that further taxation would he necessary, and said that the retrenchment cry was raised for electioneering purposes. The whole meaning of it was that Sir Julius Yogel had the character of extravagance. But where did he get that , character? Was it not while associated i with the Continuous Ministry ? Since l ie joined Sir Robert Stout, he had borrowed only 1 i millions, and the Government proposal was that only 2 millions , jX jore should be borrowed, and that should extend over 10 years, rrn M would mean borrowing at the rate aboufc 200 > 000 a y ear - ■ He (Mr Twomey) was opposed to any; I _ Wat all, but the proposal of borrow. * nment would nofc frishten S® -A > V could it frighten anyone him, ueithfc'i , etjemd ® Mtal other n,w- 110 j ''at down amidst great questions, and l applause

Several questions having been answered, Mr James Guild, of Trevenna, rose and proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Twomey, for his address. He did not agree with him on many points, and he supposed he could not get any one with whom he could agree fully. The present Government had not realised the hopes entertained of them. They had not made the colony progress by leaps and bounds, as they had promised. He was sorry for the disturbance which had taken place, hut he could assure Mr Twomey it had no political significance. Mr A. W. Ensor seconded the motion, and also said the Political Reform Association had no connection with the disturbance.

Mr Alexander Kelman, Geraldine Flat, proposed as an amendment, a vote of thanks and confidence. He believed Mr Twomey richly deserved it, and that he was a proper and fit person to represent the district in Parliament. Mr Kyran Brophy, of Pleasant Yalley, seconded the amendment, On Mr Kelman’s amendment being put to the meeting the Chairman declared that 39 hands were held up for it, and when the motion proposed by Mr Guild was put only 4 hands were held up for it. The vote of thanks and confidence was therefore declared carried by 39 to 4, amidst tremendous applause. Mr Twomey, in thanking them, said whether the disturbance had political significance or not, political capital would be made out of it. (Cries of “No, no.) He knew well what he was talking about. There was an insurance agent going about the district telling all sorts of stories about him, with the view of damaging him in every possible way. That insurance agent attended his meeting at Kerrytown a few evenings previously, and someone came and told Mr Rhodes that he (Mr Twomey) had abused him (Mr Rhodes) in a fearful way, and he suspected the insurance agent of having brought the story. Mr Rhodes spoke to one of his (Mr Twomey’s) friends about it, and said he would keep a reporter at all of Mr Twomey’s meetings in future, and now a reporter was present who would caricature his meeting. They had all heard what he had said about Mr Rhodes that evening, and he ventured to think that the most sincere frend of Mr Rhodes could not find any fault with anything he had said. (Hear, hear, and applause). There was one thing he said at Kerrytown more than he said that night, and that was this: That amongst any body of intelligent men he (Mr Twomey) would occupy as good a position as Mr Rhodes would, and he would repeat that as frequently as he thought fit. (Great applause). He never said anything against Mr Rhodes, and he would not to the end of the contest if he could possibly avoid it, but he objected to being caricatured in papers, and to have language put into his mouth that he never used, as had hitherto been done. The conduct of the Timaru Herald at present was disgraceful. Instead of reporting the utterances of candidates fairly and honestly it caricatured them, and great prominence was given to any stupid tricks which had been indulged in. In fact, larrikinism was made the prominent feature of the reports of the Herald, and what candidates for Parliament said occupied only a second place. He had been three years on the staff of the Herald, during Mr Wakefield’s editorship, and during all that time no one ever interfered with him (Mr Twomey) as to how he should report, and he believed the complaints regarding the reports were few. Now the Herald had got into other hands, and, speaking as one possessing some knowledge of journalism, he considered the way it was conducted disgraceful. It was also disgraceful the way the other papers in Timaru sacrificed their principles and their political creed—the way they bowed down in abject adoration of Mr Rhodes because he was rich. Their conduct was despicable and contemptible. Such toadyism he bad never come across before in journalism. Before the boundaries of the new electorates were defined, when Mr Rhodes and Me Kerr were announced for Gladstone, and he (Mr Twomey) contemplated standing for Geraldine, Mr Rhodes waited on him with regard to electioneering matters. He told Mr Rhodes that as his views were entirely opposed to those of the Temuka Leadee it was impossible for that paper to support him. His money could not buy the principles of the Temuka Leadee unless he boughc the paper altogether (applause), and Mr Rhodes said: “ Oh, I see I am in the enemy’s country.” He (M Twomey) replied, “You are not. _ I have a plant, and if you like to publish a paper to advocate your; lause you can do it; but you must employ men, and get up a new paper altogether for yourself, for it is impossible that the Temuka Leadee could change its principles to suit you.” The Timaru papers acted differently. They changed principles and politics to suit Mr Rhodes, and bowed down in abject and contemptible worship of him because he was rich. Had he been a poor man they would have caricatured and misrepresented him, and it was to that mean, contemptible conduct he objected. However, they could do him little harm. He had lived for the | last 10 years in South Canterbury, ! and he defied them to cay anything i ! against his character. As regards Mr | Guild’s assertion that the Government

had failed in governing the country, he might remind them that from the beginning they were manacled. The cry had been “ keep the Government in and their measures out,” and under these circumstances it was difficult for them to do much. He begged to thank them for the very patient hearing they had given him, and for the way they had applauded, and only for the one episode it would have, been one of the pleasantest meetings he had held. He mo red a vote of thanks to the Chairman, who, in acknowledging the compliment, expressed his regret at what had happened, and assured him that it had no political significance. The meeting then terminated. MR TWOMEY AT WASHDYKE. addressed a meeting of Gladstone electors at tlie Washdyke last night. Mr Stevenson occupied the chair. The proceedings were most orderly, and of the close of his address a vote of thanks and confidence, moved by Mr P. Thom, ton, and seconded by Mr Robert Tremainwas carried unanimously.