Page 2 Advertisements Column 2

Temuka Leader, Issue 1634, 15 September 1887, Page 2

Mi R u° LLESTO1 * WILL ADDRESS THE ELECTORS or Tfl* RANQIIATA DISTRICT A# WOODBURY, ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th. At TEMUKA (VOLUNTEER HALL) ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2Jst. At GERALDINE, ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 34th. Meetings in every case at 7.30 p.m, sels

TO THE ELEOTOBB 07 GLADSTONE. pi ENTLEMEN,— 1 am driven lo appeal to you to look upon the present contest from & right »nd wrong point of Tiew. Some ftf yon >re opposed to me—it ii only natural that you should—bnt lam persuaded that political bias has not deprived you of a sense of self respeot, or stifled your instincts of justice and fair play- When I entered upon the contest I determined on conducting it in a manner that would leave as little bitterness behind it as possible, and to do been attacked at my meetings, and had to defend myself, but no one can accuse me of having struck one blow below the belt. In my first speech I never mentioned the name of any of the other candidates, and I raised no class cries. At any of my subsequent meetings I said nothing about Mr Rhodes except to refer in the mildest and most respectful manner possible to a few points in his speech. The majority of the electors have now heard me speak, and they will not hesitate to bear testimony to this fact. Readers of my papers must also admit that Mr Rhodes has been treated In their columns with great consideration, and that not one unfair or disrespectful word concerning him has been published. His speech was reported so that it read ten times better than it really was, and its subject matter has scarcely been commented upon sine?. Now, how have I been treated ? The reports given of my first speech in the Timaru papers were simply disgraceful. I never read any worse attempt at reporting in all my experience, and it is now currently rumored tha&the reporters had instructions to tarn my meeting into ridicule. They did so, so far as decency would allow them. Language which 1 never used was put into my mouth, and incidents were recorded which never happened. The short reports given in the Herald of my meetings at Albury, Fsirlie Creek, and Burke’s Boss, were fair and honest, but everywhere else I have been completely misrepresented. Mr Rhodes says now his paid Secretary and the reporter of the Timaru Herald are one and the same person, and this may account for some of the injustice. In addition to this, anonymous letters and articles have frequently appeared in the Timaru papers and Christchurch Press in which I have been held up to ridicule. I have to far taken no notice of these because I thought they were all the work of one man whose enmity to me it well known, and that it would be unfair to put t hem down to Mr Rhodes himself. 1 had hopes that sooner or later Mr Rhodes would protest against hit followers resorting to this style of fighting an election, but to my great astonishment he took the whole responsibility on hit own shoulders last Saturday morning by circulating a broadsheet which bore his own name, and into which most of the abuse hitherto published had been collected. Now, gentlemen, 1 cannot afford to go into this style of argument. Whatever the result of the election msy be 1 shall have to live amongst you and it therefore becomes necessary for me to retain your respeot if I do not aeonre your electoral confidence. Mr Rhoden has, I am told, an immense income, and can do what he likes. What is virtue in the rich is vice In the poor. Let Mr Rhodes' conduct be what it may he will etill have flatterers, bat if I were to descend to a similar level I would be called very ugly names. Besides, Mr Rhodes, whether elected or not, will leave here and live in Christchurch, and will not be seen here again for Sierhapt three years. In this respeot thereon the contest is unequal. I have a character to maintain, anil cannot afford to follow Mr Rhodes into the lower depths of Billingsgate. With regard to "Cold Tea’s” letter I must say a word. Mr Rhodes said at Hilton r it was written by bis Committee, In the paper he has circulated it is said it was not written by the Committee bnt by one of Mr Rhode*’ supporters, who sent it to Mr Rhodes' paid Secretary to insure its insertion. Then is a disorepany between the two etatements, but let that pais. Then Mr Rhodes' paper says "Let ns have the troth oat about the answer to Mr Ley's letter once and for all.” Very well. On the I.7th of August Mr Joseph Aihwell, Mr Rhodes' paid secretary, brought to my office a letter written in his own handwriting, and "fathered" by one of Mr Rhodes’ supporters. This letter was inserted. Later on another man brought in tbe letter signed "Cold Tee," and (hie alio was in Mr Athwell’e handwriting. The facts that there was a meeting of Mr Rhodes’ Committee on (he previous evening, that both letters were in the handwriting of his Secretary, and that Mr Rhodes said at Hilton they were written by his Committee, do not harmonise with the second-thought assertion in Mr Rhodes’ psper. However, the charge aguinst me is, that "Cold Tea’s” letter was not inserted, and my reply is that I had not time to write the necessary footnote to it. On the 18th, I published the letter brought to my office by Mr Ashweli; on the 19th, 1 wa* away in Timaru all day ; on tbe 20'h, I addressed a mee ing at Winchester; ttt 21et was a Sunday; on the 22nd, I addressed a meeting at the Waihdjke, and on tbe 23rd, 1 left early in the morning for Albury. During this interval of time, 1 had to attend to my ordinary businces, and prepare my speeches, and it appears to me that the publ’o will see that my lime was pretty well ooou pied. Now all Mr Rhodes accuses me of is that I did not insert this letter, and because I have said I bad not time to attend to it he as much as calls me a liar. Let the perple now judge for themselvee, but 1 must say that 1 feel I have conducted the oampiign well, when this ebarge constitutes tbe head and front of my offending. Yours truly, J. M. Twombt. Temnka, September 12,1887.

TEMUKA ROAD BOARD. WANTED— A TWO-HOBSE TEAM, with PLOUGH and SCOOP for ONE MONTH, Particular* chd be obtained from GEORGE DYSON, selO Clerk to (be Board.