Page 2 Advertisements Column 2

Temuka Leader, Issue 1637, 22 September 1887, Page 2

TO THE ELECTORS OF GLADSTONE. ADDRESS THE ELECTORS GLADSTONE PLEASANT POINT ASSEMBLY ROOMS, on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd. TEMUKA VOLUNTEER HALL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th. Tho Meetings will commence at 7.30 p.m.

TO THI ELBOTOBB OF GLADSTONE. ri ENTLEMEN, -I am driven lo appeal \jf to you to look upon the present conteat from a right and wrong point of view. 80000 of you are opposed to me—it is only natural that you ihould—bnt I am persuaded that political bias hai not deprived you of a sense of self reepeot, 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 my opponents full justice with regard to reporting their speeches in my papers. I have adhered to this as far as possible. I have been attacked at my meetings, tmd had to defend myself, but no one can aoouse me of having struok one blow below the belt. In my first speech I never mentioned the name of any of the other candidates, aodltaisad, no olass ories. At any of my subsequent meetings I s»id nothing about Mr Rhodes except to refer in the mildest and most respectful manner possible to a few points in his speeoh. The majority of the electors have now heard me speak, and they will not hesitate to bear testimony to this fact. Headers 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. Hio speeoh was reported so that it read ten times bettor than it really was, and its subjaot matter has scarcely been commented upon sinc\ Now, how have I been treated ? The reports given of my first speech in the Timaru papers were simply diigrooeful. I never read any worse attempt at reporting in all my experience, and it is now currently rumored that the reporters had instructions to turn my meeting into ridioule. They did so, so far as decency would allow them. language which I never used was put into my mouth, and inoidents were reoorded which never happened, The short reports given in the I Herald of my meetings at Albury, Fiirlie Greek, and Burke's Pass, were fair and honest, but everywhere else I have been completely misrepresented. Mr Rhodes says now his paid Seoretary and the reporter of the Timaru Herald are one and the same person, and this may aooount for soma of the injustice. In addition to this, anonymous letters and articles have frf quently appeared in the Timaru papers and OhristohUrch Press I in which I have been held up to ridicule. I have so far taken no notice of these be* cause I thought they were all the work of one man whose enmity to me is well known, and that it would be unfair to put them down to Mr Rhodes himself. I had hopes that sooner or later Mr Riiodea would protest against bis followers resorting to this style of fighting an election, bat to my great astonishment he took the whole responsibility on his own shoulders last Saturday morning by ciroulating a broadsheet which be re his own name, and into wbioh most of the abuse hitherto published had been collected. Now, gentlemen, I cannot afford to go into this style of argument. Whatever the result of the eleotion may be I shall have to live amongst you and it therefore beoomes necessary for me to retain your respect if I do not asoure your electoral confidence. Mr Rhodes has, I am told, an immenne income, and can do what he likes. What is virtue in the rioh is vice In the poor. Lot Mr Rhodes' conduet be what it may he will still have flatterer*, but if I were to descend to a similar level I would be called very ugly names. Besides, Mr Rhodeß, whether elected or. not, will leave here and live in Christchurch, and will not be seen here again for perhaps three years. In this respect therefore the contest is unequal. I have a character to maintain, ani cannot afford to follow Mr Rhodes into the lover depths of Billingsgate. With regard to "Gold Tea's" letter I must say a word. Mr Rhodes said at Hilton it was written by his Committee. la the paper he has circulated it is said it was not written by the Committee but by one of Mr Rhodes' supporters, who sent it to Mr Rhodes' paid Secretary to insure its insertion. There is a ditcrepany between the two statements, but let that pa«s Then Mr Rhodes' paper says " Let us have the truth out about the answer to Mr Ley's j letter once and for all." Very well. On tho )7th of August Mr Joseph Ashwell, 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 (mother man brought in tbe letter signed " Cold Tea," and this also was in Mr Ashwell'a handwriting. The faots that there was a meeting of Mi Rhodeß* Committee on the previous evening, that both letters were in the handwriting of his Seoretary, and that Mr Rhodes said at Hilton they were written by his Committee, do not harmonise with the second-thought assertion in Mr Rhodes' paper. However, the charge against me is, that "Gtld Tea's" letter was not inserted, and my reply is that I had not time to write the necessary footnote to it. On the 18bh, I published the letter brought to my office by Mr Ashwell; on the 19th, I was away in Timaru all day ; on the 20th, I addressed a mee ing at Wicohester; the 21st net a Sunday; on the 22nd, I addressed a meeting at the Washdyke, and on the 23rd, I left early in the morning for Albury. During this interval of time, I had to attend to my ordinary business, and prepare my 1 peeobes, and it appears to me that the public * ill s*9 that my time was pretty well occupied. Now all Mr Rhodes accuses me of is that I did not insert this letter, and because I hava laid I had not time to attend to it heat much as calls me a liar. Let the people row judge for themselves, but I must say that 1 feel I have oonduoted the campaign * ell, when thii oharge constitutes the head and front of my offending. Yours truly, J. M. IWOMBY. Temuka, September 12, 1887.