THE GLADSTONE ELECTION

Temuka Leader, Issue 1638, 24 September 1887, Page 2

THE GLADSTONE ELECTION

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln the course of the political campaign, and in his endearor to be all things to all men, Mr Rhodes has made some statements which are rery inconsistent, and some of which it may be advisable to recapitulate now. hi his opening remarks at his fir»t Temuka meeting, he took occasion to state that "he was not connected, either directly or indirectly, with the squatting interests." At the end of the same meeting he guilelessly, in answer to a rather impertinent question, said his brother had a sheep run at Bluecliffa. At the Washdyke, playing on the same string, he appealed to any one who heard him at Temuka " whether it was ' dragged' out of him that his brother was a squatter. . . . When asked he replied at once. He said ha had no pecuniary ' interest' in squatting himself. But so far as having any connection with sfuatters he was proud to say that he belitved his father was the first squatter in South Canter-

bury." Now whether it is a disgrace to be connected with squatters, as Mr < Ehodea' first assertion would imply, or whether it is a thing to be proud of, as h© subsequently avowed himself to be, I am not going to argue, but it is certain that both statements cannot be correct. At Temuka, in reply to Mr J. Brown's question, " would you be in favor of placing all matters regarding licenses under the control of ' the people' instead of tbe Commissioners ? " he was in favor of the present system; at Waitohi "be would be in favor of the local option vote affecting existing hotel licenses." In one part of his speech he advocates "equality of sacrifice" as regardi taxation, in another he admits that the Customs fall more heavily on the poor than on the rich, and in another part he condemns a Graduated Property Tax, which would in a measure equalise the pecuniary sacrifice made to the State by both classes. At Temuka he was in favor of submitting the runs to auction when the leases fell in in 1890; at Winchester he was overflowing with objections against that method of disposing of the runs. At Temuka, when asked whether he would favor a Tenant Eight Act, he said we had already several of such Acts ,- at Winchester he said he would be in favor of such an Act. But to conclude. One of Mr Ehodea' avowed reasons for coming forward to contest the Gladstone seat was " a desire to do good to the colony to which he ' owed' so much." Is it not peculiar that he should acknowledge his obligations only when he wanted to increase them ? Could he not, have done good service as a member of public bodies ? Is a man who has to j acknowledge bis indebtedness to his questioners after a speech for having "dragged" out of him information which he should have imparted without the dragging process a fit subject for an M.P. ? I think not. Mr Page may be right in saying that in time he would dtvelope into a fair representative, but I agree with Mr Bolton, a friend of the candidate, that we cannot afford to wait till he has served an apprenticeship and learned politics. Ac the present time we have a wellinformed Liberal candidate offering himself for election, and, with Mr Ley, I would advocate his support. He ia the supporter of a G-overnment that has done good work for the colony, and gives an earnest of continuing to do so. Let there be no splitting of votes, thereby endangering the return of an interloper, but let all who have the interest of the colony at heart vote for Mr Twomey, the only Liberal candidate seeking the suffrages of the Gladstone electors. —I am, etc., I Pais Play.