MR FISH SPEAKS HIS MIND.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2434, 6 December 1892, Page 4

MR FISH SPEAKS HIS MIND.

The Otago Daily Times gives the following account of Mr Fish's utterances at the declaration of the poll for the mayoralty of Dunedin :—" Mr H. S. Fish, who was received with uproar and cheers, said: Whenever you have done, gentlemen, I'll begin. My Returning Officer and Gentlemen,—Mr successful opponent has said that he he has not been returned upon his own intrinsic merit. That is quite true. He owes his return to a combination of 'isms—(hear, hear, "boo-hoo," and uproar)—a combination that would have voted for that lamp-post.—(lnterruption.) I say by a combination of 'ism3 that would have voted for that lamp-post rather than myself.—(A voice : ' Sooner than for you.' Cheers and uproar.) In saying that, I have no desire to say that my friend, Mr Haynes, resembles a lamp-post. I only trust that when he has been before you as a public man he will be held in as much respect as I have been.—(Cries of More ! more!') There is one thing I would like io say. There has never been in the whole course of my experience a system of such gross and scandalous persecution as 1 have been .subjected to—(cries of dissent), —and particularly do my remarks refer to three or four women in this town. I say the conduct of those women Mesdames Hattoji, Broad, (Interruption.)—l am going to speak my miDd. The conduct of Mesdames Hattou, Broad, and Brodie, has been a disgrace to their Bex—(crie3 of ' No, no,' and uproar)-—a positive disgrace to their sex. The lies, the slanders, that the3e women have uttered during this contest—(Uproar and dissent.) You are goiug to have it very straight. The lies, the slanders, the vile venom, that these women have spat out during this election make them a disgrace to their sex.—(Cries of «No, no.') They are not women, they are bad, bad men.— (Uproar, and cries of ' No, no.') I can assure you, gentlemen, that although scotched, I am not killed.—(A. voice : 1 Yes you are.') I pledge myself to you that I will contest the mayoral election next year. In the meantime I will give that proper support that is due from every member of the council to the man that you have chosen to elect as mayor. lam bound to aay that until last night Mr Haynes had conducted this election fairly.—(lnterruption.) I say that Mr Haynes last night gave utterance to what he knew to be a lie—(A. voice :* No ')— when he said at his meeting that I had, at a previous meeting of mine, called him a drunkard.—(A voice : « Yes, you did.') Mr Haynes when he made that statement made it with malice aforethought for a political purpose, and he know it was a lie he was uttering. Now, gentlemen, I can assure you that I am a game one.— (Laughter.) I can take a defeat, and I can take a victory. The citizens have through a combination of forces, unholy and incongruous in themselves—(uproar) I say unholy and incongruous in themselves—whilst they have by such a combination of forces beaten this poor Mr Fish on this occasion—(Oh, oh, laughter, and uproar.) I venture to say the time will eome, and that before long, when I will turn the tables upon them.— (Uproar. A voice: ' You'll never get sent to Wellington again.') At anyrate I have the satisfaction of knowing that the most respectable people in the city have recorded their votes for me to-day."