ELECTORAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2587, 28 November 1893, Page 3

ELECTORAL.

The General Election of members of Parliament takes place to-day. The candidates for the Pareora seat are Messrs A. E. G. Rhodes and F. R. Flatman, and for the Raugitata seat Messrs E. G. Wright, W. S. Maslin,R. M. Gnthbertson, and 1. R. C. C. Graham. The names of the polling places have already been published. The polling booths will be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., and voters should make a point of polling early, as delays are dangerous. An important notice to electors in the polling at Temuka will be found in our advertising columns. All electors whose names begin with letters from A M will record their votes in the Temnka Courthouse, and all those from the beginning of Me to Z in the Drill Shed. Mr A. E. G. Rhodes addressed the electors at Woodbury on Saturday evening when there was a good attendance. Mr Pice occupied the chair. On the motion of Mr G. Hammond, seconded by Mr Cormack, Mr Rhodes was accorded a vote of thanks for his address. The latest reports of Mr W. S. Maslin is that ho is still doing well up north. He received an invitation to address the men at Longbeach farm, and his intention was to speak at every centre in his electorate, so that is the reason he could not find time to speak at Geraldine again At TattersalTs Rooms, on Saturday evening, the Hon. the Premier addressed one of the larges public meetings ever held in Christchurch. One estimate of the attendance is seven thousand. The building was profusely decorated with flags evergreens, and flowers. At the conclusion of Mr Seddon’s address the Hons. J. G. Ward and W. P. Reeves addressed the meeting and were enthusiastically received. The following resolution was carried, on the motion of Mr J. T. Matson, seconded by Mrs armeon —« That this meeting accords a vote of absolute confidence in Honorable the Premier, representing the constitution of this col my, and the Government over which he presides.” The meeting terminated with three cheers for the Premier, Mr Reeves, and the Government. The Premier and the Colonial Treasurer arrived iu Wellington on Sunday afternoon.

THE PAREORA ELECTION. The following appeared as an advertisement in last Saturday’s Tiraaru Herald. It is a reply to a letter attacking Mr Twomey, but though the attack on him was published free of charge, Mr Twomey has had to pay for the reply TO THE EDITOR OE THE TIMARTT HERALD. Sir, —In reply to an “Elector,” who undoubtedly comes from the opposite camp, I beg to explain that Mr T. Ley came to my office, and asked me to retire in his favor. I said I would, but I added « You must make this the basis on which you start. You must take the Temperance wing of the Liberal party with you or else you wont win.” I then gave Mr Ley the platform of the Temperance party, and told him to give me an answer on show day. This was on the 23rd of October, and the show day was on the 25th. While we were talking over these matters in my office the committee of the Labor Union waited on us, and they said they would not support Mr Ley unless he accepted the Direct Veto platform. I extracted from these men a solemn promise that they would keep Mr Ley’s views on the Direct Veto a secret uni.il he had time to consider the point. I did this because I knew if the Direct Veto people found out that Mr Ley’s views wore antagonistic to them, they would not accept him, Mr Ley also promised ino not to allow his views on this point to become known until after show day, but halt-an hour afterwards I found him arguing the point with half-a-dozen Direct Veto men. Mark now the position. I did my best to conceal his views on the Direct Veto until lie had time to consider the point, but h df-an-hqqr after he It ft my office ho had sold £lie pass on himself, by letting his views become known to the Direct Veto people. If I had supported Mr Ley after this, the result would have been that the Direct Veto people would have brought out another candidate, and that there would have been two candidates in the field. Sooner than that this should occur I aicriticed myself,aud certainly after Ipiv jug done that no one should blame nia for declining to support Mr Ley. Tim t.npwty wore at « ■* jjuiat split up into foui tacUcjiß, Ist, Temperance combined will

I the Labor Union ; 2nd, supporters of a certain candidate; 3rd, supporters of Mr Ley ; 4th, those opposed to the Direct Veto. Finding things mixed up in this way, I set about conciliating the jarring elements. I knew Ist—That the candidate whose name 1 have not mentioned would not oppose Mr Flatman. 2nd —That Mr Flatman would be acceptable to the Direct Veto arid Labor Union. 3rd —That being himself a farmer and a very popular public man he would be acceptable to the farmers who disliked the Direct Veto. 4th—l had unbounbed faith in Mr Ley’s honesty and patriotism, and felt certain ho would retire. I have not been mistaken in any of these particulars. Idealising, therefore, that Mr Flatman was the man to conciliate all parties, I approached him on the subject, and he took time to consider it. I knew Mr Flatman had already refused, and I was afraid he would not stand on my individual invitation, consequently I went to the President and secretary of the Direct Veto Committee, and the chairman of the Labor Union, and asked them to support the invitation to Mr Flatman. The result was that a joint deputation of both organisations waited on Mr Flatman and brought back to me his answer accepting the invitation. This is the truth, which can be proved to the hilt, and I think fair-minded people will give me credit for having done what I considered best for the Liberal cause. And now what has this election to do with the publichouse question ? Nothing whatsoever. Next March the people will be asked to vote as to whether they will have public houses or not. If the people decide in favor of renewing the present licenses, they cannot be cance led for three years : that is, until June 1897. That is an absolute fact. The contracts will be signed for three years and Parliament could not do such a monstrous thing as cancel them in the meantime. That being so are we to throw everything else to the wind now, and vote only on this paltry side issue 'I Are we to throw aside our hopes of seeing the lands of the colony opened to the people, and all the many other great questions involved in this election, and vote for propping up publichouses which are absolutely safe until June 1897 ? We shall have another general election in 1896, and why not put off the publichouse question until then 1 Your correspondent raises the cry Seddou v. Stout. I have the authority of both Sir Robert Stout and Mr Seddon to state that there is no such cry. The New Zealand Times, which is the organ of the present Government and of which Mr Reeves is managing director is supporting Sir Robert Stout, and he is one of the Government candidates for Wellington. Sir Robert Stout and Mr Seddon are good friends. Are we to be such fools as to quarrel about them I Nonsense ! The cry is from the enemy’s camp, and beware of it. Mr Seddon is satisfied with Mr Flatman, and that ought to be sufficient for all his supporters. At any rate I am perfectly satisfied, and I think I have done as much for the Liberal cause as would entitle me to bo heard on that side of politics.—l am, etc., J. M. Twomey. Temuka, Nov. 22nd, 1893.

ELECTION DAY. All ye who wish to raise the poor And settle people on the land, Come join the Liberals, and insure Success unto a scheme so grand. Too long we’ve been the slaves of wealth, And bowed the knee to men of gold, But now, if spared with strength and health, A different tale will soon be told. Those days v ill soon be in the past When might was right, as people say, And rich men on the poor man cast Tyrannous measures to obey. Shall we in this fair land of ours Give up our freedom to a few ? Despising thus the higher powers Tuat gives to every man his due. If not, then Flatman is the member Who promises to guard your right, So on the twenty-eighth November Be sure and help him with your might. don’t mind the rich man with his smile ; Let nothing make you change your mind ! We want not that which shall defile, But that which elevates mankini. W.S.