THE COMING ELECTIONS

Waikato Argus, Volume I, Issue 63, 1 December 1896, Page 2

THE COMING ELECTIONS

MR LANG AT KIHIKIIII. There \v;is a very good attcn<lanco to licur Mr Lang's address in tin: Town Iliill, Kiliikihi, last Friday night, tin; lady e'ec-tors Ijcing well rcpiescnted. M l ' M S. Laurie (chairman of tin Town Hoard) presided. -Mr Lang's address, wliich was almost entiivly a repetition of tlio-c given by liini in the other centres, lasted about two hours, and was most attentively listened to, there being frequent applause. There was no re.sp n e to the usual offer re answering of questions. i\Ec \\". Grace moved a vote of thanks and contidenee, which was seconded by Mr T. Auder on, and on a si ow of hands b( ing taken it was declared by tlie chairman to be unanimously agreed to. Mr Lang hi icily th inked hid hearers, and after the usu'.l vote of thanks to the chairman the meeting dosed. MR LANG AT WIIATAWIIATA. Pursuant to announcement, Mr F. W. Lang, one of the candidates for the Waikato seat, addressed the electors in the Whatawhata Hall on Saturday evening About s : xly e'ectors, including a number of holies, v. ere present, Mr .Shepherd being voted to the chair. Mr Lang's address occupied over an hour, and was much on the same lines as his previous .speeches already published, the frequent applause showing unmistakably that his heaiers were quite in sniypathy with his remarks. These were mainly directed to exposing the fal'aeics and absurdities of the legislation brought down by the rrcsent Government some of which had heca pissed into law, but much had been rejected. In fact, the candidate's speech might be summed up as a clever d s-cction <f the Neddon a ministration. Some regret was expressed that Mr Lang did not deal more fully with colonial politics, apart from the present UjicniTC it. but as the chi f characteristic of the Liberal party, n w in power, has been the introduction of experimental legislilioti, the practical effect of wlii ;h—as Mr Lang clear'y showe 1 in his numerous illustrations - would be most adversely felt throughout the vaiious branch's of coloni d iudus'tial life; it c;ii scared/ be wondered tint it t coupled almost the whole of his addres o . Coming to personal matters, Mr Lang explained his and Mr Massey's action re the Huiiu.i grants, wh eh have In en the subject of leceiiL telegrams from the Mini-ter, and in ntione! that he had that day received a communication from the chairman o' the Hunua Roal Hoard; thanking I im (Mr Lan..) for hisservic:s to the Hunua district, whi.h was about the best rcfutat'on of the implin I charge that he had li.oa taking credit fer t lie services of others.

At the conclusion of the address. Mr T. C. Blaokttt put a series of questions upon the banking legislation, the first being: Have the present Government done anything to get the Hank of New Z-Mland into i s difficulties '!

Mr Lang's replies wire : Th.it the Government should not have interfered with the lank, but have 'et it work out its own destiny, as oth"r institutions have had to do ; that no oae yet knew the end of tin banking business, and that the wry fiot suggested by the question, that previous administrations had been toe cause of all the trouble, was only a further proof of the injustice of now asking th ■ general body of taxpayers to accept heavy lespousibilitics and additional burdens in connection with an inslitut'on for whose difficulties th- y were in no souse accountable. These answers were warmly applmdtd. Messrs Foxall and Pilkington then put several question* re the prohibition question, which were answeie I as satisfactorily as was possible by anyone not an out in 1 out prohibitionist.

Mr W. W. Higcinson moved that a vote of thsit.ks be passsil to Mr La-ig for his address, together with one of ionfid i'ce in him as t! e Parliani ntny to present itive for Waikato, and in doing so addcl tint he had supported Mr Lang at the last ilcotkn, and had never .seen any occasion to rctirct it.

This "was seconded" by Mr G.orgt Sw iIISOII.

Mr Pilkii gl'Mi inovid an annulm: nt. seconded by Mr Foxall, that the vote should he one of thanks only.

On being put to the meeting three voted for the amendment, a'ter which Mr IligiLs lfs motion was cured amidst grcit applmse. 'I he usual eemp'irr.cnt to the cha : r tuuiiiritcd the meeting. -(Own Corrcsp ndent). BAY OF PLENTY ELECTORATE. Sin,--Persistent rumours being still in ciro.ilation that Mr Herri, s stated lo me th.t Waikato would never piosper until W-.'glM were down to two and sixpence per day, permit; me thiough your columns to give this statement an unipialdied demand. Xj su h statement was ever made to me or by me, and I believe Mr Herrics i capable of making any such stitciiicnt. Further, he state 1 on tin public plat form, that lie believed in good men get ting good wag. s.— I am, etc. Gi:om:i.; K. Ci.akk. Cambridge, Noveir.ber3o.il, 180(j.

ODDITIES

The nomi'iation of the Rev. Walker, of Duucdiu, as a candidate for Waikato suggests to the benighted Tory mind n any oddities. It is odd firstly, that a Clnisiiun Minister should be noniinited by two avowed agnostics. Secondly, that a prohibitionist should be nominated by two nriii win take their nips and e::j iy them kia on ta'ou. Tlrrdly, that an Independent Liberal sho-ild be n miinitod by two cut and out Seddouites and especially alter the utterances of tlie Hon. J. MoKenzie on " lndep ndo-it Liberals" Fourthly, that the great soealbd Liberal party, the monopolist's of the thought, tilm* and intclliceir.e (f this great and progressive constituency had to import a man from Diincdin to represent them. Th'H suggests (a) that tiny hid not in their ranks a lit and prop-.r pc-son, or (h) that rach so-ollcd tree. Liberal was too jealous nnd envious of lis focal) brother i. bera' to raise him above the ruck nnd Iherefore preferred to honour a total stranger, i'.oth (a) and (b) are too nhMird to be entertained —(by any but Tories). O.L. LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE ? In Tidaiithc ('tie of the characters informs us that " every boy and every girl that's horn int.> this world alive is either a litl'o Liberal or else a little Conservative." The attempt lo graft Ivigl'sh po'itical party names on New Zealand pol lies em hardly lit slid to be a success, for even our must Con-ervativc Governments have passed more Liberal ii.easmes than the most ultra Liberal .Minstry hive done in the Imperial Parliament, lie that as il may, we prefer that whether called Conservatives nwint the party we support should be judged nut by the windy e'o<|Ucnee of the stumping platform, hut by its dieds. " l!y their fruits sh dl ye know them," mill wo are very much of the op'nion of Mr Allied Saunders, the Fatlnr of the House (f Representatives, when in tl.c closing hours of the session, he told Ml Si'ddon tli .t "all tli.' Lib-ral measures of any importance wee passed by Sir John Hall's (Jovornnicnt. and if the Premier thinks the number of Liberal mcaMires that are pi-.cd by Government is projf that the Government is a go al one. he must, admit the Hall Govern incut was the only good Government we ever had, because no Covortnr.e-it had passed the same numbs: of liberal measures."

THE WAIKATO SEAT,

TO THE EDITOB. Silt, —I>y your Saturdays issue I see. Mr Lang is not to have a walk over, as the Rev. E. Walker has almost at the last moment come forward to contest tin Waikato. As soon as Mr Walker's name was mentioned, 1 inquired of many voters, what views li-d the rev. gentleman on politics in g- ncral and up to the present nine of his friends have thrown much light on the .subject. Clan you in your nixt i' fo: in us whether Mr Walker is a supporter of the present Government or not ? It seems to us a strange thing to lie asked to vote for Mr Walker simply on the ground of his being a prohibitionist. Why did not Mr Walker is ue a circular stating his political creed'/ Perhaps he is acting will puile and considers it policy to give no hint as to his views, on many of the burning questions connected with the Government of New Zealand. I trust my fel'ow voters will i ot be Ic 1 away with the cry of prohibition, to the injury of mo'.c important po'i'ical qm stums. I for one certainly object to vote for any man simply because he represents an extreme view of the temperance questions. Personally I am not acquainted with Mr Lang, but I feel that it is better to have i local man who has a stake in the district and who will do his best for the locality he represents as well as for the country in general.—l am, etc , A Settler. TO THE J-DITon. Sill, —" Poverty makes .strange bcilftl ows," and wo have an extiaordiiiary illustration of the truth if this povcrb in the nomination of the Kav. Edward Walker as a candi late for the Waikato Flectoratc. We read that th s lev. gentleman, a, Congiegitional Minister, was n initiated by two well-known Hamiltonians who openly pose as agnostics, and who for years past have been pic seal to exhibit their contempt for any sort of reiig'ous belief. Whit a strange pirtnership '! What a poverty or dc.r.h it exhibi'S, and that on both side, of stiong mi n, to make such an incongruous alliance necessa'y Surc'y had such been possible it would have beMi more condstuit for cither side to have worked out their own end, i.e., it cither lias any special or particular object to gain, lint what can bo the rev. gentleman's object in contesting the seat? It can hirdly be the hope of winning it, for I doubt if tea public men in the electorate would ail vise" him that he has the slightest chance of so doing. Rumour siys that be'ug a p ohibi'.ion lecturer he stands to emphasise and ma'ntain the principles ot the prohibition platform. Again, if so, what a strong partnership. A congregational minister's platform raised and borne aloft by two gentlemen of in religion and Loth of whom, report says, enjoy a ghi's ot good whiskey. Can incongruity go fi.rthcr ? Yes. I understand that a prime mover in biingiug about this unholy alliance is a Wcsleyan Minister ? il Poverty makes strange bedfellow?. 1 ' How poor or how hard up politically, religiously and " prohibitionally '' must the parties hereto have been. Again I ask what object can the lev. gentleman have in view '! he think to infill' ncc the Waikato electors by such conduct'/ If he does he will be rudely awakened on Friday next. Docs he hope to advance prohibition thereby 'i I fear he will not, but that he will set t.mp'ratc Christian mm against him and against the cause.—l am, etc., Waikato. November 31*t, ISi'O. The Government is about to spend large sums in improving the health and other tesorts of tourists. There cin be r.o question but that if the extremists on the liquor question carry the day, this cxpen litnrc would be of 1 tt'e avail in ineieosi lg their number. More would to kept away by the know'edge that they would be deprived whilst in NewZealand of tint to which they have been accustomed, than would be attracted by th i proposed expenditure. For the Western Maori District there are no en 1 of candidate?, soma say upwards of a dozen will £0 to the poll ; tl ere have been several candidates visiting the Waipa electors, and all have «»oiie away aga'n quite satislie.l, he is the chose! one in ths pal t. One of the leading men infonwd me that they did not like to discourape any of them. Tlie I'eturning Officer, Mr G. T. Wilkinson, lelt Otooh nga on Saturday </< ritulf for New P.ymouth, to receive nominations for the seat on the 3rd ins'ai.t

Another Ohaupo co-respondent writes: " Your Ohaupo corrcspoeilent is not unite correct in stating that Mr Lung's speech did no: create a sensation, aurl iiiiuiv of his snpporteis thought there was" ro necessity for such display of bitterness against the Government, and that lie might to declare himself an out and out Oppos tiouist. Mr Lang's speech was free'y : pplauded ami he received a vote of unlimited confidence. After the meet rg many of lis supporters expressed their satisfaction at having an independent r.prcs ntativc, and that no words could 1 e too hitter to express their indignation at a Government that could bring in such a number of ibsurd bills and get them pa-fed by their b'ind and ignorant followers. Electors who disapprove of the policy of the pioscnt Ministry and in consequence are supporters of Mr Lantr, hut >\ ho at the sinie time hold ttro.ig views on the liquor qnrsiion, should hear in mind that the return of a man with dill'e.ent political views bcciuse he happens t'j be a p-ohibiiionist could only result in injuiy to the country. The supporters if the Government, on the other hand, are asked to return a man who e uld not fit I to be a thorn in the side of the Govcnnrei.t. It is not long sir ee that a colleague of the Rev. Mr Walker's, f i «iii Waikato platforms, c.\;le I the L'rcmicr a very ugly name. Nearly every rational man i> now convinced that the present system should hsvo a trial. The power is now in the hauls of tl.c people. Out l'irongia correspondent writes : When it was reported hire that a rev. gentleman from the South was coining forward to contest the Waikato seat against Mr I\ W. Lang, it was generally dlsercdi'ed, until tbc arrival of Saturday's Alters continued the report. Nowall are wondciiiig who '.he lie v. Mr Walker is? And why he is wishing to have his Hock without a shepherd to go in for politics '! It is supposed he must have had a "call" or we should never hive heard ot him. There appears to he a pietty general opinion here that as no loc:il Lyman has thought proper to conic forward to contest the seat against our present popular man, that it would be hardly right to take the rev. candidate from his Master's work, S 3 that the support lie will yet aboit this part of the (hstiiet will be" very sniill indeed.