EGMONT ELECTION PETITION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 11625, 31 October 1887, Page 2

EGMONT ELECTION PETITION

«. — - — HAWEKA STAR'S OOM&rENTS PETITION NOT LOIXJEI) YBE : PER UNITED PRESS ASSotttATIOH. ; HAWEKA,'Ootob6r 28' ' To-day's Star, in an article on the petition against Major Atkinson , Bays :— . • We are informed that the petition wiiioh it is said ia likely to bs broughfi against Major Atkinson, on the gi'ound of corrupt practices, aaay yet ba lodged. ' It is obvious that the 28 days subsequent to the official declaration hayq lapsed, ' as a petition ought to have been lodged prior to October 26th, bat it iff .eon- ' tended that the commission of the offence, even if it has yet been boar . emaciated, is still within tbe neoeaßiiy ? 28 days. Under these oironinstanpei the petition may perhaps be yet lodged^ j though we should think, from what wp 1 > can learn, that it is exceedingly uhUUefor : , that it would be sustained. It^iftnot V{ contended that Major Atkinson him|ies vi had any knowledge of the ;allegiß^ > offence under the Corrupt Praoticfif' ; ', \ Prevention Act, but simply that onsijs;Ts j his committee may have oversteppedrtiie , : law. The rumoured ground otthi ; petition, the authority for whidii oanapt be ascertained, would seem to brmgHlie « alleged offenoe under clause 16 of the i Corrupt Practices Act, and would oonV , Btitute an illegal, ancl.not ia obrrupl;" practice. The petition would therefore-^ seem to be out of court! unWa tho offence complained of can be Bhbwh' tdv be corrupt, and also include payment of C money or of some other reward. Tha : ~.'\ more we look into the matter th^ n^oro ' satisfied we are ' that unless there jaro some further political iniquities beyond the one rumoured slight offence by) sjf ; agent, it is unlikely that a petition will erer be presented to the OlJiSf JuaUce; > In the event of the petition being suflr tamed against Major Atkinson on ititi ,}J ground of a trivial electlpti offenoe b^ s;i an agent, we have not the least ;d^ub)|r that Parliament woudd againjp^"(^i|^ lademnity Act such ao' wa^|passie)d^i^^. , 1831, in favour of Mr^illid|t, j^i^u^^v him from all liabilities, and enabling ■,- i^ him to resume his seat. . . ! , *„ .'. "'