"The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21,1905 TO KEEP HIM AT HOME."

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12633, 21 October 1905, Page 4

"The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21,1905 TO KEEP HIM AT HOME."

Me Massey has reason to feel both flattered and amu&ed by the evident anxiety of the Government organisation to " keep him at home" in his own constituency. Mr Massey, in the role of fighting Leader of the Opposition, is far too dangerous a man to tie at large, and consequently a man had to be found to' contest the Franklin seat in the interests of the Ministerial party. There was no one in the electorate suffio:ently foolhardy to take ou the job, and therefore a Mr W, W. McCardle was " selected " as the candidate and despatched with all haste to attack the stronghold of the Opposition chief. It is said, we know* not with how much truth, that .money is being spent like waiter, and that an. army of. " party " touts and guzzlers are traversing the electorate, singing the 'praises of the ear-marked nominee. According to «11 accounts Mr Massey can afford to'smile at all this, in the comfortable knowledge that What Mr Seddon' himself could ni&t accomplish will not be acchieved by the unknown McCard'e. And the reason for this complacency on" the part of the Leader' of the Opposition is nob fan- to seek.'."ln the first place 'W. W. "McCardle cldes not count for anything worth talking about, unless it is that he has made four consecutive .and unsuccessful attempts to get into Parliament. Mr MoCardle hails from, the Wairarapa district, aaid his career is thus sketched by the Pahiatua j." Herald ":—The public of this district; and also in the Wairrarapa district, will (remember that in 1884 Mir W* W. McCa<rdle was defeated for the Wairarapa seat by Mr Beetham. In 1887 he announced himself as a candidate for the second time for the Wairarapa North seat, but, finding his chances hopeless, he retired in favour of the Conservative candidate, Mr Beethaun. In 1893 he again faced the music, and was soundly defeated for the Masterton seat by Mr A. W. Hogg. An amusing and instructive incident occurred in connection with this contest, which is worth chronicling. Mr McOardle agitated for a polling booth to be established at Nikau, a few miles from his own, residence. The polling booth was established y but, cruel fate! on polling day it -t^as found that not a single vote was recorded for him at Nikau. In 1896 Mr McCardle, no doubt thinking that having lived in Pahiatua for so many yeans, he would bo bound to win the Pahiatua seat. Ho therefore once again announced himself as being ready to work, bleed and die for his"country. On polling fight, however,; at was found that the late Mr O'Meara had easily topped the poll. Threa years'later, 1899, he again offered his time and talents to his bleeding country, and appealed to the district that knew him so very well, to reward him, by returning hinn for the Pnhi-ioii-a seat. For sundry reasons, beat kiu.Acn to himself, his chances were not msy, and he retired in favour of the Government candidate. During all n.^se y<«s.r& Mr McOardle boxed the polhbil compass quite a number of times. In one contest he would bless the Government, and in the next he would just as londly curse it. In 1902 he was spoken of as a candidate for the Egmont seat, but after spying out the land, he found that tho Egmont electors were not taking any political rejects just then, so he gracefully but regretfully retired. When the lato Mr O'Meam died, an urg&nt meeting of the great Liberal and Labour Federation was hold, and several can didates' names were hnnded in to tho conference for selection to tal:<j Mr O'Meara's place, Mr McCardle's name amongst them. Needless to say, the delegates did net select the oft-ciefeaved political hack. This year the Liberal and Labour Federation again mot to select a candidate for the forthoo.'n'ng general election to contest the Pabiitia seat, and] again Mr McOardle's nanifi was tabled a-s a suitable politic-:-;n to take the job on. Mr McCardle attended in person to press his claim, tut, notwithstanding all the pressure, set- j

tiers again rejected 'him." Ifc would take a lot of money and a sea of guzzle to induce the electors of Franklyn to swallow this gentleman in preference to 'Mr Massey. But the Loader of the Opposition holds a much better guarantee for the safety of his political life than is afforded by the luckless repatation of his oppenet. Long ago it was discerned that the Government was only putting up a candidate for Franklin in tho hope that the Leader of the Opposition would be kept at home to fight his' own election instead of touring the country to expound the views and aims of his party. For the purpose of frustrating this scheme, and of freeing Mr Mass>»y for the election campaign, his constituents decided to memorialise him to the effect that it would be unnecessary for him to do more than address one or two of the principal centres in his district, and on polling day they woukT do the rest that was needful." The gentleman who was in charge of this memorial, Mir Henry R. R. L. Wily, of Mauku, Auckland, writing on the 6th of this month to the " Press," in the belief that " a few words about the real state of affairs in Mr Massey'g electorate may be reassuring to any, of the Opposition sympathisers in the South who may have been misled by the way in which the Government candidate for Franklin (has been boomed by the agents of the Liberal and Labour Federation," 6ays: —"Having been in charge of this memorial, I am able to speak without any uncertainty as to the state of feeling in Franklin. I put the sheets in the hands of somo seventy of our 'friends in the forty-eight polling places in Franklin, and now that I have the reports of these gentlemen I am able to predict with confidence a majority at least half as large again as the 1100 he exceeded <hjs opponent by at the last election. The memorial will be presented to liim on his return from Wellington, and that he will act on it is a certainty, soothe people of.Christchurch will again have the pleasure of hearing one of his clear and. forcible expositions of the political situation. Report hath at that Mr McCardle is anything but a favourite of the Premier's, and that he is only being sent to Franklin to keep him out of the House. What Mr Seddon really thinks of his chances may-be 'gathered from his unguarded retort to, Mr Massey in the House, in reply to the latter's interjection that 'he would beat the Government candidate two to one—" And that won't be saying much for you df you do." These, weeds caused much anguish of mind among the few Government supporters here, and Mir Seddon had to explain them away—" mdsreported," as usual. Mr Maasey's modesty led him to put only two to one on himself— I should be inclined to double the odds. In conclusion, I may say that it is certain the North will give Mr Massoy a largely increased following in the new Parliament, and if the revulsion of feeling in tho-jSouth is.one-half so strong, the days of Seddonism are numbered." v-<;:'