A SCENE IN THE NEW SOUTH WALES PARLIAMENT

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1629, 10 March 1884, Page 3

A SCENE IN THE NEW SOUTH WALES PARLIAMENT

_# In tho Legislative Assembly, immediately after tho House met on Wednesday, February 17, Mr O'Connor moved tho adjournment of the House for the purpose of contradicting statements made by Mr Jno. M'Elhone, M.P., at recent public meetings, to the •effect that Mr O'Connor had pledged the Catholic vote to ono candidate in tho East Sydney election, and had bartered his vote to the in consideration of his brother receiving £IOOO moro than it was worth for a property which the Government had resumed. Mr O'Connor made n violent attack upon Mr Elhone, describing him as a vile maligner of tho living and tho dead, and as ono who should be iguominously expelled from public life, who possessed the inherent currishucssj of the coward, who had sunk to the depth of damnable malignity, and who indulged in fiendish attempts to vilify private life and degrade public dignity. In concluding an address of an hour's length, Mr O'Connor said,

in referring to Mr M'Elhono, "I am indifferent to tlm maunderings of an illiterate mountebank. lam independent of tlu: sordidncss of a commercial Shylock. I challenge the malignity of an unscrupulous vulture, and from the bottom of my soul I abhor a political Quilp." Mr O'Connor was several times interrupted by the Speaker for his attacks upon a member of the House, and Mr O'Connor was B compelled to get out of the dilliculty by inferontially referring to Mr M'Ellione instead of directly naming him. Mr M'Ellione replied, and reiterated the charges which lie had made against Mr O'Connor, and asserted his readiness to stand the brunt of a Supreme Court action. The House was very much excited during this personal delate, and the terms " liar" and blackguard" were several times exchanged between Mr M'Ellione and Mr O'Connor and one or two other members, The debate took place under cover of a motion for adjournment. Mr O'Connor has issued a Supreme Court writ against Mr M'Ellione to recover .£IO,OOO damages for slander.