The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, JULY 21, 1884. MR McCARDLE'S MEETING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1741, 21 July 1884, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, JULY 21, 1884. MR McCARDLE'S MEETING.

Mb McOardle made a capital election speech on Saturday evening—a little too long, perhaps—a little too wordy—a little too full of self-praise—but btill a good speech. His supporters have strong stomachs, and they do not sicken because their candidate blows his own trumpet loud and long before tbem, Mr McOardle was, on the whole, very discreet, He even let down the editor of the Daily very gently. He did not blame Mr Payton for what he had said about Pahiatua. " Some one had told him so." We saw the other day a fairy play enacted, in which whosoever wore a certain fairy ring was under compulsion to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Mr McOardle is not untruthful, but he doesn't wear this fairy ring. Had he done so, he would not have said of the editor of the Daily " some one told him," but he wculd havo smote his manly bosom and declared, " I, If Mam Wilson McOardle, wretched man that I am, told fa'm," Again,' Mr McCardlb displayed occasionally curious lapses of memory. For example, he related how Mr G. Beethaji promised to resign his seat at the County Council and the chairman did not receive his resignation. The key to this little mystery was published a few days ago in the newspapers in the shape of a telegram from Mr W. E Beetham. Mr McOardle to mention this telegram, and no doubt in the most innocent manner in the world, hoodwinked his audience as to the real facts of the case. We thank Mr McOardle for lotting us down so gently. When he did us the honor to notice us, he discoursed so amiably that even six small boys on tho back benches (who made more noise than any twenty men on the front benches) —who yelled in unison whon Mr McOardle said anything against anybody, and who groaned fearfully when anyone said "No" to Mr McOardle—even these small boys, who looked suspiciously like printer's devils in pandemonium, forgot to cheer him. For a candid man, Mr McOardle is very reserved. He spoke openly and plainly about some mysterious individual who was supposed to be touting for Mr Beetham, but he said nothing about his own tout, Had he worn the ring to which we have referred he would have said, " Gentlemen, 1 back my tout for buttonholing electors against any man in the colony. From morning till night you find him in Queen-street bailing up electors week after week, and he does all this because he loves me and used to sit on the opposite side of the Borough Council table and vote against me." Oh, Mr McOardle I you talk about others throwing dust in the eyes of electors, but what do you call this ? Again you got rounds of applause on Saturday evening from your supporters by parading your poverty and honesty. If you had had that ring on we spoke of, you would probably have said " Gentlemen, this election will cost | me two hundred pounds. I can't afford the money unless I am returned and get the honorarium, or Sir George Grey or some other wealthy member of my party gives me a helping hand," Mr McOardle took up the County question as the main text of his speech. Now we decline to follow him on this subject, This is a local question which ought not to be made a test question in the present election, and Mr.McOardle only brings it forward because he thinks that he can injure Mr Beetham by referring to it. In that open and manly manner on which he prides himself, he suggested a number of calumnies against his opponent, Mr George Beetham, who will no doubt reply to them in due course. Then Mr McOardle blew a loud blast on his services to the district in promoting liberal land laws, in the erection of the new school at Masterton, and in securing a magnificent endowment in the shape of a white elephant for the Borough Council. He has, we admit, a claim for some credit in all these transactions. He was pot, however, wearing the fairy ring, so he quite om'tted' to give credit to others who had contributed equally with himself towards them; but this, we presume, is excusable in a candidate. Then we got his land. settlement scheme, viz,, " thirty shillings an acre and twenty years to pay the money, interest four and a half per cent." By the time the twenty years expired the settler on these terms would have paid considerably over two pounds an acre for his land, and we believe that he

would be better" off if lie could get it for one pound an acre cash.: ; - Another point' on which Mr McOardle was more cautious than candid was in declaring that he was disposed to be a follower of Robert Stout. Robert Stout, he said, was to be the leader in the next Parliament, but then he was a land nationalist, and this didn't suit 'Pahiatuaand so.Mr McOardle drew in his horns and declined to say who he would follow. He declared, however, that an Opposition Ministry was coming into power 1 and Mr Beetham's influence was gone; tut this is all nonsense 1 The coming Ministry is clearly a coalition one between the Atkinson and Vogel parties and Mr Beetham's influence, which has been so serviceable to this district in the past, is likely to remain unimpaired. If Mr McOardle fancies a Land Nationalist is going to form a Ministry in New Zealand, he is mistaken. Small farmers who want to be dispossessed of their ireeholds will -do well to. vote for Mr McOardle. He is not as yet a land nationalist,- but he is prepared to follow Stout the most rabid enemy of freeholds in the colony, One or two more candid speeches addressed by Mr McOardle to working men would prove fatal to his ohanees of securing country votes. There was not a little claptrap in his speech. Mr McOardle ; cried out against the four and sixpence a day given by the Government to tbe unemployed, and the small boys at thea bck went almost into convulsions cheering him. We as Mr McOardle if he did not see the unemployed working at these wages in the cutting near the Mastertonßailway Station a couple of years ago, and if three of them did as much work per diem as one of the navvies now at work on the same spot. The unemployed who worked up here were the greatest frauds, in many instances, who ever handled pick and shovel. If we had to choose between giving an average navvy, now on the works, eight shillings a day and three of these unemployed, we formerly saw there, three shillings each per day, we would take the navvy without a moments hesitation. Mr McOardle would do the same if he wanted workmen, but all he wants now is votes, and he is therefore pitching up the dust in the eyes of the navvies with a long handled shovel. We desire, however, to he just to Mr McOardle. His speech as we said before was a capital election address, and if he did not wear the fairy ring he did not say anything which was glaringly untruthful, We advise Mr McOardle not to assert that Mr Beetham'3 influence for benefiting the district is past. Before Mr McOardle is returned to Parliament we venture to predict that he will see Mr Beetham a Minister of the Crown. Mr Beetham has strong claims for such a position, and it will take more than a McOardle to bar his way.