The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1887. PUBELY ON POLITICAL PRINCIPLES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2697, 10 September 1887, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1887. PUBELY ON POLITICAL PRINCIPLES.

■ ■iniMuumfti i At fat'as Mr Hogg it conetrned k hattrideavwreil from the first to fight tk tleclion purely on politicalprinciple, This is a statement made by our local contemporary in his last iasue which will perhaps be read with some slight feeling of astonishment even by his own immediate friends and admirers. Has Mr Hogg, we may well ask, fought, from' the /wi purely on political principles ? If we turn back the pages of his journal in which his warfare, can be traced, we find innumerable evidences' whici suggest a wry different conclusion. Take, say, his issue of July 22, in which ha, accuses acertamwealthypersonwhohaß severely abstained' from taking part:; in .the Masfcerton election, of expressing) an intention of spending £BOOO ttf seoiireMr .Beetham's.return. . Was.'ibis fighting; the election purely on political principles ? On the 12th day of the following month -ha intimated that if Mr G lieetham were defeated in the present- contest ne.would be called to the Upper House; li Was this statement, which he ;mußt have known to be absurd .'while the present Ministry remain in power, j fighting the- ejection purely on political principles? Four days 'later he asserted'that.Mr'T.'W.'Bhute,'one of Mr Beetham's supporters,;.was booked for the next appointment under the Property Tax Act. . Was this allegation of corrupt conduct against Mr BeethHrn'' fighting the election purely on'political-principles." On the same date he stated that Mr Beata was

prepared to spend £IOOO himself in getting back to the House. Was. this palpable misrepresentation " fighting, the election purely on political principles." . Turning a few pages more we find August 31, a statement in his columns to the effect that the working men know -that." if Mr Keethamis returnedandtheAtkiusonparty go back to power they'may say good bye to the chance of getting land." Is this wild and i'eokless statement ""fighting .the election purely, on.political principles." - Not satisfied .with sending Mr' Beetham aloft' to' • the' Upper House, lie also deportß him to England a few days later (September 7),. when he intimates that if Mr.'Beetham'is defeated he and. his family will retire to England,..and live, like Princes until a land and absentee tax disturb their dreams. We ask our contemporary again if .this is fighting the election on purely political principles, and if so, i how polluted must be the principles, j which permit a candidate to so slander .an opponent,, Is pur contemporary's notion of political -principles, the-im-putation,- of corrupt oonduci against a person wliose. ; blameless character has- etood the- test of ten .years ;-,of political life, |ar;ii,-whose -honesty aind integrity are: absolutely;';demonstrated factsl, At the last when"'Mr MoCardlefough.t-agallaritand almost successful fight .'against Mr 6. Beetham' didhe slanderhim in the manner which Mr Hogg has adopted ? : No! Mr McCardie had a soul above, mean '. fcrioks of this kind, He did not, indeed, profess the virtue which Mr Hogg claims,"but he practised it. We,ask our local contemporary if he can prove a single one of the disgraceful accusations which he ha 3 from time to time levied'at Mr Beetham's expense. We ask him too, if he can point to a single instance in which.Mr Beetham has slandered or defamed Mr: Hogg. Even in an election fight honesty is the best policy and Mr McCardle scored better against Mr Beetham than Mr Hogg will, simply because he was straightforward in his fighting and never tried by secret or undsrhand means to injure the chances of tho man he opposed. We sincerely trust that Mr Hogg will endeavor in the battle to be fought between now and tho 20th to oonfine himself to fighting the election purely on political principles." We would much prefer ourselves to see the oontest fairly decided upon Buch a basis, and we very much regret that the oonduot of thos» who oppose Mr Beetham reidsr publi* referance to personalquestionß a matter of "necessity. It would he insulting the intelligence of our' readers to assume for a moment that th?. statemants made and insinuated by our local contemporary against' Mr Beetham have the remotest foundation' in fact, but may we ask, ia th» man who disparages a fair and generous opponent after this fashion, worthy to take Mr George Beetham's place in the Parliament of New Zealand? Would it not bemookeryto call-such a nian the honorable member for Mastei'ton ? Well may a country correspondent write to us and say "if we wished to change we could find a better man than Mr Hogg." .