THE SPIDER AND THE FLY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4286, 3 December 1892, Page 3

THE SPIDER AND THE FLY.

[TO THE EDITOR, j Sir,— My attention baa been called to your leader of tbe 28tb inst on Mr Hogg's chairmanship at Mr Tennyson Smith's meoting lust Friday, and should be glad if you will allow me to correct the impression it conveys, that the member was asked by (he lecturer to preside with tho aim in view of creatiog a sensation or projoking a discission. V In the first place, tbe suggestion •* that Mr Hogg should bo asked to ocenpy the chair, did not emanate from Mr Tennyson tSmith peraonally at all, It w»s made at a Btuatl gathering of Temperanoe frinoda, at the time whon tho meeting was first | mooted, Theleoturtr willingly assented to tbe proposition, as of course, his aim is to gain the ear of the moderate drinker in order to win him over to total abstinence principles, and a non-teetotaller in the chair would presumably attract many of Lis own way of thinking. There was therefore no thought of promoting a discussion with the cbairman of the meeting, for Mr Tennyson Smith has liad too many years of public platform experience to be guilty of BufJi a breach of platfoiui etiquette, tll0 "(! u ue naturally reserves tohinißrff the right of replying to any attack upon the movement which he advocates, and as Mr Hogg after a lectuie dealing solely with the moral suasion aspect ofthe questional fit •jjfo introduce party politics and the Prohibition movement, the lecturer j "could not," as he said, "allow the! spurious arguments to pass unchallenged " Apparently Mr Hogg, with the astuteness of an old Parliamentary band, bad his own special reason for accepting the invitation preferred by the Temperance people of Masterton, though, unfortunately for himself, ho did not accurately gauge the cap-bli-ties of the lecturer, perhaps thinking be would bo allowed to launch forth his views unchallenged, I am, etc, Oshund H, Marrund. Private Secretary to Mr E. Tennyson Hmitli.