THE LATE ELECTION.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 951, 27 July 1878, Page 2

THE LATE ELECTION.

Sir,—lt is only now I have had time tally to read over Mr Whitaker's letter fi'. Election >'qnibs, and, as he is evidently wider a misapprehension on one or two .points, thereby doing l injustice (unintentional, I firmly believe), I mint crave space for a few lines in Eeferring to a certain squib, Mr Whitaker says it was given to a gentleman on the bank of the Waipa, by Mr McMihn, a relative of my own, and the promulgator never thought it would ; reach him (Mr Wliitaker) in time for' contradiction The promulgator is usually supposed to be the author or publisher.,;but' I would suppose, from . the context .of , Mr Whitaker's letter, that lie means my relative. If so, I can assure Mr Wliitaker, though I have not seen or heard of Mr MoMiun, junr. since, that he never 'troubled his head in the least as to whether Mr W. siw it oriiot, and that he would most probably have given him oue as soon as any other person, if he had happened to meet him. If, on the other hand, it is supposed that the squib is from the pen of Mr John King, (there is no use beatirig round the bush), I can only say the squib referred to was clipped, as I am informed, from the columns of the 'New Zealand Times,' a paper in known opposition to Sir George G-rey, and, I presume, to his supporters, and of which Dr Pollen is supposed to be the Editor. I do not think it is likely Mr King is a contributor to that journal, and personally, I have not the slightest knowledge, direct or indirect, as to the authorship of the squib which has given so much "ollence. Further on, Mr Whitaker assumes that there had been a conference between Mr King audi Mr Sloane, of Te Awamutu, and that the result was the issue of this last circular. In this, 'Mr W. is entirely wrong. Mixing only visited Waikato last Friday, lytlfinst., and the circular was shewn to Mr Whitaker's friend on the following Monday, so it is perfectly evident the document coidd not have been concocted on Friday night, as he assumes, forwarded to Wellington, reprinted in circular form, and distributed in Waikato on Monday following*. Again, Mr Sloane and Mr King neVer met. They do not know each other, nor would they, if they met in the street. I am perfectly certain this is strictly correct. Mr King only came as far as Hamilton in' the evening train, and went back to Auckland next day. Mr Sloanc was not nearer than Te Awamutu, so that, unless they practiced on the telephone, the conference could not have'taken place. I do not see I am placed in any false position by my own relatives* and. the discrepancy alluded to is simply explained this way—that Mr Whitaker unintentionally has got hold of the wrong end of the stick, and that the expression attributed to Mr McMinn, jun., was really used by another person altogether,-uiul iu -rfrUvthfr

sense. This was told me by Mr Hadfield before I had ever seen Mr Whitaker's letter. In fact, 1 think Mr Hadfield said it was he who had used the words, but in another sense, I firmly believe Mr more of the than I did myself, andXoonnpt y6t see"how an article—if it of Mr John King, as Mr Wllifaker assumes—could find its way into! the 'New Zealand I have not encroached too jmugh onjlyrpdr space,—l am, &c', MJMjnn. y [We sliall communicate with the settler who was our authority on this matter, .and, on .receipt of .histauswer, shall return to the subject. We do riot for a moment question that the squib was not inserted in the ' New Zealand Times,' subsequent to Friday, last, uind ..shall,,point out the manner in which the whole operation was probably conducted.—Ed. TV. T.j