THE COMING ELECTION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2309, 30 September 1908, Page 3

THE COMING ELECTION.

A STRONGLY WORDED CIRCULAR.

DEGRADING THE NATION

[Special to “Times.”]

WELLINGTON, Sept. 29. . Mr Byron Brown, who is a candidate for tho lOt.iki seat as -an Independent Lihoral, has issued a circular letter to tho electors, in tho course of which -lie says: “Again I -respectfully come before you in.’tlio almost lost causo of truth, honesty and justice. To those of you who are alarmed at tho enormous increase of our public debt, which, is now over 6(5 .millions, I come asking your suffrages; to those of you who are sick of the degrading system of reckless expenditure of borrowed millions, for t-lio purpose of purchasing the voters and tho electorates, I come asking your votes; to those of you who have been degraded by the offer of public money to provide patronage, that -the great Liberal Party may retain power; to those of you who hive been promised billets, and never got them; to tlioso of you who have bad your manhood- stultified by having -to grovel in ordor that you might got a loan from tho Government, and to those of you who have never bowed tho knee to the groat Liberal Party, I come again and ask your suffrages. I am told by honest men that no man can corao into Parliament unless he will stoop t 0 bribo the electors by promises of ministerial favors. To such a pass has the system brought us that electors, who have . never known any other system, believe it is quite right and propor, -and so the national spirit has been degraded, until patriotism is only a name. The Maoris have their young Maori party, which is to make for the betterment of a noble, peoplo by the building up of a national patriotism, and reviving honesty and truth-among a peoplo who have been steadily degenerating by the corrupting influences of beer -and pa-kelia politics. Shall wo not follow our Maori brotliroiT'and build up that, national spiritin ourselves by refusing to bo bribed for our votes for the sake of a very small share of Government providence, in the shape of money from the public treasury. This slavery to the holders of the public purse, has brought us to where wo are and has kept -a continuous Government in office at tlie oxpenso of our honor, our honesty, and our very truth. It lias made us afraid for our very lives to openly oppose tho Government candidate, for fear, of reprisals, which our corrupt administration is not above instituting. ‘lf you shall not vote for us for love, you shall for fear,’ has been the motto of the great Liberal Party; the great Liberal Party that has been so liberal in extracting taxation from us. In ten years the taxation per bead of the population lias increased- from £3 11s t-o £4 14s 7d, an increase of 23s 7d per head. Let us average this increase out- on a -population basis of the Otaki electorate of 10,500 souls, and we find that we ire paying £12,381 per year in extra taxation more than we were ten years -ago.” After dealing at. some length with the manner in which tlie electorates are bribed by public works money, be proceeds to advocate a non-political Board of Works, and concludes as follows: “It is degrading to think that •a membor has to spend all his time fighting for liis share of the public] purse, and, from the very system of politics, have to neglect the legislation of his country. -Let us get hack to democracy, -and let us get hack to self-reliance. Will you vote for cringing submission, that by its acquiescence with, eorruntion and bribery stultifies our national spirit, or will you vote for tlie independent, outspoken, fearless Opposition that will strive to obtain honesty and common justice for our electorate?”