The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, JULY 8. 1911.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3264, 8 July 1911, Page 6

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, JULY 8. 1911.

There lias not been a great deal said so far during the poliAn Interesting tical campaign which Assertion. can be described as quite new. One notable exception is the assertion by Mr. James Allen, M.P. for Bruce, that if Mr. Massey had chosen he might have become a member of a Liberal Ministry. As might be expected, this remarkable declaration has fallen like a bombshell in the Liberal camp. The claim, it may be recalled, was made at Riverton, and it is also of interest to note, was put forth in the presence of Mr. Massey himself. What is more, it was backed up by a statement to the effect that such a coalition was felt desirable by the head of the Liberal party for the purpose of resisting the demands of the. Labor party. The Ministerial press appear to have been shocked at the suggestion which is embodied in Mr. Allen’s assertion. “Of course,” says the “Lyttelton Times,” “no one who knew Sir Joseph Ward at all intimately credited this astounding story for a single moment, but it was industriously circulated among the electors through all sorts of devious channels, and was gladly welcomed by the organisers of the Reform Party. But even a libel directed against an absent opponent does not get an unlimited start in these days, and the cable has brought an emphatic contradiction from the Prime Minister. Sir Joseph says that the story is ‘absolutely without foundation,’ and no fair-minded man will hesitate to believe him. Of course Mr. Massey, having allowed the story

An Interesting Assertion.

to be told in his presence and to go uncontradicted, must share the responsibility for its circulation with his lieutenant. We do not know what he may have to say in explanation, but it is certainly incumbent upon him to say something. We should think that no self-respecting politician would care to rest under the imputation of having evolved such an outrageous libel for the meanest party purpose out of his own imagination.” As far as we know, 1 ' • Massey has been content to Jet the matter remain in its present position. Some day, perhaps, he may be induced to state what has, led him to the belief that he could, to-day, if he so desired, hold Ministerial rank. It may lie further mentioned that this is not the first occasion upon which publicity has been given to a suggestion of this nature. In one vital detail, however, Mr Allen s assertion on the point at Riverton differs from a report which has for some time been current. Quito plainly, we understand, the member for Bruce stated, or inferred, that it was Sir Joseph Ward who approached him on this matter. On the contrary, it is generally supposed that Mr. Massey was approached—not by the Prime Minister but by a gentleman, or gentlemen, whom he regarded as an intermediary. Pending further developments in regard to this interesting matter, the electois must form their own opinions. On the one hand they have a straight-out denial from Sir Joseph Ward of the truth of the assertion; on the other hand they have the fact that it would appear that Mr. Massey must have considered Mr. Allen’s statement so near the mark from his point of view that it does not call for any variation. No doubt the matter may be added to the already big list of charges and countercharges of “deliberate misstatements” and “gross misrepresentation” which is usual in connection with every political campaign. It may be safely forecasted that the last has not been heard of it.