MR O’DOWD IN TALKATIVE MOOD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3385, 28 November 1911, Page 5

MR O’DOWD IN TALKATIVE MOOD.

THE INTERESTING STORY OF HIS NOMINATION. AS TOLD BY HIMSELFSome difficulty was experienced by a •’•'Gisborne Times’’ reporter in finding Mr. O’Dowd, just after the declaration of the result, for the purposes of an interview. Alter a while, however, the would-be candidate was espied just- a.s lie vas about to leave for home on his dray, which he had stood alongside the office of the Returning Officer (Air, Hill) in Lowe Street. ‘■'You want to know the position f" he rejoined in reply to a query from the pressman. “Well, now,” he added. “I will just- tell you.” Air. O'Dowd went on to point out that- the idea of lu-s standing for Pailianieait was no new thing. Everybody would remember that be announced in the “Times ’ a year or two ago that- he wctuld be a candidate. There had been a lot- of talk about Dr. Collins and Air. Sheridan and some others standing, but that did not eau.>e him to waver in his determination. If lie had gone to the poll he knew what ho could do. So lie went along steadily with liis arrangements, and the end—which was no surprise at all to his friends —was that he got his nomination papers signed and handed in-

'■'And what would have been your line of polities?” asked the reporter. <<oli straight-out La-hour,” replied Mr O'Dowd. Continuing, he said that he was for the working man all the time. TTis aim would have keen io place the worker a little higher. Between three and four hundred working people had pressed him to stand. “Would you have got support from outside the ranks of the workers?” Mr. O’Dowd was confident that he would have obtained heavy support. Tf ho had liked, lie said, ho could have got a lot of No-License votes. But lie afterwards thought that it would never suit, so he gave up the contest: Consequent upon the emphatic manner in which Mr. O’Dowd referred to this matter, the reporter interjected: “How do you say you came to withdraw?”

“Look here,” said Mr- O’Dowd, “it was this way. I will speak straight. I didn’t want to make any trouble. You see if I had gone for No-License votes, what would my friends who like a. glass of beer say?” “But bow do you know you would have got any considerable lipmbor of what you call No-License votes?” “How do T know ” commented Mr. O’Dowd. “Well, because I know. Now you look "here. Only a week ago (he named a prominent sympathiser with the No-License movement) met

me in the street. He said: ‘lf you stand, O’Dowd, I will do my best with the party.’ I told him that if I were standing I would want every vote I could get.” “And in the end you withdrew?” said the pressman. “Yes,” he went oln, “as I said I didn’t want to cause any ill-feeling between any parties. I would have wanted to go fair oh my own. But at the hirst I found it would be impossibleAVlien I saw my nomination; would interfere with other interests I withdrew. I was not prepared tat bind myself to any body. You see there would have been trouble, for 1 was told by tiiat if 1 nominated he would do all he could for me on the quiet. AVliat wotdd my liquor friends have said to me ?” AViping from his brow the beads of perspiration that had gathered, Air. O’Dowd thcini wended his way along the street, apparently well satisfied that he had done the proper thing.