The Oamaru Mail. WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1915.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XL, Issue 12541, 12 May 1915, Page 4

The Oamaru Mail. WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1915.

THE "PERFECT SCANDAL." The decision, in "the Bay of Islands election ease should operate as a check on the resort to questionable practices to ■affect election results. If a Government may. without fear of consequences, use promises of official positions to rid "itself of an -inconvenient, opponent, then we are not improving in our manners, and will' go from bad .'to. worse. The Bay of Islands investi- ; gation was conducted with exceeding care, and no one can question' the : righteousness of, the decision which voids the election of. Mr Vernon, Reed and disqualifies him for twelve, months from being a Parliamentary candidate. Judge Cooper remarked that Mr Reed's evidence "left an impression upon their Honors' minds that he was not conscious in what he did that he was committing what the Court held was a breach of the law." And yet Mr Reed is _ a barrister, and has .considerable political and worldly experience. If a laborer blunderingly voted twice at an election and pleaded that'lie was ignorant of the law, then his crime would consist in his not knowing the law,' and his illegal act would not be deemed any the' less reprehensible. It is assumed that a man should know the ordinary laws of his country. Besides, during the election the fact was published that Mr "Wilkinson, the second Reform candidate, had been offered -a seat in the Legislative Gounod if ho would retire so that Mr Reed's candidature might not be imperilled by his splitting the "Reform" vote. This offer could not be made by Mr Reed without authorisation from the Government. The Cabinet's authority had indeed, been given to the offer to Mr Wilkinson. Mr Johnston, a supporter of the "Reform'' party, according to Mr Wilkinson's evidence, "offered him (Mr Wilkinson) a seat in the Council, if ho would retire from the contest," and,he. said that "he had come" with Cabinet' •pledges and promises upon which witness could absolutely rely." If this sort of thing ..did not strike Mr Reed as .being not only illegal, but immoral,' then ho is not fit to hold a seat in Parliament. If he knew that he was doing wrong his disqualification is all the stronger. Tampering with candidates after such a fashion imports the tise of political power to quench the legitimate aspirations of the people. Surely Mr Massey ought to have known that he had no right to abuse his privileges by destroying the very vital principles of democratic government which' it was his duty to preserve as the country's political head. The Prime Minister ought to have been required to state on oath and with) all.the openness of publicity the part the Government had played in the attempt to buy over Mr Wilkinson so that the unfettered desire of the electors might be thwarted. Mr. Massey has said that the Legislative Council had become a perfect scandal. This was given as his reason for reforming it in spite of all ru'Otests and common sense, and he sought to justify his words by debasing it. Evidently Mr Massey was conscious that he could not trust himself to exercise thd duty of nomination so as to preserve the purity and usefulness of the second branch of the Legislature.