[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:1 Sm,—Though somewhat late
in the day, owing to the distance separating Australia from England, I should like, with your permission, to reply to Mr.,Pwsl ford's letter in your issue of March 5th. He says, speaking of himself :—" I was re-elected by New South Wales to the Senate by 191,000 votes,—a solid, absolute Free-trade vote, given as such to me, a keen opponent of Chamberlainism " Apparently Mr. Pulsford claims to know the motives actuating the 191,000 people who voted for him; but to show that he does not, I may state that l- and, I know, several other ardent Preferentialists and whole- hearted supporters of Mr.. Chamberlain—voted for Mr. Pulsford and the two other Free-trade candidates for the Senate simply to keep out the Labour _candidates. Ardent Preferentialist as I am, I consider my first duty is to oppose the present domination by Labour party, hence my vote for the " Free- trade bunch." I am entirely opposed to Mr. Pulsford's Free- trade policy, but in this instance thought he would make a better legislator than any of the Labour candidates. Accord- ingly my, vote was not so much a vote for Free-trade as a vote against Labour,—the lesser of two evils, as it were. In con- clusion, I do not think any one can say that the question of Preferential trade was in any sense a burning question at the late Senatorial elections.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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