MR. CLEMENT EDWARDS (Denbigh District)said that a few days ago he was allowed as a matter of personal explanation to call attention to a speech delivered in his constitutency by the hon. and junior Member for Merthyr Tydvil.† In view of what happened on that occasion and what had since happened it was, he thought, proper that he should read a communication which he received on Saturday from the hon. and junior Member for Merthyr Tydvil. It was as follows:—
Dear Edwards,Now that the Wrexham incident stands out in its true perspective, I feel that, I have neither been just to you nor to myself in my handling of it. When your letter cams charging me with abusing my position in having gone into your constituency and wilfully lied about yon—lor that is how I read it—my first impulse was to toss the thing into the fire and take no notice. You see, I was thinking of myself and my innocence of the charge, and did not at the moment realise your point of view. What I had in my mind at Wrexham when your name was mentioned, and what I still continue to believe I said, was that your expenses were paid by your Party. Be this, however, as it may, my object in now writing is to express my regret that any words of mine should have given you offence; and to apologise for any looseness of speech which may have been capable of being interpreted to mean that you in any way accepted money for services†See (4) Debate, clxxii., 385–390.1436rendered to your Party. This is hurriedly written under difficulties, and you are at full liberty to use it in any way you think fit.Yours faithfully,J. KEIR HAKDIE.He quite frankly accepted this withdrawal, and so far as he was concerned, the incident was now at an end.