Only four members remained in the body of the chamber. They were: Mr. Vincent Pyke, Mr. E. Hamlin, Sir F. Whitaker, and Te Wheoro, member for the Western Maori District. Mr. Pyke had taken no part in the debate. He had only that day arrived in Wellington from the south, and no one knew how his vote would go. In reply to an urgent telegram sent to him on his journey, he had stated: “I shall vote straight,” but as he did not explain under which leader his “straight” voting would carry him, his reply was taken as one of his jokes. Mr. Pyke was a “fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy,” and he seldom lost an opportunity of making a joke, especially a good one.
He stood in the gangway for a few minutes, apparently uncertain which door to take.
In the meantime Mr. Hamlin and Sir F. Whitaker were shepherding the Maori member on behalf of the Opposition. Te Wheoro probably took less interest in the proceedings than any other person present. He was lying back on his bench, fast asleep. It was only when the Speaker exclaimed in a loud voice: “The honourable member for the Western Maori District must vote,” that he was aroused from his slumbers. Rising sleepily to his feet, he moved leisurely to the Government lobby, where he was received with loud cheers.
A few minutes later Mr. Pyke, who was the last man to leave the Chamber, voted with the Opposition.
The division was so close that it was thought Mr. Pyke had decided the fate of the parties, or that there was a tie.
The galleries awaited the result breathlessly. They were not kept long in suspense. The real position was made known by an obliging member of the Opposition, who, holding up two fingers, triumphantly announced that his party had gained a victory by two votes.
Next day, the Liberal Party pointed out to its leader that the vote was against him, not them. They told him plainly that his overbearing actions had estranged members of the party, and that he was a stumbling-block in the way of the very reforms he had placed before the people.
