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EAST DENBIGH UNIONISTS.1 .…

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EAST DENBIGH UNIONISTS. 1 « GREAT GATHgHING' AT HORSLEY HALL. 1 I WELCOME TO SIR F. CUNLIFFE. I SPEECH BY COLONEL KEN YON-SLANEY. An important event 1,1 the political life of East Denbighshire took place on Saturday in the formal introduction to the workers of the Unionist Association for the division of Sir Foster Cunliffe, Bart., the prospective Unionist candidate. The interesting meeting could not have taken plaoe under happier auspioee, as it waa mado tho occasion of a garden party, to which Mr. Alfred Ashworth invited the workers at his beautiful residence, Horsley Hall, GTCS- ford. There was an attendance numbering up- wards of one thousand, invitations having been issued to the canvassers and other workers, together with their wives, who lent assistance in ftito interests of Major Griflfith-Boscawen, the Unionist candidate at the last bye-election, fflhough that election occurred only a little more Shan a year ago, the Unionist party have lost no tiin-o in selecting a gentleman who would be a willing and acceptable future candidate. In Sir Foster Cunliffe they have choaen one whose qualifications for the poeition are of the best, by reason alike of his high family traditions, his natural Welsh sympathies, erudition, and thorough and careful study of political ques-1 lions. With those qualities he has allied the un- doubted gift as a public speaker. Sir Foster, whose address was preceded by an inspiriting speech by Colonel Kenyon-Slaney, was accorded all enthusiastic reoeption. He warmly acknow- ledged the unwavering loyalty and zeal of the party workers in the division, and the oordial reception which was given to the speeches showed unmistakably that the Unionist organisation remains undaunted by discouragements, and is determined to maintain its cause with unabated vigour, as in the past, through good and evil report. A special train from Chirk conveyed the great majority of the members to Gresford, and from the station they marched to the hall, about two miles distant, headed by the band of the Wrexham Conservative Workingmen's klsoo- ciation. Beautiful weather prevailed throughout the day, and, thanks to the warm w-elcome and the liberal hospitality which Mr. Aohworth ex- tended to his guests, the viait proved of the most enjoyable character. The charming gardens of the hall were thrown open for inspection, and from the high ground an extensive view of the Cheshire landscape was obtained. Tea was oerved in a large marquee, and open-air speeches were afterwrds delivered in front of the hall, the ha.ir being taken by Mr. Alfred Ashworth. A large house party at Ilorslev Hall included Lord Ken yon, Lord and Lady Harlech, Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Sir Foster Cunliffe, the Hon. George Kenyon and Miss Kenyon, Sir John and Lady Mark, Sir Robert and Lady Egerton, the Hon. W. Ornish y Gore, the Hon. Cecil T. Parker, the Hon. J. E. Cross and Mrô. Croea, Col Kenyon-Slaney, M.P., Mrs. Griftit-li- Boacawen, Mr. Trevor Gnffit.h-Boscawen, Mr. Harry Barnston (prospective Unionist candidate for Eddisbtirv), Mr. F. W. Soames, Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey Fitz-Hugh, Mr. G. R. Sandbach, Mr. T. Egerton, Mr. Philip Ashworth, Mr. G H. F. Robertson, Mr. R. Myddelton (Chirk Castle), Mr. G. R. Orred. Mrs. Puleston, Mrs. Maylor, Mr. Frank Lloyd, the Rev. M. Elring- ton Bisset. (Bangor Isycoed), Mr. R. T. Wick- ham, Colonel and Mrs. Fisher, Mr. Murless, the Rev. R. J. Baker OWCll, Mr. and Mrs. Percy Jamea. the Rev. K A. Fishbourne, Mra. and the Misses HoweU Eva.ns, Mr. J. B. Cruikshank. the Rev. A. G. M. Jennings. Mr., Mrs. and Mifia Allington Hughes, Dr. Llewellyn Williams (Wrexham). etc. MR. BALFOURS MESSAGE. The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, gave his guests a hearty welcome to Horsley, and read the following telegram from Mr. Balfour Every success to your great gather- ing. I am confident L'nionists of East Denbigh- "hire will continue to work with vigour and zeal for promotion of Unionist cause.—Arthur Balfour." (Cheers.) The following message was also received from Major Griffit-h-Boscawen 1 "Very sorry I cannot be present with you. Please give all my friends who worked sostrongl.v ?or me last year my best and kindest thanks, and I wish all 6uoce,% to Sir Foster CunIiSe, the prœent candidate." (Cheers.) The Chairman said he was pleased to introduce to the electors of the division Sir Foster Cunliffe. their prospective candidate, and he believed their prospective member. (Cheers.) Sir Foster was a plucky fighter, and a neighbour who had been born and bred among them, and they had no need to find a candidate, in any outsider or "carpet-bagger" when they liad such a neigh- bour, who would represent East Denbighshire honour tQ Limaelf and to the division. (Cheers.) Colonel Kenyon-Slaney, M. P., said the main object of that gathering was the recovery of the position loot by the Unionist party through- out the United Kingdom, and especially in Wales. How were they going to regain their position? The first necessity was that each oon- stituency should without delay select for itself the best possible candidate—he who carried with him popular support, a knowledge of the people and sufficient acquaintance with public affairs to represent, not only the local needs of the constituency, but also the imperial needs of the great Empire of which the constituency was a part. (Hear, hear.) In that constituency they had choeen well and wisely. They had chosen a man who was reared on the soil, and who was by long heraditary 4escout and by aittb. ties that went to make up family claim really significant of the very best. form of candidate. (Cheers.) They had a man with family traditions and long association with local life, and his local knowledge, willing to come forward as candi- date; and, above and beyond that, they had a man with a really good public record behind him. (Hear, hear.) He (the speaker) had known •omeihing of his forbears. Sir Foster Cunliffe'a father and lie were brother soldiers together in the Brigade of Guards. The boy who took a forward part in the life of a great public acilooi the man who identified himself with the beet i traditions of the University and became a member of one of the most select colleges in Oxford— that man was framing well for public life. ( Hear, hear.) And when they considered that he had shewn himself a literary and cultivated man, they found united in him the chief neeentials of a Parliamentary candidate. (Cheers.) After the selection of a candidate it was necessary that every member of the Unionist party in the constituency should work. Every man or woman who meant to identify himself or herself with the fortunes of the Unionist party must be prepared to understand that they were facing at the present moment large odds, and murt be prepared to make personal sacrifices of time and leisure. In the first place, they MUST ATTACK AND EXPOSE the Radical policy at every point; in the second place, they must assert and uphold the Unionist policy equally without any fear or flinching. The Radical agitator was aJwaya ready to whisper malicious nonsense into their ears, al waya ready to pLay the part of the serpent in the garden of Eden; and if he could find an Eve to whisper to lie was all the more happy. (Laughter.) It was quite true that during the last twenty yeans the Unionist party had had five times as much opportunity of doing good as the Liberal party; but they had done, not only five times, but ten times as much good as the Liberal party. (Hear, hear.) When the Radical party had their chance they used it by trying to force upon the United Kingdom Home liule for Ireland. How had the Unionists used tJteir opportunity? All the advantiiges which had occurred to the working cLa*wes during the last twenty years had been achieved under a Unionist Administration and by Unionist legislation. (Hear, hear.) Thece had been the Education and the Agricultural Rates Acta; j there had been measures beneficial to miners and the dwellers in large towns. The housing of the working classes had been improved, and there had been measures beneficial to Ireland. AU those had been passe d during the last 20 years by a Unionist Government; and the fact that the standard of life was now infinitely higher than it was 20 years ago was the outcome I of the efforts of Unionist legislation. (Hear, hear.) The Unionist party during that period Jiad not, of course, confined their efforts to the 1 United Kingdom alone. Egypt had been re- established, and had become for all future time part and paroct of the British Empire. Having' made secure that stepping-stone to India, they had averted many possiWe great disasters. They had also seen mattere in fche East secure by the Japanese Alliance; they had seen matters in j Europe improved in the right direction by the happy relations which now existed between England and France, while in South Africa they had rV-on the challenge of the Boers replied to, I aa it ought to have been years before if Mr. Gladstone had been a man instead of a politician. (Hear, hear.) At last, after many weary years of waiting, the stain of Majuba had been wiped off the shield, and we had seen the re- established reputation, not only of British soldiers, but of British people and the British Empire. (Cheers.) That was a great deal to have done. There came, of course, the natural and unenviable re-aetion—a General Election, in wI, ;ch people were almost bound to f«'\Y to lite Unionist G-ov+,rnincnt. You may have done well. but you have involved net in great ex- pense. You may have played a very fine game while you were in, but now we want to see you bowling for a bit. and the other side batting. and we will make up our mind which is the better eleven of the two." Unionists found no fault with this view, but if it was fair enough for them, it was also fair for the Radicals; and he thought the only difference would be that while the Unionist party were able to keep their sticks standing 20 years, a period of about 20 montliH would suffice for the defeat of the men on the other side. (Laughter and hear, hear.) The last general election was won by an ORGIE OF FALSEHOOD. and extravagant talk, but 8uch extravagance always re-aoted in a short time, and gave plaoe to ooromonaeree. The outcome of the general election had been significant in some ways. They had seen the rise of a new party in the State. As an old Parliamentary hand he had been struck very much by the appearance in the House of Conr.mons of the Labour party. He was unable as yet to see olearly what the future would be, but in courtesy and honesty he was bound to say that he believed the Labour party had ani-orig ita numbers many who would be a oredit to the House of Com- mons, and a credit to the British nation. (Hear, hear.) They represented views no doubt somewhat dissimilar to those of the Unionist party on domestic matters, but he believed that when there arose a question of great national importance, or of great 1m- i-erial diiffculty, or anything tike a crisis in the concerns of the Empire, they would find among the Labour party many a sound supporter who would 6acrifioc pa,ty for the interests of the nation and of the empire at large. (Hear, hear ) He believed there were only two points on which the country might be contented with the administration of affairs by the pre- sent Government—viz., the administration of foreign affairs by Sr l'ld ward. Grey and the administration of Indian affairs by Mr. Mor- ley It was significant that when a Liberal Ministe* pursued the honourable and straight- forward course and deserved the approval of his fellow-countrymen, he was invariably fol lo.ving directly the example feet, him by his Unionist predecessors. (Hear, hear.) Where else had the country got satisfaction? He did not think it had got satisfaction out of domestic affairs, or out of a Home Searotary who on sentimental grounds let off one of the most bruta' murderers who ever deserved the soaffold. The ooumry had not got satisfaction from the nimi who, having satisfied himself that a certain crimirnal was not guilty of the charges brought against him, had refused to give him the compensation to which as an innocent man he would be entitled. An agita- tion was being carried on against the magis- tracy. When they saw the Liberal party ear- wigging the Lord Chancellor and bullying the Prime Minister in ordtvr toO have the magis- terial benches packed with Liberal candidates and Liberal partisans, they departed from the essential principles which ought, to govern su,-h appointments. THE EDUCATION BILL had offended most deeply the consciences and the convictions, not enly of Churchmen, but of all moderate minded men who desired above all things that the question of religious teach' ing should be put outside the pale of party controversy. tCheeis.) That Bill was well dealt with by the House of Lords in the in- terests of justice and impartiality, and the fact that the Radical Government refused to accept the amendments Laid them open to censure, arid gave ihe country the right ro thank the House of Lords for the work they did in that great crisis. (Hear, hear.) It was a matter of national importance that as soon as possible by f-itir means the ireligious question should be set at rest. It was not a matter of pride or satisfaction for us as a Christian country that this controversy should continue; it wae of the greatest importa-nce to the .rising genera- tion that if possible the controversy should be set at rest. This could only be done by main- taining as the first principle the right of parents to diot.ate the religious education which their children should receive, and by refusing to allow in the public schools any particular denominational bias. If they were not to allow denonrraartonai in favour of the Church of England school, neither sfioutd they allow denominational bias in favour of the section whidh went by the name of Cow- per Temple ism. (Hear, hear.) Let them de- vise a. system of religious education under which tiiay would have the principles of Christian charity and religious toleration preached and practised throughout the king-, dom. (Cheetm.) Turning to the situation of the Colonies, he speaker pointed out that when the present Government were retur-ned they found they had pledged themselves head over heels to immediate dealing with the question of yellow labour in South Africa. In order to carry out their promise they were obliged to shelter themselves hebjnd the MISERABLE SUBTERFUGE of leaving the settlement of the question to the action of the new Colonial Government. They had therreupon immediately set up in the Transvaal, and now in the Orange Colony, a new Constitution, giving full powers of self- government to the Boeis and the residents of those two colonies, with the result that British interests had been aacriiioed everywhere to Boen- interests, and that the feeling of loyalists in South Africa had been ruthlessly trodden <kn. Now, if they could conoeive the possi bility, which God forbid, of a new war in those colonies and of a new appeal by the mother country to the residents of those colonies to stajid by her, the attitude of our colonists v/ould be different from that on the last occa- sion. They would say, "No, never again. The mother oountry has deserted us. You stood away from us ;n our time of difficulty; you have handed us over to thoae who we know will not treat us fairly. No longer wiU we spill blood or endanger life for a Government who knows nothing except how to desert and how to i>etray." (Hear, hear.) Speaking of ths Government's laaud question, Colonel Kenyon-Slaney pointed out the injustice of the Evicted Tenants' Bill. The Scotch Bill was the most absurd attempt he had ever known too try to mako uniform a system which would suit only the extreme north of Scotland in its wildness and its circumutaiices of climate ,iii.d population. The English Bill had been framed in a fairer spirit. It had some points of which he quite approved, but by its pro- visions it was possible that the Agricultural Commissionera might Fieize upon a farm occu- pied by a tenant rr-der any agreement and turn him out in order to provide small hold- ing!. Everybody was theoretically in favour of small holdings, which under certain circum stances might be successful; but he protested in tho name of the tenants laboutrete agaimt the pct-wibility of their being turned out without full and fair compensation. (Cheers.) no Liberal party had ma de their FUTURE LEGISLATION fairly oiear. If they survived another year or two we were to have another Education Bill, avore drastic, more iu-itfair, more tyrraxious and more one-sided than the one which went be fore. We weffe to have a Licencing Bill and a Disestablishment Bill. All th ose were matters which would upset tbo country. It was impotssible to h&ve a prosperous and con- tented community in the face of these con- tinuous subversions of institutions and the danger which threatened the security of private property. The first essential was that there should be a feeling of security of property. (Hear, hear.) The main point of Radical policy wa» to be the over- throw of the House of Lords. The Unionist policy in the future must be«>t'merely a nega- tive or defensive one They had a policy out- 1 Lined by their leaders—Mr. Chamberlain and j Mr. Balfour—{cheers)—an identical prbgrammo and policy which be beliet*ed cotdd be worked hand ia hand witli all the measures" for doO- fonoo that were necessary. They wanted to I rai&e some revenue which could be utilised for viie benefit of the people. They wante.d to secure employment for those masses of peopie who were largely out of employment. It was therefore the main object of Unionist policy so to reconstruct our present fiscal system that we could secure revenue and employment. It was absolutely untrue tharf; th « policy would mean dearer food and greater difficulty of liv- ing for the wo; king classes. The basis of their policy was that the cost of living to the masses should be snalle: and Hot greater than it was before. (Cheers.) They were a party with a groat past, and ho believed they had a great future. Tlvoir policy of fiecai i-e-coii- struct:on would be absolutely imperfect if it did not carry with it the -at poesibilitieb of ?rc p ot IMPERIAL RE-CONSTRUCTION, Imperial unity, and Colonial preference, and so of a. colonial empiro united with the mother country for all future time. (Cheers.) They had an ambition for such an arrangement with the Colonies as would make in war time an alliance within tho British Empire so power- ful that no combination of foreign nations would dare to challenge us. It would be not only a war alliance, but also a partnership of peace. Surely, such a policy was worth fight- ing for, evan, if need be, at the cost of great sacrifices. (Cheers.) Sir Watkia Williams-Wynn briefly intro- duced Sir Foster Cunliffe, whom he formally recommended as a suitable person to be nomin- ated aa a oandidate to represent the L nionist party of East Denbighshire. Personally, he thought they would agi.-ee that Sir Foster Cun- liffe was a fit and proper person to represent them. (Cheers.) Sir Foster Cunliffe, who was accorded an en- thusiastic reception, first thanked Mr. Alfred Ashworth on behalf of all present for the large- hearted hospitality he had shewn them. He counted it an immense' honour to corre before them that day, and he looked forward to tho time when t'he ejectors would accord to him a fuller confidence than he could at present hope to claim. He would rather fight the battle of a sane and reasonable Conservation at home in his own county with which the best memories of his life had been bound up. than anywhem o. íOrs.) He did not care what were the chauoes of victory or defeat. lie lived in Wales, and his poiitios would be Welsh. Naturally, the most encouraging factor in the situation to him was that tohey had suoh a magnificent body of workeis, who through good and evil report, and often in most discouraging circumstances, had upheld the principles on which their politi- cui faith was based. (Hear, hear.) He only wished that he could add to their ardour and enthusiasm a fuller political experience. Tho only politics in which he had hitherto had a chance of participating in that part of the world were county council politics, and he could as- sure th?m that he saw there more of his oppon- ents than of his friends. (Laughter.) It was extremely cxhilaiating and stimulating work, but in the midst of it he sometimes longed for a solid Conservative nutriment. He did not pioposo on this occasion to rsview in detail the piwsent, Conservative situation. They would have an opportunity at an early date of hearing his views in detail upon all the questions of the day. What he would like to bring before their notice were four or five points upon which sin91 should be laid, and to which they should hold both in defence and in attack. There was no truo Liberal policy to-day as there ussd to be in the greater days of Mr. Gladstone. If they regarded the votes given at the last election they would find that tho number of seats in the House of Commons held by Liberals, exclusive of Irish Nationalists, was double what they ought to bo in proportion to the number of votes. That DISPROPORTIONATE MAJORITY consisted of three main constituent elements. There n-over was such a coalition as that of which Sir H. Campbell-Bannermaji was the nominal chief. There was the section of Liberal Im- perialists, who were sorrowfully leading to the grave the hearse of what. was once a nobler Liberalism. The three main sections, however, which determined too policy of the Government were the Irish party, the Nonconformist party and the Socialist party. (Hear, hear.) They knew that the policy of the Irish party was one of Imperial disruption. The Nonconformist leaders, whose policy had been described by Lord Stanley of Alder ley as a policy of civil and religious liberty, had poured a flood of invec- tive against the Church of England. Their policy seemed to be mairdy to attack the Churoh of England at every point. (Hear, hear.) The words "bigotry" and "superstition" were used as common terms to describe the Church's methods and to explain her influence. To the larger body of Nonconformists, who he believed did not hold those extreme views, he appealed to look at the situation as it presented itself to them. What right had the Nonconformist 1 bodies to upbraid tho Church for not bridging over the gulf, which waa really of their own making and which they would not bridge over tj^amselyes? (Hear, bear.) The attack on the schools was ä. Sank attack; and tfaey were told that soon th?M wouM ba & gmnd froo???'k upon tho whole of the Ohurch's position. r.rfírÐ I was to be I?i?cstAbUahtnent. a.nd no doubt as war indemnity, that would be followed by Dis; endowment. He did not know wheCher such a measure was going to be introduced in the pre- sent Parliament-, but it was necessary Whffll it came to be ready to meet it with all the energy and resolution in their power. (Cheers.) DISESTABLISHMENT REPUDIATED. He believed in the position of the Churoh, as the State Church, as valuable to the oountry; and in this he was merely repeating what men so different as Dr. Da.Uinger, the Liberal Roman Catholic, Prof. Huxley, the scientist, and M-atthew Arnold, the poet and philosopher, had said in their own time. The position of the Ohurob aa the State Church appealed to all classes of wiso and reasonable men. In the second plaoe, he supported the- Church as repre- senting the most powerful, the oldest and tho most authentic body of Christian doctrine in this country—the best bulwark against the new i theologies to which Mr. Birrell had referred in no doubtful terms the other day. Finally, the Churoh must bo supported for the great prac- tical good she was doing to-day, and which not even the bitterest of her opponents could dsnv. (Hear, hear.) Turning to the position of the Labour party, Sir Foster Cunliffe strongly re- pudiated the-fallacy that the Conservative party was hostile by nature to the English working- man. Even if their sympathies did not go out to him, it would be their interest to combine with him in every possible way. But their sym- pathies did go out to him. When they found labour fighting against oapit&l, instead of being allied with capital as one of the inseparable parte of our industrial system, it was a. mistake and harmful not only to capital, but to labour also. When people adopted a Socialists policy Conservatives were bound to withstand it as a system which had never succeedod anywhere, which was never lifoeiy to succeed, and which did not deserve to suooeed, becauae it was absolutely opposed to the institutions and the history of our oountry. (Cheers.) It tended to delude the labouring nian into supposing that he would get what he could not get. I'h,- whoie theory of Socialism was objeict-ionables on the simple ground that A SOCIALISTIC DESPOTISM would be infinitely worse than any other dk"6- potisrn of which history made mention. It would sap the lifeblood of the nation, and check e-yery enterprise, individual or co-operative, j upon which the progress of the human raoo dev pended. (Hear, hear.) It would abolish the principle, of variety, which was the first and most remarkable feeture of our life, and it would ex- pose a gwat and prosperous nation to a govern- ment which would be no more unimpeachable than any other government., but infinitely more tyrannical. The one thing upon, which the con- stituent elements of the Radical party seemed to combine at the present iiionient was an at- tack, not merely upon the House of Lords, but upon the principle of a. Second Chamber. They had thrown adb all suggestion of reform, and declared that the Second Chamber must be abolished. Continuing, tho speaker sa.id ha would pass over the various military and naval measures a.nd schemes of the present Govern- ment, the distinguishing feature of which was the harmfuL spirit in whidh our naval and mili- tary defences were treated by a very large, if not preponderating-, portion of the Liberal party. The Government displayed a fatal sentimental- ism, which was at the base of the pro-Boer party. JFhis jxmtimenfcaiism threatened very serious danger to the country, and tended to undermine its defences and threaten tJne whole basis upon which the safety "of tbe Anglo-Saxon raco dependsd. (Hear, hear.) Regarding our Fiscal system, while he admitted tho practical difficulties which attended the execution of tariff reform, he could not reconcile himself to the polioy of bolting, barring and banging the door which seemed to commend itself to the energetic mind of Mr. Winston Churchill. He objected to that policy because, in the first plaoo, it was e^xcocdingly discourteous to bang the dooi- in the face of people who wanted to talk to us, and in the eeoond place, because he believed that the door would have to be opened sooner or later. (Hear, hear.) For five or six centuries, perhaps the most important of our commercial history, we were governed on a strictly Protective system. Thanks paitly to war and partly to commerce, we achieved in the ( ly part of the last century a position over- whelmingly superior to that of any other Power in Europe. For some years we were enabled to dominate the commercial world. Other nations, seeing their weakness, adopted artificial de- fences, and under cover of those defences bs- came our serious rivals. Fifty ymra ago we boasted of our splendid isolation, but to-day our I TRADE WAS SUFFERING. On a level with the riae of rivalries in Europe there sprang up the groat principle of national- ism, which had governed European history for the last century; and we aaw each nat-ion work- ing in a greater degree for probc-otive powers and for the numbers of its people. At this moment our Colonies providentially came forward and offered to help us to the two things we Laoked—■ more protection and greater numbers. The firot, duty of the Unionist party was to keep this great political idea in the forefront. (Cheers) In their great Imperial policy was bound up the great and growing question of the future. There was every probability that Socialism would drive many of the more moderate Liberals into ths Unionist ranks, and that we would wit- ness, ai in the time of the Home Rule agita- lion, a great Unionist party standing together shoulder to shoulder in face of the broken forces of their opponents; standing together for their great policy of Imperial development and indi- vidual liberty. (Loud cheers.) Lord Kenyon, moving a vote of thanks to Mr. Ashworth for his hospitality, said the only way in which they oould repay him was by return- ing Sir Foster Cunliffe to Parliament. They were convinced that Sir Foster Cunliffe. would adequately represent East Denbighshire, and it remained for every niembor of the party to rem- der personal servioe to the cause. Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, seconding, said they owed Mr. Ashworth a debt of gratitude for bringing them together under such favour- able auspices. The resolution waa carried with hearty accla- mation, vigorous cheors being raiaed for Mr. Ashworth. Briefly returning thanks, ho said every cave had been takm to invite all workers, but should any workers liavo been forgotten he hoped they would oonvey to them his sinoenx> regret, and his assurance that it had not boen by intention but by acoident.

IPOINTS. ————A—————

iLOCAL FLOWER SHOWS. ——*——

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