Lawless Lawmakers
Maoriland Worker, Volume 8, Issue 301, 27 June 1917, Page 5
About this newspaper
Lawless Lawmakers
By J. IiEAD. Judging by the actions of our. Far- Jiamcnt during tho la.st two years, any J ordinary citizen is entitled to ask if is to be compelled to accept its conipotent, parts at their own estimated value. G. 13. Shaw once said that the world accepted a man at his own value, and whether that i's true or not it v.tmlil appear Uiat our legislators assembled have put a high value on themstilvi>, and evidently think they have bluffed the people into accepting (hat i-aluo, as correct. But seriously, if they Look around and watch lor the actions and keep their ears open for the words lof the people of this Dominion they will rapidly bi> imulu awai t> that they have Hindi a big mistake. True, the people have- been very quiet under most unjust tilings inipo.-sd upon thorn by their Parliament, but now they are beginning to hco (he true situation with regard to the extension of thy three years 1 term they :m likely to upset this little scheme, designed for the com fort and benefit of our twopence-ha'penny .eros. There is .sometimes necessity for a sli'i'iij; man taking charge when a rot is likely to set in umoiij people, but ho far there has been no togn of Mich a necessity arising in this country, and li'.-tiw tho endeavour on the part o f I'arliaineut to impose upon the people is quite, unjustified. It it significant that the proposition to enlarge tlu term of tho" life of Parliament was agreed to by both the orthodox parties, tlic only serious opposition to such a course being voiced by tho Labor iiicmiji'is, and this fact, it is safe to say, will not be forgotten by the electors when the time to roinember comes along. But it may be a Jong time to that desired consummation, as the Parliament has tho right-—at-suminz they can carry out tho. first wrong of extending their life by a twelvemonth —to carry on for an indefinite, period. I feel very .strongly over this attempt to bring about a Long Parliament in Xew Zealand, 'and am fully convinced (hat the people should go to any length to prevent such an issue to the- blatant I politician's game. In Kussia, until the (revolution arrived, it was the prerogative of the Czar and a handful cf his confreres to inflict any law upon the people of that j unhappy country, and disobedience on the part of the public meant imprisonment, transportation, and in some cases, death! Wo have people animated by the same, spirit in Xew Zealand toKlay, who, dimwd in- authority by Parliament itself, will niako this fair country a hell on earth unless they are curbed in their rabid desires. We know how they have carried cut their vindictiveness against various democratic men fto far, and they will do worse in future unless the democrats in Xew Zealand let them know that the road they travel will lead to their political destruction. But mark this, that everything is well laid for imposing ns good, a working system of bureaucracy on us as was ever in being anywhere, and the spirit of the men behind it is such as will make it inevitablc-unlws their |cla-ws can b« clipped, and the first thing to do is to compel Parliament to oiifc its own words* •by repealing the measure which extends their period for another year. For the future it must be made quite plain to men elected to our Parliament that they have no power to interfere with the lav; which controls the length of tenure of their office. This law is too sacred to allow of it being interfored with by folks with an axe to, <*rind: It is the only agreement in existence between tho people of this fair Dominion and tho men eketed to Parliament as lo the period for which they are elected, and it i.s quite proper, I aD (i eminently just to ask if this sacred agreement should bo broken by the peo-
pie who pecuniarily gain by doing &o, without consultation with their mastub —or the other 'party,' to the) agreement!' What would be said of a union which,' after going before the authority set up by Government, and "coming to n;i agreement with certain 'employers, weul j bnck to its meeting room and delibc-j atoly passed a resolution not (o uLii by the agreement which they had *>;,','n- ed, but to demand something qult-a dv ferent to the terms on which <hey had just previously agreed? Tho country would ring with, the terrible clatter mad* by all the capitalist papers, which would hound such a union to tho very lowest dei>ths. But this would be exact- l.y tho situation which' has arisen by JWJiament voting itself another year (at least) of office, and if 60 reprehen- i sible on the part of a Labor body, why has it become quite right when far- ried out by our House of Represent* tives? Aβ a matter of fact, it is a breach t of agreement for which the people of this country must and will domand re- compenj.c. Agreements' must no more bo broken because tho interests of the politicians demand it than windows must be left unfastened o-r doors un- locked because eucli would help in the carrying out oLhis work by Bill Sykes. It is surpriSng when one comes to 1 think of it thnt such an ordinary set of men should sit in any representative i chamber as we are cursed with in thie country. After listening to &omo of them in both public and private, that wonder cannot help but grow. But their presumption exceeds their iguor-v; mice when they go to override a law which has been placed on the ttatuto v book to oversee them, and to protect the people of this country from would- "be despots whether in the singular or plural.
In the last two.and a-half years "Wall Street has sold two and u-half thousand million dollars' worth of war" supplies to, tho Allies. Bnt the Allies are now, to a large extent, making their own supplies, and Wall Street must now find a. new marbet.- War with Germany would bo the surest moans of selljug, thase products to tho United States Government.—From an American pub-.' licEitioii, May, 1917. ;J< V V The so-called patriots of Melbourne demonstrated that their class hatred of Labor was tons heavier than their patriotism when they howled down Labor leader Tudor at a recruiting meeting on Empiah Day, after having invited him to speak for them. Tudor dererved to be howled down, though, for accepting tho invitation.
