Liberals Decry Themselves
Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 33, 15 August 1923, Page 8
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Liberals Decry Themselves
, A. L. MONTEITH ' (Wellington East), in the Address-in-Reply debate:— ' I was struck the other evening with i a statement made by the Leader of ' the Liberal Party, who said that the * members of the Ltibour Party were t always paying tribute to the Liberal • leaders of the past. We know per■ fectly well that Liberalism as it 1 was' ■ in the old days is now a thing- of the ' past, and dead. The member for Ric' carton is authority for that, for speak, ing - at the Addington Workshops some, ■ j time ago he said that Liberalism was: ■ as dead as Julius Caesar. XZ.. TIMES ON SIBEBALS. r I have in my hand the New Zealand "Times," of Wednesday, June 14; 1916. The other day the leader of the Liberal Party said that •every party had its rise, meridian and fall; and this article I refer to is headed "The' Liberal Eclipse.'* It is a most' amusing- article,. in that it sets out. {that the Liberal leaders of that day were "TOO COWARDLY TO FIGHT AND TOO PAT TO RUN." In view l !of these circumstances, I can quite ! understand the member who said that all the Liberal leaders were dead. I agree with him that Liberalism died with them. The article says that.ln I 1916 the Government of that day, one j half of which were -Liberals, o"r so! called Liberals, were a Government of 1 place-holders; of men. who. with one lor two exceptions, were prepared to ! subordinate their principles and j" their party obligations TO THE i HONORARIUM AND THE SEEKING j !OF MINISTERIAL POSITION: of : men who. whatever had been their loud-mouth vp. pourings of Liberal . principles. had found'it more convenient to bow- to the cry of expediency and to ACCEPT THE POLICY OF j THE PRESENT PARTY ON THE j TREASURY BENCHES AS THEIR j PARTICULAR STAR OF IDOLATRY, j LRVRRALS JIVJsV FAT, SATS ! ! LIBKRAL PAPER, j : It is said that'-'never'before in the'i history of this country was Liberal-: ; ism so completely under the heel of! Conservatism as it weis at ciilar date —1916. • Why. cierful article! It- goes that a million people lanus; that these islands the size of cue Motherland: and that incse lauds are rich in the-resources nC nature. What does it say. about j the purpose of the present Liberal j 'Party? It says:— 3 ; "In purpose there is lack of initia-j five, co"urage. and determination on the part of our Liberal leaders to' maintain the traditions of our past. '■ The exponents of Liberalism in our | public life are hut TRIMMERS AND I PHRASEMONGERS." j Why. it is a wonderful article! It j tolH the truth, because at the tail end '■ of the article it says:— i "The need of the hour is for strong ; men. who will not let the dictates of, wealth and self-interest dominate' their policy." ! But the 'more one goes into this ar- ; tide the more one finds how truthful: ■the s-entleman is that wrote is. He j .says:— | "To ?neet the injustice that v;;ii- ' caused by the war. IN WHICH THE • WEALTHY CLASSES OF THE COM-! MUNITY GROW FATTER AT THE i EXPENSE OF THE POORERj CLASSES, they agreed to treat this! 'n.iustiee by instituting a Board oil Trade that has an much capacity to understand and check the evil A.S A CHINA. GOD HAS TO INTERPRET! THE WAYS OF PROVIDENCE." WILT'OR!) SOWED TA"RI-S, I I want to ask i'nc Loader of the Li-j beray Party if it is not a fact thatj that gentleman planted these beautiful lir.tie white plants of Liberalism in three constituencies in New Zealans ■■■--• in Riccarton. the Bay of Is-j iann':-, r;nd Cln isLehureh North —and j is it. not a fact that when these beau-J tiful pbint. , ; grew up they found- that, j in.stead of coming up as beautiful white Liberal flower;;, they came up black Tory [lowers? And he is • the gentleman that planter! them. Consequently, I say that is conclusive proof that the honourable gentleman cannot possibly be relied upon to say what constitutes Liberalism am; what does not. You will see that when, lie selected these gentleman he did not know he was putting in the
t seeds of Toryism, but thought he was putting in beautiful white Liberalism. I am, therefore, forced to the conclusion that that gentleman, at any rate, is not very careful in his selection, and that it would be very uirwis« for the people of New Zealand to allow him to have the selection of the men Lo carry on progressive measures. In his selection the honourable gonllemaa tailed,- ana he would probably
