DISCURSIVE DIALOGUES.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 54, 2 July 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

DISCURSIVE DIALOGUES.

SATURDAY EVENING TALKS

ON CURRENT TOPICS.

No. I.—Tins Jubilee Summed Up—MoNAKcnY and Superstition — Australian Disloyalty and American Loyalty—A Significant Movement— Knights of Labour, etc

(Scene. — A Cottage in Newton . Jack Plane

drops in to see Tom Turnscrew.)

Good evening, Tom ; gob bhe Jubilee over 1

Oh, yes, Jack. Come along and sib by the fire, for the weather is deuced cold. HoW has your own Jubilee passed off?

All righb, as far as that goes; only a day's wages chucked away bhab would have ifoeen better in my pocket. This Jubilee

business is pure humbug. I think, with some of bhose Star correspondents, that Royalty is worth little and costs much—a greab deal boo much.

And, yob, Jack, if you look into it, you'll find bhab bhough bhe Queen were to give the whole of her income it would only be fivepence a-head to the people in bhe United Kingdom, without. allowing anything to the colonies !

Well, I suppose if the colonies were included, it would give threepence a-head; and bhab would buy a glass ot bucr to drink the Queen's health in,—not that I want to drink her health, however.

No, Jack ; I fear you are nob over loyal, and are carried away with Republican ideas.

Myideaof loyalby is to live honestly, provide well for wife and family, and cultivate my own and their intelligence. You know that disloyalty and high' intelligence are almost synonymous. No, indeed, that's a new doctrine, surely. Not [at all. Bucklo says in his " History of Civilisation :"—" There isa real andpracbicalconnecbion between loyalty and superstition. Ib is a historical fact that tho two feelings have nearly always flourished together and decayed together." In bhab case, bhe rowdies of Sydney musb be in bhe vanguard of civilisation and intellectual advancement when they give three groans for bhe Queen, and three cheers for the Ansbralian Republic. You're wrong, Tom, if you think thab ibs only "rowdies" who hold those sentiments. Many people of wealth and posibion agree wibh bhem, bub they haven't the independence bo express bheir minds on tho subject. I was quite refreshed the oblier day to see that every poet in the country hadn't gone inbo local libs over bhe Jubilee rejoicings, bub could express himthus aboub ib:

X look with eye prophetic on a day not far ahead When a heartier kind of Jubilee shall true reioicingsshed; . When tho crown, and throne, and sceptre, and other useless gear, Consigned into the lumber-room, no more Shall reappear; . '• When the tinsel and tho trappings and tho old time-honoured lies __.-■;•. Shall no longer serve to dazzle a thinlano nation's eyes; ■ When the horseleech cries of princes shall , cease to vex our oars, A.nd ari altruistic spirit bo the standard or our • peers; ~._,_, When the truest and the worthiest and tho most enlightened man . . _■ ■-. shall be our only potentate, and lead our social van;_. . . _ When this direst bough that lingers on Superstition's tree Shall cast no more its shadow on a country truly free; .... _ . , ~ Then shall that other Jubilee be joyfully begun, ;.,-.-; ... -, TNot circumscribed by period of a circuit round the sun, ... But, growing in its grandeur at each successive stage, ■ Shall mark the nobler epoch of a Democratic Ag_!

What do you think of that; Tom ? And before you answer, let mo say bhab one millionaire ab leasb has the courage of his opinions—Mr Andrew Carnegie, a naturalised citizen of the United States—and has spoken out .boldly against the sham and ehoddy of Royalty and loyalty. Why, Jack, you take my breath away, with such an impassioned speech and such vigorous poetry. But, believe me, the Democratic advbcabes have jusb as much humbug aboub them as the Royalisbs. Then, Andrew Carnegie is nobhing but an eccentric Scotchman who has made money and therefore thinks his opinions better than other people's; He in no way represents the sentiments of tho people of the "United States bowards England. Doesn'b he ! Then ibs because he isrt b bitter enough. Look at bhe Irish-Americans, and how heartily they hate bhe British monarchy—— ~,,.,. . And thus Bhow bheir lnbelligence and freedom froni superstition, eh ? I'm afraid your logic is ab faulb, Jack. Americans, aS a class, may have no love for royalcy, bub they have a genuine lovo for England, and a touching respect for tho Queen. Why, I see that at San Francisco, which is furthest removed from English influences, .they celebrated the .Queen's Birthday in .vlay lasb by singing:— "God save the President, Congress and Parliament, God save the Queen!" Pooh, that mean's nothing, and you see they pub- Presktanb and Congress before Queen and Parliamenb, I don'b believe all - thab twaddle about American friendship for England, or the "spread-eagleism" that raves about the federation of the Englishspeaking people, . , ...,.-, , ~ , And yeb, Jack, .that consummation may riot .'be far off. Here's a litble bib clipped from an American paper bhab is very' insbrucbive., Ib reads this way:—" Politicians! who" look beneath the mere surface of things are getting interested in an Anglo-American movement which has been silently growing to a power in certain sections of the country. Of late years emigration from England and Canada has assumed vast proportions. ~ Before they come here these Britishers are saburabed. with Republicanism, and. despite the common opinion, they nearly all become jiaturalised, although bhey are nob distinguished for office-seeking. If one keeps his eyes open he will very of ben read of bhe -esbablishmenb of English colonies throughout the United States. .It is said to be a fact thab bhe Maine Legislature was carried for bhe Republican party ab bhe lasb election through bhe sobxt vote of the English ; element. In Chicago, also, -lie EriglishICanadian,ypbe is courted by politicians of Ibobh. parties, so large is ib. These Englishmen generally respecb the Queen, but bhey I believe, thab. the monarchy is doomed to be j supplanted by a republic at no distanb day ; H iadmire Gladstone.enthusiastically; approve !of Home Rule for Ireland, bub debesb |_?enianism, Socialism, and Anarchism, and l-almosb to a man they are upholders of a j protective tariff. Most of them are either expert mechanics, who, from the firsb,'secure lucrative employment as workers in metals or clay, or practical farmers wibh more or less .financial means." That's an argumenb on my side, Toni ! These Englishmen are Republicans, and insbead of taking the United" States over to Monarchy, they will drag England over bo Republicanism. Perhaps so; bub bhey Will help on bhab great federation movement in winch every thinking man instinctively believes—the union of the Anglo-Saxon race; and that will speedily be. followed by " The Parlia- , ment of man, the federation of the world 1" Your Republican poeb hasn'b evolved a nobler-sentiment yet than that of Lord oggs 'TennysOn! : ' '■'.'.■■ ■>-. . ■k; Well,:Tom,.there's not much difference HI ; between us, after, all. To. change the ■ (_s£_§#» '^a^aJSlS^M^^,

bo inbroduce bhe Knighbs of Labour organisation inbo bhe colonies ?

Thab's rather a ticklish question. You know I'm an ardenb Trades Unionist; but when I look ab bhe effeebs of bhe depression in trade—how we have to work ourselves to death for a baro pittance —I almosb despair of any good coming from labour organisations. Work and wages are regulabed and conbrolled by higher laws than any mere human machinery. No doubb; bub when good times come, do you think we would get our wages up if we had no combination for thab purpose ? Even bhen, I don'b know bub ib would be better to trust to "the common sense of mosb" rabher than to bhe rude argument of force. But forco is the ultimate appeal in every worldly matter. Yes ; bub bwo can play at that game. In blie Unibed Sbabes the employerc have combined, and already one result is that many of the men havo surrendered bheir membership in bhe Trade Unions and returned to work ; and in some instances the Knights of Labour lodges have surrendered bheir charters, and are altogether disbanded. Tho movement for uniting all bhe manufacturing interests in tho counbry is progressing, and when it is finished, the manufacturers and all employers of labour expect bo be able' to fight the strike and the boycott with their own weapons. Then we musb fall back on tho principle of arbitration, which workmen's Unions have always advocated. You mean the more inbelligenb members of bho Unions—nob bho inferior workmen who encourage strikes in order thab they may get higher wages bhan their skill or industry entitles them to ! I agree with you bhab arbitration is to bo tho greab civilising agent of bhe future. lam surprised bhab our Trades and Labour Congress do nob make bhab a besb question for candidates ab bhe gonoral election. Probably they havo nob thought of ib. Bub it's too late now to begin a discussion on local politics. I musb bo going. Very well, Jack, don'b be long bill you come back again. Good-night.

Good-night.