An Unhappy Comparison

Press, Volume L, Issue 14899, 12 February 1914, Page 6

An Unhappy Comparison

When ho mentioned at Te» Aroha a few of the plain facts which explain the difficulty our "Überal" friends are experiencing in Retting the public to sympathise with them. Mr Massey was not aware that lie was committing a really serious offence. It is complained that ho wa? "wholly on the defensive" —dearly an infringement of the Opposition doctrine that it is not fair of the .Reformers to reply to the charges their opponents bring against them. Mr MaH.«oy is obviously an unworthy fellow, like the creature which so annoyeti the French hunter-naturalist of fable. C'et animal est tres mediant: Qua ml on l'attiitjue. il ac defend. "Tics nit'-ehanf indeed, to defend himself with the simple weapon of fact when the "Liberals" attack him. Had his enemies contented themselves with complaining because once in a way the Prime Minister pours a little cold water upon the peculiarly heated head of "Liberal" criticism, they might have gained just a little sympathy from those who think that Opposition critics do so much good that their crushing is not in tho public interest. Unhappily, our "Liberal" friends went n little further. They complained that Mr Massey had not delivered a policy speech .it all. and of course be did not. He did not set out to do more than demolish a few of the Opposition fictions, and it was a pleasant and interesting way, too. of opening the campaign. But, it is. insisted, "the '• opening of a political campaign vrith- " out tho shred of a policy was a " strange reversal of the order of " things to which Mr Seddon aecus- " tomod tho country." How liko a knell must that "Mr Seddon" fall upon the cars that expected "Sir Joseph "Ward." Mr Seddon was a remarkable man. a great fighter, a very notable man in many ways, but what the "Liberals" do not want just at present; surely, is this very Ziarsh reminder that Sir Joseph Ward is not Mr Seddon. nor anything in the least liko him.' This appealing over the present head.of the forlorn little party-of-the-strong-policy-when-thn-timo - comes-to-announce-it can hardly be more agreeable to Sir J. G. Ward himself than to ■ the tmo-bluo "Liberals." What Mr Massey has to fijrht is, we are reminded, not a Seddon. The Opposition apologists have something like a real grievance against tho Leader of the Opinion in that ho will not do to set up iii contrast to Mr Massey. "The order of things to which Mr "Seddon accustomed the country" is no more. But politeness towards Sir Joseph Ward might have suggested tho suppression of a comparison which is damaging only to Mr Seddon's successor.