"A Revulsion of Feeling."

Press, Volume L, Issue 14900, 13 February 1914, Page 6

"A Revulsion of Feeling."

"While tho Opposition M.P.'s are waiting, hopefully and fearfully, to know ,what the policy,is to be which they are to support, some of them are seeking io persuade the public that the tide is turning in favour of "Liberalism." AYe have no objection to their adopting this harmless method'of seeking to recapture that small section of wavering and uncertain people who would prefer to be on the winning side, but there should also be no objection, on tho part of the anti-Reformers, to a polite enquiry for the evidence upon which they base their claim. The member for Avon has boen telling a Nelson newspaper that ''throughout the whole "country there j9 strong evidence of a " revulsion of feeling in favour of " Liberalism.". If there is any such evidence it has escaped the notice of the common people, who have seen only a good many signs that the Government is going to sweep the country at the next general election. There have been three by-elections since December, 1911, all in constituencies held, at the date of the vacancy, by members of the "Liberal" Party. In Egmont the "Liberal" candidate was soundly defeated in a straight-out contest. Tn Grey, where no Reform candidate had I ever appeared for many years, and where, according to the Opposition statisticians, there was not a eingle Reformer in 1911, the anti-Reformers were confident that a crushing blow would be delivered at the Government. At last, we were assured, the whole world would see what the democracy thought of .Mr Massey, and, better still, what it thought of the 'Liberal" Party. The Reform candidate headed the poll, and the Opposition nominee, one of the most capable, and certainly the bestknown and most popular, of the citizens of Grey, was at the bottom. Whatever they wanted, the people of Grey did not want "liberalism." In Lyttelton, long the safest of "Liberalism's" strongholds, the figures went still more unpleasantly against the Party for whose grbwing popularity the member for Avon insists that there are strong evidences. And in the meantime the part, played by the Opposition during the strike sent over to the side of the Government large numbers of people

of the community. Jt may be. of course, that the great euocess of the latest loan and the casing of that financial tightness which tho "Liberals" left ac a legacy to their successors, will increase the popularity of the Russells and Paynes and Webbs of the Opposit?sin, but it would not do to be very dogmatic on the point. So far as that evidence is concerned which is visible to tho public, the "Liberals" Hare good cause to betake themselves to shrill and anxious abuse of the Government. If our Opposition friends really know of the existence of even the thousandth part of the "evidence" which they profess to find satisfactory, they are not very wise to keep it to themselves.